Tag Archives: Scandinavian Thanksgiving

Juniper Brined Turkey Breast Roast

Posted on by October 30, 2017

Hello Dirty Laundry Kitchen fans, it’s been awhile. I’m really excited to be posting this Juniper Brined Turkey Breast Roast, with time for it to make it’s way onto your Thanksgiving menus. Truth told, it’s simple and delicious as a plan ahead weeknight dinner, too. The slices from this Juniper Brined Turkey Breast Roast make for some seriously good sandwiches, especially when paired with some homemade cranberry relish. I served leftover slices of it with aged cheddar on cranberry walnut french toast last weekend, so really, the sky is the limit. Let your imagination run wild. For so many reasons, including it’s fabulous leftover potential, I think this Juniper Brined Turkey Breast Roast is a great first post after a blogging hiatus. I created this recipe before my daughter entered the world and my life changed in so many ways, so coming back to it, and finding that it still fits into my cooking philosophy is comforting and empowering. I think you’ll notice in the coming months that practices, procedures and recipes are going to get even easier here at Dirty Laundry Kitchen. I still fully believe in my mission of comfortable, elegant entertaining. But the addition of a child … Continue reading →

Rhubarb Lillet Rose Spritzer

Posted on by November 2, 2015

While I absolutely love savory cocktails, not everyone does; some people prefer something a little sweet, like this Rhubarb Lillet Rose Spritzer. So when you’re serving a drink like my Celery Aquavit Spritzer for your big, fancy schmancy Scandinavian Thanksgiving menu, it’s best to make two cocktails for a large group. After all, two cocktails is better than one anyway, right? When I was making aquavit, I wanted to make some Northern, Scandinavian flavors and rhubarb was at the top of my list for pairing with holiday flavors. I also finally procured a bottle of lillet rose, which can be surprisingly tricky to track down and wanted to feature it and it’s lovely pink color. The rhubarb aquavit fit this Rhubarb Lillet Rose Spritzer in that dimension as well since it is also a beautiful pink shade. I have to admit, this isn’t a particularly complex cocktail; it’s light, smooth, and easy to drink. But that’s perfect when you have a huge menu with many courses and lots and lots of awesome wine pairings. In fact, this simple and easy Rhubarb Lillet Rose Spritzer it perfect when it needs to pair with three very different appetizers, like a gjetost fondue, … Continue reading →

Swedish Gjetost Fondue

Posted on by October 27, 2015

This Gjetost Fondue is another great easy to make ahead hors d’oeuvres that’s perfect for any Thanksgiving, but I served it as a started for my Scandinavian Thanksgiving Menu for good reason. It’s chock full of lovely Swedish cheeses, which are actually rather easy to find, particularly if you live near an IKEA, where they stock all of the cheeses required for this Swedish Gjetost Fondue. But even if you can’t find many of them, the only two that are absolutely essential are the French Gruyère and the Scandinavian Gjetost. The Gjetost in particular cannot be substituted because it is a very unique caramelized goat’s milk cheese. Yes, you heard me, caramelized goat’s milk cheese. But, caramelized milk sounds crazy to describe cheese. It is, you’re right. And while Gjetost on it’s own tends to be a love or hate it food because it’s a little sweet and extremely dense and creamy. It is also absolutely the element that makes this Swedish Gjetost Fondue so special and one of the crowd favorites at Thanksgiving last year, even amongst people who said they didn’t normally like Gjetost. It’s also a cheese that I grew up with at breakfast, served on toast, … Continue reading →

Salmon Mousse with Rye Crisps

Posted on by October 23, 2015

While for those of us in the United States (perhaps Alaska and the Pacific Northwest excluded), salmon is special and certainly not the cheapest thing at the fish counter, in Sweden, it’s a “poor man’s” fish and eaten in many different forms on the regular, like this Salmon Mousse with Rye Crisps hors d’oeuvres. Salmon is frequently eaten fresh and simply roasted or grilled, but in this instance I’m using it preserved as the famous salt cured gravlax that we eat with our bagels. And this Salmon Mousse with Rye Crisps hors d’oeuvres is definitely reminiscent of bagels, lox, and cream cheese. In fact, it’s all the ingredients combined into a smooth and rich mousse and then served on rye crisps for perfect blend of flavors and textures. And while Salmon Mousse with Rye Crisps is quite untraditional for a United States Thanksgiving, something like it would certainly be present in the Swedish equivalent that I was paying homage to with my Thanksgiving 2014 Menu. And the Salmon Mousse with Rye Crisps was perfect next to the pickled herring, which was also served. Added bonus, the Salmon Mousse with Rye Crisps is very easy to make. Just be sure to … Continue reading →

Celery Caraway and Rhubarb Aquavit

Posted on by October 20, 2015

Aquavit, or “water of life” in Swedish is basically a high proof Vodka, but you can tell from it’s name, that it’s also culturally important. Afterall, it’s a long cold Winter so far North, and there is a lot of time for staying indoors, sitting around fires and telling stories with friends. Aquavit is often flavored and it’s hard to find in the United States’ but good news: Aquavit is easy to make your own. I made three flavors: Celery Caraway and Rhubarb Aquavit and used them to make some fabulous cocktails to start the night off right for my Scandinavian Thanksgiving using, you guessed it fresh caraway seeds, frozen rhubarb stalks, and fresh celery. When crafting the cocktails, I used the celery and caraway seed aquavit together with a celery simple syrup to make a very cool Celery spritzer and then I used the rhubarb with some Rhuby, a local Philly spirit from Art in the Age to make a rhubarb spritzer. I also used the leftover celery aquavit to make some of the best Bloody Mary’s and Sunny Mary: a Bloody Good Alternative cocktails I’ve had. It was a great excuse to set up a Bloody Mary Bar … Continue reading →