Text 23539, 76 rader
Skriven 2012-04-09 22:23:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
Ärende: blog 28
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MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

      Title: Jessica's Swedish Semla
 Categories: Scandinavia, Holiday, Breads, Nuts, Dairy
      Yield: 1 Servings

           Sweet cardamom wheat bun
    Almond paste
    Milk
    Whipped cream
    Powdered sugar

  In the old days, fasting before Easter was part of the Swedish
  tradition. To be able to survive fasting during a time of year when
  Sweden is coldest, dark, and snowy, it was important to stock up on
  calories. One way of doing this was through a pastry called the
  semla, also called "fastlagsbulle." It had everything required for a
  food item whose main purpose was to help us efficiently store
  calories: white flour, plenty of sugar, and plenty of fat. Nowadays,
  when fasting rarely exists, the semla still remains.

  Not only does it remain, but it seems to show up in bakeries and
  cafes earlier and earlier each year. My local bakery did not even
  have time to throw out the gingerbread house before semlor (plural
  for "semla") were up in the shop window. The rigid traditionalists,
  however, wait until late February to buy and eat the goodies.
  According to tradition, they can only be eaten on Tuesdays, and even
  more strictly, only on Shrove Tuesday. The rest of the population,
  who just want something really nice with their coffee, start about
  now, and eat them as often as they can until the pastries disappear
  in early March.

  Selling a semla in words is actually not that easy, they taste
  significantly better than they sound. Also, regardless of how you
  describe them, you risk having someone disagree with you on how they
  should be prepared and served.

  The basic semla is a wheat bun, sweet but no too sweet, with a
  distinct cardamom flavor. Most people use a cinnamon bun base
  recipe, with the added cardamom spice. These are baked into plain
  round buns. The buns are turned into a semla in three steps.

  1. Cut the top of the bun off (save the top piece, the "hat"), and
  with a fork, dig out parts of the inside. Mix this with plenty of
  almond paste, and a hint of milk. Refill the inside of the bun with
  the mixture.

  2. Whip cream and place on top of the bun, covering the hole filled
  with the almond paste mixture.

  3. Place the small "hat" on top of the whipped cream and sprinkle
  powder sugar on top. Voila, your semla is done!

  This can be eaten as it is, with your hands (almost guaranteeing you
  get whipped cream on you nose) or with a spoon. Connoisseurs usually
  prefer to place it in a deep bowl and pour warm milk around it,
  making the dough of the bun all spongy and soft. Tastes much better
  than it sounds, believe me. Regardless of how they are eaten, they
  are bound to satisfy any craving for sugar or fat, and ensure you do
  not starve before the arrival of the Easter chocolates.

  Jessica J.
  From: Serious Eats

MMMMM

Cheers

YK Jim


... "I get my policies from the top donors" said one anonymous politican.

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