Lingonberry Cardamom Tart

From a technique perspective, this Lingonberry Cardamom Tart is closely based on a Martha Stewart recipe. But I have a confession to make, I’ve never actually made it according to the original instructions. The second I saw it, I knew it was destined for Swedish Thanksgiving greatness. In so many ways, the original recipe waltzes around so many Scandinavian ingredients and flavors and that was enough to pique my interest right away. In my Lingonberry Cardamom Tart I swap in lingonberries wherever possible. I add in cardamom in enough quantity to make sure it doesn’t get lost. And I keep up the rich buttery, almond paste that really makes this dessert feel Swedish to me. I have to admit, anything that requires blind baking, like this Lingonberry Cardamom Tart, I consider to be somewhat of a pain and it better be worth the extra steps. This Lingonberry Cardamom Tart definitely is worth any extra effort. It’s as beautiful as it is rich, tart, sweet, spicy, savory and delicious. The cranberries make this Lingonberry Cardamom Tart wonderful as a Thanksgiving, Christmas, or even Valentine’s Day dessert and everything else about it will soon make it a family favorite. … Continue reading

Salmon with Lingonberry BBQ Butter

Once upon a wine pairing, my sister Heidi challenged me to make one dish to pair with both a chardonnay and a pinot noir; this Salmon with Lingonberry BBQ Butter turned out to be just the dish. I thought quite a bit about different proteins that I thought would be up to the task, and one of the most versatile proteins I know is salmon. Once I decided on Salmon, lingonberries started calling to me. In fact, it was the lingonberries that inspired a slightly Scandinavian meets California feel that runs throughout this menu of kale and potato salads with salmon. But plain lingonberry glaze would be way too sweet to put up next to these rich wines, so I started thinking about how to pair lingonberries with salmon in a more savory way. This led me to think of my time waiting tables in college. I was reminded me of a barbeque butter sauce we used to serve on a shrimp and rice appetizer at Davis Street Fish Market. It was rich and buttery, sweet and savory all at once and inspired me to head straight to the kitchen. This Salmon with Lingonberry BBQ Butter is the happy result of … Continue reading

Swedish Pancakes

If you ever make it over to my house early on a Saturday morning, you’ll usually find us eating Swedish Pancakes. It’s my preferred weekend breakfast. The thin, delicate pancakes roll up beautifully and are a great vehicle for lots of gorgeous fruit. Swedish pancakes are mostly eggs and milk, so they’re packed with protein and all in all quite healthy; they stick with you better than some pancakes. I usually load mine up with fresh berries and some lingonberry jam but another traditional topping is lemon juice, butter and powdered sugar. Aside from being extremely beautiful and delicious, Swedish Pancakes are quite easy to make, too. You don’t need specialty cookware for these, but I find that a steel crêpe pan and a long skinny crêpe spatula are a wonderful investment if you’re going to make these on the regular like I do. Don’t be afraid that the pan is a single use item, it is extremely handy for warming tortillas and all sorts of random tasks. If buying a new pan isn’t in the cards right now, you can just use a regular frying pan. Low sides are helpful for flipping the pancakes as the batter is spread all the … Continue reading