Recliner of Rage

« At the churn. »

My enthusiasm for baking lately has, perhaps, lent the impression that I lead a very dull life instead of enjoying a rage-infused fun-filled career in system administration that keeps me off the streets during working hours. Baking is a rewarding hobby whereas system administration is a thankless job that, after nearly 18 years, wears down even the most crusty BOFH. It's much more fun to come home and bake pastries than to get anywhere near a computer. Both are flaky, only one is edible. My frustration and ire is so all-consuming, too, that I'm mostly too tired to do much else other than bake or stare at CNN in the evenings. I wore heels and a skirt to the company holiday party last week to try and get into a christmas mood only to damn near cripple my feet with the shoes and get bombed on three beers and a glass of wine. Why I needed vicious pain to remind me that my enormous feet and pointy shoes don't go together is not entirely certain. I'm still feeling like a grinch, too. So, come, huddle around my recliner of rage and nibble on some freshly baked christmas pastries while I rant. People wondering why CPAN hasn't updated in a few days might want to lean in closely and take an extra pastry.

For people who live outside of Finland, there is one system that is generally considered an important system, one that people often share fond memories of having used before the days of the the web. The system is running on ancient hardware and, for some reason, it was given only half the budget of what it had six years ago to replace the hardware this year. For the math challenged, that means half the money which would buy a low-end workgroup sort of server and disk in spite of having many more demands placed on it in the past six years. It's a bit confusing that a system so important in a country so concerned with how the rest of the world sees itself would cripple the one system people on the internet identify as being Finnish.

Instead of getting the right solution, the solution that fit the budget was purchased; an Xraid and two Xserves. These, however, never made it into production not only because I have no respect for a server class operating system that installs "iTunes Help" at boot time for root by default, but also because the hardware has been horribly defective. What about service?, you ask. Yes, what about the three-year, paid up-front, enterprise support contract that we have been waiting 3-4 weeks to deliver a replacement Xraid? The boys in Ireland are making special price, just for us, my friend. I wonder how they say 'me love you long time' in Gaelic. If this is enterprise support, I can't even imagine what regular support is like. All I can do is tell everyone from here to the other side of Siberia that, unless you like broken hardware and lots of downtime, do not buy Apple products in Finland if you expect service in a reasonable timeframe. Hospitals, air traffic control and the like need not even apply.

So, let's see, where was I? Right, so we have one old server that was pulling it's files via NFS through an apple G4 desktop connected to a faulty Xraid (LOL for real!), but we ran out of old G4s so now we're using one of the Xserves and hoping it doesn't fail (much) while I try to cobble together a working system with reliable storage and hope that, given Apple has proven itself completely unreliable in the service department, we'll be ordering a real system soon to replace this entire clusterfuck of a fuckup before I start lifing tiles down in the machine room and shoving folks in. In the middle of all this, there's a guy who reminds me of the nutty professor I used to work for back at WU who could break anything in record time. I'd be working on the console of a system that would suddenly lock up. I'd call Bob and ask what he had done and, of course, he'd say the word that will live in infamy for all sysadmins everywhere, "Nothing." Someone with root who knows just enough to break things and a systematic diligence of a raging bull in a china shop. I was a lot younger then and, instead of getting all hyper and angry, now I just get tired and wonder what it was that I liked about this profession so many years ago.

Perhaps if I start talking to myself and cackling down the hallways I could swing some mental health leave. It's a short drive to crazytown.

permalink Ω 29 November 2005, Helsinki

Not Just for Breakfast Anymore

« Finnish whipped porridge with lingonberries and milk. »

There are few foods that are so basic as to transcend their lower station on the food chain and become something just about anyone and of which everyone has fond childhood memories. Porridge is just such a food. It's a hot and filling treat on a cold winter's day which can be either sweet with fruit or savoury with meat and cheese. Finland is a cold place for 9 months a year so it's no big surprise that porridge is popular here.

I was somewhat amused that aside from the Helsingin Sanomat running an article about porridge in September, two of the 'gourmet' sort of magazines in Helsinki have also printed articles about porridge in the past two months. People out in the countryside must be wondering what kind of dorks live in the cities where porridge needs to be rediscovered. Of course, in true cityfolk fashion, some of the recipes try to doll up a decidedly proletarian dish that no modern urbanite hipster would want to be caught preparing or eating. The attitude towards porridge is much the same in the US, though it is thought more of as a wholesome food for children, rather than adults.

Porridge is much more than a breakfast food in Finland which is both interesting and strange. The mannasuurimo, cream of wheat more or less, can be whipped and served with milk as a dessert. Latvia also features this in their national cuisine so I suspect that it is a Baltic regional specialty. I never even knew you could whip cream of wheat into such a pretty, billowy mound. I had tasted the vispipuuro from the supermarket where it comes ready-made in a plastic dish but I don't know how they can be compared as the texture and taste are very different.

One new thing I tried was the spelt manna/cream of wheat. Spelt is a sort of ur-wheat that has begun being cultivated again because it is more hardy and disease resistant. I don't know that I can go back to the plain stuff again as it has a slightly nutty flavour that is really, really good. If you can get your hands on a sack of it, I highly recommend giving it a try.

Aside from the whipped porridge, I gave a pancake recipe with mannasuurimo a try and also found it excellent. What's not to love about milk, eggs, sugar, spice and porridge baked together? There are also porridges made from rolled oats, rice, rye, potato and barley. Rice porridge is very traditional around the holidays and is served with fruit, cinnamon and milk.

I'd bet that porridge mixed with onions, carrots, blue cheese, sausage with a bit of mustard and lingonberry sauce then baked like a casserole would be pretty delicious and a nice change from the usual potato accompaniment.

A non-food related aside; I've had a week from hell at work so I've not answered much email in about 2-3 weeks now and my apologies to those expecting replies. (If anyone has a tale of woe regarding the absolutely abominable enterprise-level 'support' Apple sells with their systems in Finland, talk to me. Who knew that 30-minute response time would translate to 4+ weeks waiting for a replacement Xraid? ) If I survive the office pikkujoulu and subsequent hangover, I'll try to answer email and such soon.

Debessmanna / puolukka vispipuuro / whipped cranberry porridge

Makes: 2 servings
Time: about 15 minutes
Source: The Cuisine of Latvia

• 75g or 2.65oz lingonberries or cranberries or red currants (or just use about 3/4 cup berry juice)
• 2 dl or .85 cup water
• 1/2 dl or 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 dl or 1/4 cup mannasurimo/semolina/cream of wheat

1. Rinse cranberries. Crush and squeeze out juice. Place cranberry solids in a saucepan, cover with water, boil for five minutes and strain.
2. Add sugar. Gradually add semolina/cream of wheat. Heat until the semolina thickens, then add cranberry juice. Pour mixture into a bowl and cool rapidly.
3. Whip mixture until it becomes light and airy and has doubled or tripled in volume. Serve in bowls with cold milk.

« Pannukakku made with porridge and served with cranberry sauce and whipped cream. »

Ahvenanmaan pannukakku / Åland pancake

Makes: 1 9-in/23cm pancake
Time: about 10 minutes
Source: Ruoka & Viini, nro. 33

• 2 dl or .85 cup prepared manna- or rice porridge
• 5 dl or 2.1 cups milk
• 1,5 dl or 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 dl or 7 tablespoons sugar (reduce by half if you want a less sweet pancake)
• 2 teaspoons finely ground cardamom
• 3 eggs, whisked together

1. Heat oven to 225C/435F.
2. Mix porridge, milk, flour, salt, sugar and cardamom in a medium bowl. Blend in the whisked eggs with a fork until smooth.
3. Pour batter into a buttered pan and bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes. The pancake first cooks around the edges and puffs up, then it develops puffy domes in the center. When these rise and join together, the pancake is done.

permalink Ω 25 November 2005, Helsinki

Koirametsä

« Minimal signage pointing the way to the 50 hectare dog forest in Sipoo. »

Since we still had the use of the rental car on Sunday we drove out to the koirametsä, a 5 hectare dog forest owned by the City of Helsinki, out in Sipoo as I had known about it for a while but never managed to pay a visit. A journalist from Poland actually asked me about it a while back when she was doing an article on dog parks around the world for a Polish dog magazine and used a few pictures from the Helsinki dog park guide I had made. She had heard something about the forest but couldn't find anything in English. It doesn't get much publicity and a lot of the dog owners in our dog park have never heard of it, which is a pity since it really is a huge and lovely place for dogs to enjoy being free to run. It was rated as the best dog park in Helsinki in a recent article about the 80+ local dog parks in the Helsingin Sanomat, too.

« A wide meadow flanked by trees and paths leading into the forest. »

The only rule is that dogs must be leashed or trained well enough to heel on command from 1 March through 19 August to protect much of the wildlife that inhabit the area during their breeding season. The rest of the year dogs can roam at will. There is also a mention that puppies under 5 months of age may be free of the leash at any time which I suspect is the source of the mistaken idea of many puppy owners in the city who frequently comment that puppies are exempt from the leash law. As far as I can tell, the rule only applies to the koirametsä.

(Note: A very nice reader sent some clarification of the leash laws that some might find useful. There are two laws; Järjestyslaki and metsästyslaki. Järjestyslaki applies to metropolitan areas and stipulates that all dogs, regardless of age, must be leashed at all times. Metsästyslaki requires that adult dogs outside of densely populated areas be leashed from March 1st to August 19th to protect wildlife during their breeding season but that puppies may be unleashed at any time.)

The forest is filled with a variety of terrain; marshy low areas, rocky nobs, wide meadows, soft mossy forests and streams. Plenty of opportunities exist for a dog to run, explore, play and get wildly muddy/dirty. It's dog nirvana. :) Take water along, wear good boots and use a compass or GPS as there is no map or marked trail and it's easy to get lost.

The directions on the Helsinki Parks Department directions to the forest are a bit vague, especially if you don't know where things are and the Sipoo map site only works with an IE browser. There is a mention that busses go to or near the forest, but I've not yet been able to figure out the schedule and routes. I made a few extra maps to make it, possibly, easier to find.

• Location in the Helsinki Area (red star on the right).
• Street level location (red star parking area)
• More detailed local map with driving directions.

« Otava bounds down the trail. »

permalink Ω 23 November 2005, Helsinki

There and back again

« Through Finland in a RAV4. »

I have always maintained that in order to understand, or at least attempt to understand, the US one must make the trek across country by car, bicycle or other mode of ground transport rather than flying from one major city to the next as the land and landscape are what made it what it is today. This, too, can be said for Finland as by making a road trip around the various regions it becomes far more clear what is rather less apparent in Helsinki, the New York of the rest of the country; Most of the population of Finland are either living off the land or, as in Helsinki, one generation or less removed from doing so. This alone explains a lot about Finns and Finland. We saw lots of snow, lots of denuded forests, lots of reindeer that Otava was quite curious about, more snow, the arctic circle, the International Coffee Cup Museum and drank Krouvi, a tasty new Sinebrychoff beer that tastes like Sahti without the deadly alcohol content that doesn't seem to be in Helsinki just yet but, sadly, no Northern Lights. I'll get the film developed sometime this week and describe our adventures of the Finnish road between Helsinki and Ivalo, roughly the same distance as Denver to St. Louis, but with the terrain and services of country highways through Maine and New Hampshire. "Hey guy, you can't get there from here." :)

permalink Ω 21 November 2005, Helsinki

Trekking Northward

« Fog envelopes Sinebrychoff Park. »

Going north with man and dog for a week. Darkness, snow, the Arctic Circle, and possibly reindeer in store.

permalink Ω 14 November 2005, Helsinki

Beer for Dessert

« Moist, dark and spicy gingerbread cake made with "The Great Pumpkin" mold by NordicWare. »

I'm not quite sure why, but I seem to be on a pumpkin kick lately. I saw the really adorable Great Pumpkin Pan on the Williams-Sonoma website along with the picture of the finished cake and fell in love with it. By the time it arrived from my mother, pumpkins had already disappeared from the shops so I couldn't make the seemingly appropriate pumpkin cake in the pumpkin pan and I had to find another cake that was dense and would bake properly in a sorta-but-not-really-bundt pan. I thought about a carrot cake which would also be a bit on the orange side, but kept looking until I found a gingerbread cake that used flat Guinness instead of milk in the batter. Beer makes many things, from BBQ to baked goods, taste better so I figured I'd give it a try.

The inclusion of the stout in the recipe did make me think about how booze of all kinds are a frequent addition in various American recipes. What cook doesn't enjoy adding a bit to the dish and consuming the remainder ala Julia Childs? *hic* Ironically, in the more traditional Finnish recipes I have yet to find one that calls for alcohol. It's interesting given that alcohol, especially around pikkujoulu season (Nov-Dec), is so much a part of the culture but isn't mixed with food. The US has always had an uneasy relationship with alcohol, one of both love and hate, but adding it to food is a rather common way to enjoy the taste without guilt. My mother used to make rum balls, an unbaked ball cookie, for the holidays that would make everyone at the office holiday party a little light in the shoes.

I also tried making this cake with margarine. I absolutely hate the taste of margarine, but the grocery didn't have the hyla (lactose-free) butter that I needed as the colleague I was making the cake for required it. I made a double batch since I wanted some extra little cakes and man, did that sucker crater. There are few things quite so sad as watching a cake puff up only to deflate in 30 seconds. I blamed the margarine as the batter tasted weird to begin with and I'm not at all familiar with some of these new 'designer' spreads. I still thought it was very odd that margarine would do that to a cake and considered something might be wrong. So, I went to a different store later in the week and found a brick of the hyla butter. Another double batch and I, again, watched the cake puff and crater. It then dawned on me that I had, in my familiarity with the recipe, perhaps gotten a bit too sure of myself. Indeed, I had somehow confused the amount of butter in grams to almost double the amount. D'oh. It's always the simple shit that will get you. Always. I could rant for a page or two about how I hate the various different measuring systems in recipes but, that's a burr up my arse that will have to wait for another day when I'm feeling a bit more inspired and irritated.

The recipe comes from Christmas 101, a cookbook that I wish more cookbooks were like as it's clear that the author has actually made most, if not all, the recipes in the book and he notes why he likes them or adds caveats for the less experienced cooks. There aren't any glossy photos and all of the recipes are fairly seasonal, but it's a trustworthy cookbook in a market awash with celebrity chefs pushing books full of food porn and crap recipes. I also added the orange sauce since I think Finns could use a little more variety in the range of dessert sauces since every dessert gets a helping of cream or vanilla sauce and there are times like with this cake when those just don't complement the dessert very well.

Deep Dark Stout Gingerbread

Makes: 12 or more servings
Time: about 20 mins prep + bake time
Source: Christmas 101

• 2 1/2 cups or 6 dl all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 sticks or 140g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups or 3 dl packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup or 2,25 dl dark molasses
• 3/4 cup or or 1,75 dl flat Guinness, room temperature
• confectioners' sugar, for garnish

1. Open Guinness and pour into a measuring cup about 1 hour before making the cake to warm up and go flat. You can also add just a pinch of salt to accelerate the decarbonation process. Either drink the rest or save it for cooking with another dish.
2. Position oven rack to center position and preheat to 350F/175C. Butter and flour the inside of a 12-cup fluted tube/bundt/sokerikakku pan, tapping out the excess flour.
3. Sift the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until blended and fluffy, about 3 minutes on medium-high speed. Add eggs one at a time, then the yolk. Add molasses.
5. Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, alternating with the Guinness. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed until the batter is smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Rap pan sharply on the countertop several times to remove bubbles. Level top of the batter with a spatula or spoon.
6. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.. Cool on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto wire cooling rack lined with baking paper. Transfer to serving platter, sift confectioners' sugar over the top and serve warm. (If using the pumpkin cake form, trim the tops of the 2 halves with a serrated knife, spread a thin layer of apricot or other jam on the bottom half and place the top half on top of the jam. Remove crumbs or jagged bits and allow to fully cool.) Or cool completely and serve at room temperature. (The gingerbread can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, covered tightly with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature.)

**It has been said that these sorts of cakes taste quite a bit better if allowed to sit for a day/overnight before serving.

Orange Sauce for Gingerbread

Makes: about 1 3/4 cups
Source: CI

• 1 1/3 cups or 3,25 dl fresh orange juice, orange rinds zested to yield 1 teaspoon zest
• 1/2 cup or 1,25 dl granulated sugar 
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch 
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt 
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 small lemon

 

1. In small sauce pan bring orange juice, sugar, cornstarch, and salt to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to cook until sauce is thick and clear, about 1 minute.
2. Remove from heat, then stir in butter, lemon juice, and zest. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature over gingerbread.

permalink Ω 11 November 2005, Helsinki

The Dark and The Dead

« Even in darkness, there is light. A few photos from Pyhäinmiesten Päivä in Hietaniemi Cemetery. »

In spite of the pissing rain on saturday, I dragged my camera and my poor umbrella-toting assistant cum husband out to Hietaniemi Cemetery to wander amidst the candlelit graves illuminated for the Finnish All Hallow's, Pyhäinmiesten Päivä. I have always found the abundance of candles, each representing a member of the living hauling themselves out to the cemetery in usually disagreeable weather to remember their dead who have returned to the dust from whence they came, a touching and beautiful sight. The cemetery was mostly quiet by the time we arrived save for the hissing and sizzling of rain as it landed on the hot metal tops of the candles. I had hoped to take more, and more interesting, photos but the steady rain made it a challenge to use the tripod which was slippery so I only took a couple of shots with it. I also didn't want to change rolls of film with no dry place around, either. So, I figure it at least got us both out of the house and I will think to bring a towel and ziplock baggies in the rain next time.

November begins with the dead as All Hallow's is the first saturday and continues with ever increasing darkness as the year slides towards the Winter Solstice. Even the name itself, Marraskuu, means dead month, though it is likely more in the sense of harvest than Halloween. Pyhäinmiesten Päivä (holy men day) is a wee bit of a misnomer since in the cemetery it is not the saints the candles pay tribute to, but to all the dead, a.k.a. All Soul's Day which was abolished in many protestant churches in the Reformation. In the dark northern latitudes, it is rather plain to see that the christian church co-opted the tradition of Samhain, repackaged it in a different mythology and resold it to the locals, but it retains much of its pagan flavour since, at least traditionally, the day involves not only lighting the darkness but offerings of a harvest meal and sauna. Vuotuinen Ajantieto also mentions a few bits of lore such as if the sun shines at all between All Hallow's and Christmas, then there will be a beautiful summer. While I doubt there is any truth in that, it's good to have something to look forward to in this, the most dark and difficult month in the Finnish year.

permalink Ω 8 November 2005, Helsinki

Petrosexual

« This isn't Stockmann's Halloween window, but it could have been. :) The theme was California children having a party...or something. The boys were dressed as pirates, too. I'm not sure if people who have never been to the states and/or lived there get all their impressions from the imported TV shows believe that we all live, dress, eat and behave like the folks in TV-land, but I've been away so long that I'm starting to wonder which version of America is right or if they all are. »

I finally bought tickets home for the holidays after much procrastination and masterful subliminal avoidance tactics. Now begin the nightmares filled of fun scenarios like having the plane turn back because I'm on the no-fly list or being sent to Gitmo upon arrival. Perhaps a bit irrational, but it has been three years since I've been home and I am both eager and reluctant to go as it may be awkward, much like seeing a friend you've lost touch with after a few years. When you're an expat, you're a bit estranged from both sides of the equation since you were not born in the country you live nor are you living in the country in which you were born. You don't have a choice but to keep trying to assimilate in the country you live, but time passes and you loose touch with the daily news and ephemera from home which accrete and distinguish you from the tourist, cryogenically frozen man of mystery or overly astute kids on the internet who could probably list more trivia about America than most natives, but wouldn't know that 12th street in St. Louis has a different name, Tucker, used only by the locals. Landscape and language are both integral to identity and when you are separated from them physically, and possibly mentally as well, your identity in that landscape and language changes, though it doesn't disappear. It's sort of like Austin Powers being thawed out in the 90s after being put in cold storage in the 60s and the hilarity that ensues afterwards from his out of context adventures. I really need to dig up my copy of Bill Bryson's, I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away, and re-read it soon.

A few random odds 'n ends....

The GAO has released their report on the 2004 election and though the mainstream press hasn't picked it up, Powerful Government Accountability Office report confirms key 2004 stolen election findings, makes for predictable and depressing reading.

Kallio Vice - If Miami were a lot colder and had more problems with booze than with pastel fashions and handguns. In this vein, on a slow news day a reporter from the BBC has a night out in Helsinki tagging along with the cops and looking for drunks. He writes that it took until 10pm to spot their first drunk which makes me wonder if it was a slow night or if the cops were avoiding them as they're generally around downtown anytime of the day or night. Helsinki gets another superlative for its collection: Largest 'drunk tank' in Europe.

And some books of the strange, odd and interesting variety.

• The Planets by Dava Sobel ≈ Essays on each of the planets by the same author who wrote Longitude.
• Giving Thanks: Thanksgiving Recipes and History, from Pilgrims to Pumpkin Pie ≈ Looks like a good book, especially with the recipe for creamed onions.
• The World in a Phrase: A History of Aphorisms ≈ Aphorisms are one of the finest forms of the English language.
• The Elements of Style Illustrated ≈ Apparently a remedial edition for the people who don't function without pictures. Looking at the illustrator's self-description on Amazon is both funny and sad given the book. On the upside it's hardbound.
• Slam Dunks and No-Brainers: Language in Your Life, the Media, Business, Politics, and, Like, Whatever ≈ Language has a posse and they are coming for pop language.
• The Great Stink ≈ The Victorian sewers of London.
• The Home Spa Book for Dogs: Nose to Tail Treatments to Soothe the Soul and Age-Proof Your Canine Companion ≈ Who knew my home could double as a canine-care retreat?
• Cooking the Three Dog Bakery Way ≈ For your dog's after-spa and yoga liver pâte.
• Bones: Recipes, History, and Lore ≈ For the dog who loves bones. :)
• The Complete Petrosexual ≈ A brilliant 'how in the fuck did that get published and did they just say furry fashionista and faux paws?' moment. Hurr.
• Planet Dog: A Doglopedia ≈ Looks possibly interesting and useful, but it better have an entry for "Owned: You."

permalink Ω 2 November 2005, Helsinki

Dark and spicy

« Molasses spice cookies have appealing cracks in the top and sparkle from the sugar they are rolled in before baking. Chewy and tasty with milk. »

It all started when Arabella sent me a link to a story in Time about boutique sugars' arrival in the US since I have been known to scoff at the idea of boutique or 'gourmet' salt. Sometime in the late 80s or thereabouts came the idea that for food to be 'gourmet' it had to have outrageously difficult to find ingredients and it had to be complicated to make thereby impressing the dining company that you had spent a lot of time and money on the meal. While I will concede that there are, indeed, differences in these 'gourmet' varieties of sugar and salt, much of the time their use is frivolous and just for show. What's more is that most of the sugars considered 'gourmet' in America, can be bought in most of the corner groceries even in Helsinki. It's just sugar. These days, I would also argue that just about anything cooked or baked at home without all the extra preservatives found in commercial foods could be considered 'gourmet'.

After reading the article, I found the Wholesome Sweeteners website and poked around for a while and found an interesting recipe for ginger citrus cookies taken from a so-called "New Scandinavian" cookbook called Aquavit. The recipe looked interesting because of the toasting of the spices and the candied orange peel. I also used the A9 search engine to see if the page in the Aquavit book containing the original recipe might be available on-line and it was which would prove very useful after making the first batch.

The recipe from the book notes, unlike the on-line version, that freshly made candied orange peel is best for use with these cookies which, after I bought some from the store, I couldn't agree with more. The problem was that neither the on-line recipe nor the A9 pages contained the author's recipe for candied orange peel so I had to go hunting for one. Surprisingly, there are dozens of variations for the recipe and nearly all of them had at least one common fatal flaw and that was boiling of the peel. Citrus oils are volatile which means that boiling the peel will boil away most of the compounds that make it smell and taste good. I finally found one recipe that had one water bath and two syrup baths, none of which included boiling so I took the recipe and reduced it from its gigantic industrial production size to something far more manageable. It doesn't take a lot of time and when you compare commercial (top) vs. fresh candied orange peel there really isn't any contest in how it looks, how it smells and how it tastes. It's simple to make and is worth the effort.

After making the orange peel, I decided to make the dough for the cookies so that it could sit in the refrigerator overnight while the peel was drying and develop the spicy taste a bit more. While they were baking I kept looking at the original photo of the cookies from the book (I might also add that after baking four batches of these cookies, I find it very unlikely that the photo from the book was of cookies made with this recipe given the cracks and lack of any evidence of citrus peel in the dough. Also, several of the reviews on Amazon note the problem of deceptive photos which, I think, is a very good reason to avoid buying the book.) which, even while in the oven, I could tell that something wasn't right. The cookies came out extra-soft and flat as a pancake. I began to consider that maybe my oven was running hot and that I should get a temperature gauge to set inside to make sure the dial and the actual temperature were correct. There was a tablespoon of baking soda in the dough so pancake cookies were not the desired result.

I tasted a cookie or two and decided to double-check the recipe and this is where the original recipe from the book became very useful because there was a typo in the online recipe in the amount of molasses to use. Instead of 3/4 cup, I should have only used 1/4 cup. (Actually, the scan from Amazon was fuzzy and my eyes are bad as I wrote to the company to mention the typo and they replied that it is, indeed, 3/4 cup molasses so I stand corrected. I did bake a batch with the 1/4 cup and, actually, I thought they were better. Of course this means I'm doomed to try yet another batch with the new cookie sheets to see if that was the whole problem all along.) So, I decided to make another batch. Again, they came out of the oven slightly puffy and then pancaked. When finished baking, I noticed there were a few cookies that hadn't totally pancaked. When I moved to Helsinki, I brought my much cherished shiny insulated cookie sheets and baking pans with me only to find that they didn't fit in my tiny euro-sized oven. I haven't baked many cookies so I didn't have a replacement set of cookie sheets and used a roasting pan and a lasagna pan in their stead. The roasting pan is a very dark colour and the lasagna pan is a lighter teflon colour. The dark pans run much hotter than the shiny silver cookie sheets intended for baking and it makes all the difference in the world when baking these sorts of cookies.

After trying TWO more batches of these cookies, one with 3/4 cup and one with 1/4 cup, I have no other choice but to conclude that the 3/4 cup is a typo as the 3/4 cup cookies were just a gooey disaster even when baked on the right pan, the dough itself was much like very moist and sticky natural peanut butter, while the 1/4 cup cookies were puffy and perfect (from the left are the batch made with 1/4 cup and baked on the wrong pan, baked on the right pan but not rolled in sugar and right pan with sugar coating). While this could be the result of muscovado sugar having more molasses in it than regular brown sugar, I really doubt it. One curious discovery was that I found that rolling the balls of dough in super fine sugar not only made for pretty, sparkly cookies but also encouraged the development of cracks like the molasses cookies. I might also add that even after very carefully measuring 1 tablespoon of dough for each cookie, the recipe never yielded more than 3 1/2 dozen rather than the 5 dozen that the recipe claimed it would.) I often find recipes that are absurdly bad and just obviously wrong with mismatches in ingredients and directions and quite frequently they are copied all over the web by people who obviously haven't ever tried to use them. The net is a great place for recipes, but you have to be discriminating in your choices and trust most those who have actually taken the time to make the recipe and possibly comment on it and photograph the end product. I bake from the recipe after typing it first and only then post it which, hopefully, reduces typos, omissions, additions and other sorts of frustrating types of errors.

After two depressing failures, I decided to make a batch of cookies that the ginger cookie is derivative of; the molasses spice cookie. There are no requests for sea salt or raw sugar in this cookie and it takes about half the time to prepare. After baking the first batch which, again, pancaked, I decided to go get a few baking sheets just to make sure that it was, indeed, the dark colour of the baking pan killing my cookies. It was. :) You can see the difference clearly between the cookie baked on a proper sheet (top) and the cookie baked on a dark roasting pan (bottom). Use a baking sheet and evenly sized cookie dough portions and you'll get lovely, appetizing cookies instead of flat, unappealing ones.

As for the sugars, I'm still not entirely certain if there are any important differences between muscovado sugar and brown sugar or tumma siirappi and molasses since muscovado and the molasses-like syrup are readily available here and seem to substitute well. I seem to vaguely remember molasses cookies being much darker in colour, but my memory isn't reliable and google photos show them in various shades of brown.

Both of these cookies are very tasty, good for the holidays and disappear quickly. Be sure to have fresh spices on hand. As a rule of thumb, if you can't remember when you bought your spices or last used them it's probably a good idea to buy fresh stock. Aside from fresh spices, letting the dough cure overnight, using shiny baking pans, portioning the dough evenly and using the right temperature will make them both look and taste yummy.

I would have tried the dark rum glaze, but I drank all of the rum before I finished making the cookies. :)

Molasses Spice Cookies

Makes about 2-2 1/2 dozen cookies
Time: 15 minutes dough prep + baking time
Source: CI

• 2 1/4 cups or 5,25 dl unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves  (neilikka)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (maustepippuri) 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black or white pepper 
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt 
• 1/3 cup or 0,75 dl granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup or 0,75 dl packed dark brown sugar (muscovado)
• 1 1/2 sticks or 170g unsalted butter, softened but still cool
• 1 large egg yolk 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup or 1,20 dl dark molasses (tumma siirappi)

Dark Rum Glaze

• 1 cup or 2,25 dl confectioners' sugar
• 2 1/2 - 3 tablespoons dark rum 

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375F/190C degrees. Grease, or line with baking paper, 2 aluminum/light coloured cookie sheets.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in medium bowl until combined; set aside.
3. With a mixer, cream together butter with brown and granulated sugars at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed and add yolk and vanilla; increase speed to medium and beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds. Reduce speed to medium-low and add molasses; beat until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping bottom and sides of bowl once with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to lowest setting; add flour mixture and beat until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl down once. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no pockets of flour remain at bottom. Dough will be soft. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough overnight to allow the spices to permeate the dough at this point if you like.
4. Using tablespoon or rounded coffee measure, scoop dough and roll between palms into a ball; drop ball into a bowl filled with about 1/2 cup fine or regular sugar. Roll balls in sugar to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are browned, still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), about 11 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not overbake. If using chilled dough, reduce oven temperature to 300F/150C and bake for 17-24 minutes.
5. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes, then use wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire rack; cool cookies to room temperature and serve. (Can be stored at room temperature in airtight container or zipper-lock plastic bag up to 5 days.)
6. If adding the dark rum glaze: Place cookies on a sheet of baking paper. Whisk confectioners' sugar and dark rum in medium bowl until smooth. If the glaze is too thick to drizzle, whisk in an additional tablespoon rum. Dip spoon into glaze and then move spoon over cookies so that glaze drizzles down onto them; repeat as necessary. Transfer cookies to wire rack and allow glaze to dry for 10 to 15 minutes.

« Ginger citrus cookies, an orange variation on the molasses cookie. It is a little softer and the candied orange peel adds a bit of chewiness. »

Marcus's Ginger Citrus Cookies

Makes: about 3-3 1/2 dozen cookies
Time: dough prep, 20 minutes + baking time; citrus peel, ~1 hour and a half
Source: Aquavit by Marcus Samuelsson

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (neilikka)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 3 1/2 cups or 8,25 dl sifted all-purpose unbleached flour
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1 1/4 sticks or 140g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup or 2,25 dl raw cane sugar
• 1/2 cup or 1,25 dl packed dark brown sugar (muscovado)
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons (3/4 cup or 1,75 dl** see above) dark molasses (tumma siirappi)
• 1 cup or 2,25 dl finely chopped candied citrus peel (see recipe below)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F/175C.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
2. Toast the ginger, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant. Remove from the heat. 
3. Sift flour into a bowl and measure out into another bowl. Add toasted spices, baking soda, salt and white pepper to the sifted flour, lightly stir with a fork and sift together. Set bowl of sifted dry ingredients aside.
4. In a large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Beat in the molasses. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the candied citrus peel. 
5. Drop tablespoons of the dough onto the baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Roll gently between palms to create evenly-sized balls and roll in super fine sugar. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops feel firm when lightly touched. Cool for 2 minutes, transfer to a wire rack covered with baking paper to cool completely. 
6. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

« Freshly made candied orange peel sparkles in the sunshine. »

Candied citrus peel

Makes: about 2 cups or 4,75 dl
Time: about an hour and a half
Source: various

• 200g or 7oz of orange peel (about 3 large valencia oranges or other oranges with a thick peel)

water bath:

• 3 dl or 1 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt

syrup:

• 3,25 dl or 1 1/3 cup water
• 4,5 dl or 1 3/4 cup sugar

finish:

• powdered or super fine sugar for dusting

1. Preparing the peel: Peel fruit leaving as much of the white pith attached to the skin as possible.  Cut peel into 1/4-inch (0.5 cm) or thinner strips, cut again into small squares.  Reserve the fruit for other uses like fresh orange juice.  While peeling and cutting fruit peel, make simple syrup and start salted water for water bath. 
2. Preparing the syrup: In a tall saucepan (to reduce sugar splatter and burns), pour the sugar into the center of the pan and pour water gently around the side of the pan taking care not to pour it over the sugar. Set saucepan over a medium-high burner, cover with a lid and boil the water and sugar until it either reaches ~235F/455C or forms a soft ball when a small amount is dropped into a glass of cold water. Do Not Stir. This will take about 35 minutes, more or less. When done, set aside but keep warm.
3. Cleansing water bath: Place prepared peel into a pot with hot, but not boiling, salt water. As soon as the water boils, remove from heat and drain water. (DO NOT BOIL. The compounds that make citrus smell and taste good are volatile oils and will evaporate quickly with boiling.)
4. First syrup bath: Ladle just enough hot syrup over drained peel to cover (a little less than half of the prepared syrup).  Simmer for approximately 20-30 minutes until the peel starts to turn translucent. Test for doneness by removing a piece with a slotted spoon, allow it to drain and check for an even translucency. Drain peel and do not save the syrup from this bath as it will be bitter.
5. Second syrup bath: Return peel to pot, pour the remaining syrup over peel. Simmer (do not boil) until peel is clear and looks like a transparent jewel when held up out of the syrup for about a minute. This step can take up to 30 minutes. Drain syrup into a container and reserve for later use on cakes or in glazes/sauces.
6. Pour hot candied peel onto a baking sheet with sides covered with baking paper that is topped with super fine/powdered sugar. Spread peel evenly around the pan and dust top with more sugar. Allow to dry for an hour or two and toss a bit with a fork to spread the sugar around and to help dry the peel more evenly. Let dry for another hour or three and place in an airtight container for storage. Keep refrigerated if you don't plan on using it within a week or two.

permalink Ω 1 November 2005, Helsinki