Tag Archives: Scandinavian desserts

Orange à la Norvegienne

Posted on by February 15, 2015

I was shocked that I’d never heard of Orange à la Norvegienne before. I mean, French cooking takes on a Scandinavian country? That’s my jam. So of course, I made Orange à la Norvegienne the very night I discovered it. And of course, I had to do a little something something to change it up. In this case, I used frozen yogurt to lighten it up, added a little fresh cheese to up the French factor and cardamom to up the Scandinavian factor, and tested out both oranges and grapefruits, the latter of which both Marc and I preferred. The end result is Citrus à la Swedican. Cute, right? And there was the added bonus of breaking out my kitchen torch. Other bonus of making Orange à la Norvegienne? You can make it as easy or challenging as you like. If you don’t want to spend the time to complicate the ice cream, plain vanilla is absolutely delicious. Final bonus, anytime you but out the flames and make meringue for your guests, they’ll be certain to be awed, even thought the reality is Orange à la Norvegienne is truly simple. Finally, if you aren’t up for the meringue, a little Coeur à … Continue reading →

Danish Puffs

Posted on by December 24, 2015

The second almond dessert of the week, as promised: Danish Puffs. The flaky crust, the custardy egg puff that is pâte à choux, the buttery sweet almond frosting, the crunchy almonds… such an amazing complement. My mom, sister and I used to make these on Christmas Eve and then we frosted them Christmas morning, while we made coffee, sliced fruit and watched my brother make eggs or savory bread pudding. My dad was outside feeding the birds so we could watch the cardinals, goldfinches and chickadees enjoy their winter feast, and hopefully, it would snow. While I’m not always in Wisconsin to complete the ritual, baking this breakfast pastry brings back all of the wonderful memories. Make Danish Puffs part of your Holiday tradition now. This recipe makes two puffs, and they freeze rather well. ½ cup cold butter ¾ cup room temperature butter; divided 2 cups flour; divided 1 cup + 2 tablespoon water; divided 2 teaspoons almond extract; divided 3 eggs 2 cups powdered sugar 2 tablespoons milk sliced almonds Preheat the oven to 350° F. Mix as if you’re making a pie crust (for me, that’s in a food processor) ½ cup cold butter and one cup … Continue reading →

Norwegian Almond Bars

Posted on by November 19, 2014

Close in time to making these Norwegian Almond Bars, my sister asked me to rank pistachios, cashews, peanuts and almonds in order of preference. I told her it was impossible, except that I knew peanuts were always last. Which is not to say I don’t like peanuts, I just like them less than the others. It’s impossible for me, because I like to use different nuts for different things. But the honest truth is that an almond shortage would probably hit me the hardest. So perhaps I have to admit I like almonds the most- maybe not when eating a simple snack- but definitely when it comes to cooking. The first step is always admitting you have a problem. And you already know all about mine. Almond desserts. So this week you’re getting two more, just in time for Christmas. For whatever reason, MANY Scandinavian desserts are all about almonds. I set out to do a little research, but I couldn’t find anything worth reporting as to why that is. Instead, I’ll just index some of my favorites, as evidence that I’m right: Princess cake (which is covered in marzipan), Almond cake, these Norwegian Almond Bars, and Danish Puffs. And … Continue reading →