Apple Scrooge

« Fresh, warm apple pie with a layer of almond paste on the bottom and an almond crunch topping. It's a pity the net doesn't have smell-o-vision. :) »

I like to think of myself as a reasonably open-minded and adventurous eater as I am usually willing to try anything once as long as it's dead, not moving or otherwise too alien like, say, eyeballs. There are some foods we all grow up with that tend to imprint their characteristics early where they become a sort of platonic form by which all future versions are judged for perfection and authenticity. For me, these would include BBQ, cornbread, spaetzle, chili dogs, corn dogs and apple pie. Maybe marshmallow peeps, too, but noone outside the US has been crazy enough to try making those. I haven't had decent BBQ and cornbread since I left the midwest with the exception of the Blue Ribbon pulled pork in Arlington, MA.

Lots of places around the globe offer something they like to call apple pie but which offends my inner platonic ideal of apple pie-ness. Finland, and Scandinavia in general, often serve something that would be more appropriately called "Thick Crust Topped with an Apple Sliver" or maybe "Apple Tart" since it's often a cake or a thick sweet crust topped with a single layer of thinly sliced apples. Apple pie implies that it is, well, a pie brimming with apples. Apples are plentiful all year long and they're pretty cheap, too, so I'm not sure why the Nordics are so stingy with the healthiest and tastiest part of the pie. It can't be because it doesn't taste good as I made two of these pies and they were quickly hoovered by my colleagues without so much as a crumb left behind. :)

On the boxes of almond paste I bought when I was home for the holidays, there was a recipe for apple pie that I had a feeling would be popular around these parts since it featured an almond paste layer on the bottom and chopped almonds in a struesel topping. I saved the box and finally gave it a try and I almost didn't take the pie to the office as I was considering keeping it all for myself. I made my own crust since the sorts of frozen ready-made dough I've used before have been rather rubbery and tasteless. I'm not sure how it's possible to have so much fat with so little taste, but frozen commercial doughs seem to have it down to a science. I used a recipe for flaky pie crust from the The Professional Pastry Chef again with excellent results on the first try with a minimum of effort. If you've got time to peel the apples, you've got time to make a simple pie crust in 10-20 minutes.

Be careful not to overbake the filling as it's difficult to tell when the apples are done on this pie due to the topping. The slice of pie above was just a wee bit over the line at 1 hour 10 minutes baking time so 1 hour really should be the maximum baking time in a pre-heated oven at temperature.

Just say no to scroogey apple pies drowning in syrupy sweet vanilla sauce. The generous amount of apples between a bottom layer of flaky crust and almond paste and a crumb topping are fabulous and do not require anything else save perhaps some restraint to refrain from eating it with your hands straight out of the pie pan. :)

Almond Apple Crumb Pie

Serves: 8-12
Time: 20 min prep + 1 hour bake
Source: Odense almond paste box

Shell:

• 150-200g almond paste, room temperature
• 1 fresh (see recipe below) or frozen pie shell

Filling:

• 3 medium granny smith apples
• 3 medium golden delicious apples
• 1/4 cup or 1/2 dl sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup unsweetened, dried cranberries or raisins (optional)

Crumb Topping:

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup or 1,2 dl all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup or 1,2 dl uncooked oats
• 1/2 cup or 1,2 dl brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons or 85g cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup or 1/2 dl chopped almonds

Cut pie dough into two pieces. Roll one portion into a circle large enough for your pie pan. Let rest for a few minutes and place into pie pan. Press lightly into the pan. Trim the edge, leaving a bit of excess around the pan, with scissors and roll the trimmed dough overhang under with your fingers so that it is even with the edge of the pan. Crimp the dough to create a fluted edge or make a pretty 'sheaves of wheat' edge that looks pretty and is easy to do. Set aside.

Peel, core and slice apples. Squirt a little lemon juice on the slices to reduce browning. Combine apple slices in a bowl with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cranberries/raisins. Set aside to macerate.

Preheat oven to 375F/190C.

In bowl, combine topping ingredients and mix together with a fork or pastry blender until crumbly.

Roll almond paste between 2 sheets of baking paper to form a disc that will fit in the bottom of your pie shell. Trim with a knife to form a smooth edge and press into the bottom of the unbaked pie shell.

Stir macerated apples and spoon into pie shell, arranging apple slices so that they lie flat and close together. Spoon crumb topping evenly over the apples.

Bake for 50-60 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Flaky Pie Dough

Makes: 2 10" pie shells
Time: 10 minutes prep + 1-2 hours chilling
Source: The Professional Pastry Chef

• 360g or 13oz bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 225g or 2 sticks cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 70g or 5 tablespoons cold baking margarine or shortening, cut into small pieces
• 80ml or 1/3 cup ice cold water

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the firm butter and shortening to the flour and pinch butter with your fingers or cut in butter with a pastry blender until fat is the size of small pebbles.

Add the ice water and mix with your hands until the dough comes together, but still a little lumpy. Gather dough into a ball. Flatten into a disc and place in the refrigerator to rest for 1-2 hours. This step is important to allow the dough to hydrate.

permalink Ω 27 February 2006, Helsinki

Candy is Dandy but Liquor is Quicker

Candy
Is dandy
But liquor
Is quicker.
-- Ogden Nash

« A small gallery of photos of Helsinki teenagers having fun at Penkkarit 2006. »

I love penkkarit [read No more Latin, No more French... if you are unfamiliar with the tradition] as it's hard not to enjoy trucks filled with drunk, happy teenagers tossing candy into the streets of Helsinki. At my Catholic high school, the nuns let us have a full day of mass for such sorts of events. They sure knew how to have fun. It's no wonder my entertainment threshold is so low. I'm sure the just the thought of penkkarit would have given them all the vapours.

Last year I swore that, since I had the flu, next year I would go down to the Merisatama on the southern edge of town to take pictures [ see map of penkkarit routes (~400k)from the HS. These don't change much from year to year, if at all]. This year I had a blistering migrane due to my tooth problem, but I forced myself to go as it was an unusually beautiful sunny day and penkkarit always makes me smile.

The HS had an interesting article about the history and folklore of Penkkarit (~60k pdf, suomeksi). Helena Saarikoski is apparently the folklorist in residence on Penkkarit and has published a study, Kouluajan kivoin päivä. Folkloristinen tutkimus penkinpainajaisperinteestä. English Summary: The Best School Day. A Folkloristic Study on the Tradition of “Penkinpainajaiset”. 240p. Helsinki: SKS (Finnish Literature Society) 1994, on the folklore and traditions over the years that looks very interesting.

I know the kids look forward to it, but it's funny how one of the dog owners in the park commented how taking the young kids down to the park to get the candy is a cherished pastime and, given the number of kids barely old enough to walk who were going for the shiny bits in the snow, I can understand why. Spring is on its way.

permalink Ω 23 February 2006, Helsinki

Killer Buns

« Lenten buns / Laskiaispulla / Semlor - a soft cardamom yeast bun filled with an almond paste infused pastry cream and a healthy swirl of whipped cream that is traditionally served on Fat Tuesday and subsequent Tuesdays during Lent. »

These buns have killed once and they'll kill again. What could be more thrilling than tempting fate by eating a filled bun that was thought to have been the cause of the Swedish King Adolf Fredrik's death in 1771. Of course it might have also been the enormous meal he consumed before snarfing down 14 of the buns served in bowls of warm milk. These buns are heavenly but, I don't know that eating more than one or two in one sitting is recommended.

The history of the traditional Fat Tuesday treat is rather interesting as it is detailed at length in a new book on the subject, Semlor [pa svenska]. It contains more than you ever wanted to know about semlor along with a variety of recipes for them at the end. I was raised Catholic, yet never really encountered these before having one in Finland so I was curious. The modern semla is descended from the German and Danish kumminkringlor, a pretzel-shaped bread with cumin, which came to southern Sweden during the 1600's when the area belonged to Denmark. The first citation of semlor being eaten in Stockholm dates back to 1689.

The name semla comes from the latin word simila, meaning wheat flour which was a luxury save for the wealthy class, and generally meant any sort of wheat bun or bread. The buns originally were filled with hot cream, butter and cinnamon. The almond paste filling didn't arrive until the 1800s when Swiss bakers came to Sweden who brought their knowledge of almonds with them and the whipped cream filling and cap on top didn't become common until much later in the 1930s. The oldest name for the buns, hetvägg, indicated that it was served in hot milk. Although most English recipes for the buns instruct the cook to serve in a bowl of hot milk, the tradition seems to be rarely observed anymore. Aside from making the bun rather difficult and messy to eat, a bowl of hot milk doesn't really add flavour or better texture to the bun. If made without the whipped cream, the hot milk would be more appealing.

Useless factoid - In 1996, the world's largest semla was baked in Alingsås, Sweden. The bun was 113cm/45-inches in diameter and weighed about 60kg/132lb by itself and 134kg/295lb with the almond and whipped cream fillings.

There also seems to be a semlor standard as well as a Semmelakademien (semlor academy) in Göteborg where one, presumeably, learns all there is to know about semlor. For the true semlor perfectionist, a recent article on semlor from an English paper in Sweden lays down the semlor rules:

In fact there are fiercely-contested "Best in Test" competitions pitting city cafés against each other in a kind of annual regional semla Oscars. Mattias Sundberg, a semla enthusiast, explains what it takes to be a winning semla:

"The bun itself should be a light golden brown and about 10cm or 4-in across. The 'lid' is preferably triangular and properly sprinkled with powdered sugar. It should sit squarely on its cream bed. The whipped cream shouldn't overspill the edges and should rise 2-3cm or 3/4-1.2in - just so your nose doesn't dip when eating."

But aesthetics will only take a semla so far; the proof is in the taste test. According to our expert, "The bread mustn't be too dense and should be lightly sweetened. The whipped cream ought to be hand-whipped and lightly sweetened as well." Traditionally the cream is unsweetened but our modern aficionados seem to have developed a sweet tooth.

Mattias Sundberg admits that there are differing opinions on how to judge the best semla. It is almond paste that seems to split the jury. Sundberg prefers a sticky paste while some of his fellow critics opt for a crumblier version. All sides agree on one thing:

"It's important that [the paste] of about 2 teaspoons is dead centre and is absolutely not bitter."

Sundberg and friends are hardly oddballs when it comes to their high standards for semlor. There's even a semla academy in Gothenburg. They have their own established minimum standards:

• The lid must be structured so it may be used for scooping;
• There must be cardamom in the dough;
• The almond paste must be authentic;
• The whipped cream must be fluffy;
• There must be powdered sugar sprinkled on the lid.

I'm all for authentic, but forget hand-whipping the cream in an age of electricity and arm saving appliances. I'm not going to go out back and milk my own cow for that matter, either. :) I'd love to visit the semlor academy and take a class. I wonder if they have a section on how to eat them without winding up with a face full of cream.

Last year I tried my hand at making these buns, but it had been a long time since I had made a yeast bread and wound up making weapons grade buns rather than soft, delicate buns. I vowed to try again this year and have finally gotten the hang of it after lots of trial, error and determination. So many recipes are either lacking in any descriptive guidance or fail to offer measurements in weight, as is often necessary when making bread since cups are not reliable measurements for flour, that I'd wager most people who think they can't bake pulla bread very well, will have much more success with the recipe here.

I think I managed to make just about every mistake possible while trying to attain the ideal soft bun. Too much yeast, over-proofing, under-proofing, too much flour and adding the butter too soon. I even tried a recipe that included hartshorn, a.k.a. baker's ammonia, which gave the dough a rank scent of ammonia and, in spite of the recipe claiming that it would burn off in the oven, a decidedly odd aftertaste.

I returned to an article on pulla dough in an issue of Ruoka & Viini for some insight to the secret of soft dough. Aside from many common sense tips such as warming the milk to the right temperature and having all your ingredients at room temperature, the only thing that was unusual was the recommendation to use 'erikois' flour instead of all-purpose or bread flour. I tried a batch with bread flour and I could have used the dough as a basketball it was so rubbery. The 'erikois' flour is different than the all-purpose flour in that it is slightly coarser and has a higher percentage of wheat germ which is lower in gluten and less absorbent. Using all-purpose flour works fine, but the erikois flour definitely seemed to give better results. The closest equivalent in the US would likely be the King Arthur All-Purpose Artisan Organic Flour with a lower percentage of gluten and made with hard spring and winter wheat.

I had a revelation at one point when searching for bread techniques with A9 as a book that I had gathering dust in my Amazon.com shopping cart kept popping up. I hadn't bought The Professional Pastry Chef: Fundamentals of Baking and Pastry, 4th Edition since I am not a professional pastry chef but the book remained tempting. I searched through it and found a recipe for Swedish Lenten Buns that I read and discovered that, after all these years of thinking that it made no difference if the butter was added with the milk or after the dough had come together, it is important not to add the butter when dissolving the yeast in the milk as it prevents the yeast from expanding. The recipe not only used weight measurements, but it also featured a simple pastry cream mixed with the almond paste filling instead of plain milk which intrigued me so I decided to give it a try. What a difference moving the addition of the butter from the beginning to the end of the dough process made! Given a choice, I had always added the melted butter to the milk as, even though I enjoy kneading dough, the slimy feel kneading butter into the dough is not one of my favourite sensations but, given the dramatically improved results, I'll deal with it. I've tried a few more recipes from the book now and am sorry I didn't buy it sooner and cannot recommend it more highly to anyone who likes baking well with accurate recipes and techniques. The pastry cream recipe was almost a miracle given the crap recipes I've used and struggled with before now.

So now that bun nirvana had been achieved, it was time to focus on the fillings. In Finland there are two varieties of filling; strawberry jam and almond paste mixed with milk and bits from the buns. The strawberry jam is easy and fairly popular, but the almond filling is a bit bland so I was eager to try the pastry cream variation and it is absolutely terrific. I don't even like the regular almond-filled buns but the pastry cream adds just enough creamy sweetness to make it rather tasty. You can mix and match pastry cream, jam and almond cream fillings any way you like, too.

The crowning touch to the buns is taking a small cookie cutter to the lids to give them an attractive shape and to make the bun easier to eat since the lid often does little more than squish the whipped cream when you bite into it and makes a bit of a mess. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and they're almost too pretty to eat. Just try not to eat all of them in one sitting. :)

laskiaispulla / semlor / lenten buns / cream buns

Soft Pulla Dough

Makes: 16 buns
Time: about 90 minutes
Source: Based on recipe in The Professional Pastry Chef: Fundamentals of Baking and Pastry, 4th Edition (note: recipe doubles well)

• 25g fresh compressed yeast
• 250ml warm whole milk (105-115F/40-46C)
• 3oz or 85g superfine granulated sugar
• 7,5g salt
• 1 tablespoon or 8g ground cardamom
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1lbs 5oz or 600g all-purpose or 'erikois' flour
• 7 tablespoons or 100g melted butter
• 1 egg white and a dash of milk (for egg wash)

Melt butter in the microwave. Set aside to cool. Weigh and measure out all ingredients and arrange near your workspace. Warm milk in a 2 cup measuring cup for about 1 minute in the microwave. Check the temperature with a thermometer and confirm that it is about 40C/105F. Crumble yeast into the warm milk and stir until it has fully dissolved. Stir in the sugar, salt, cardamom, eggs and a few tablespoons of flour. Stir until the mixture is smooth and the flour completely incorporated. Set aside for a couple minutes until it begins to bubble.

Pour the yeast mixture into a larger, room temperature, bowl and begin adding flour a few tablespoons at a time. Stir with a whisk or dough whisk until it begins to thicken. From this point on, knead the dough with your hands. Continue adding flour a few tablespoons at a time until the dough is soft but still slightly sticky. You may have a bit of flour remaining, but resist the temptation to add it all if the dough has the right feel. The amount of flour you need to use to reach the point of soft, yet slightly sticky, dough will vary depending on the type of flour, the age and moisture content of the flour and the humidity in the air.

Knead in the butter (it is important that the butter does not come in contact with the yeast before the yeast has had a chance to start expanding.) until it is fully incorporated. Again, resist the urge to add more flour in lieu of kneading the dough until the butter has been absorbed. Sprinkle a wee bit of flour over the dough if it is a bit too soft and tacky once the butter has soaked in, but be conservative. You want a soft, slightly sticky dough. Knead dough for a couple of minutes and place into a bowl that has been lightly greased with vegetable oil or butter, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm spot for about 20 minutes to rest (Don't leave it for an hour thinking more is better since you don't want to over-proof the dough as this will make it tough). While the dough is resting,clean and prepare your workspace and baking sheets.

Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a silpat mat, countertop or other smooth surface. Do not flour your workspace or the dough. Knead dough lightly and divide dough into two parts. Roll each half into an 8-inch rope and cut into 8 1-inch pieces. Take each piece, place it on your workspace cupped in the palm of your hand and, with a reasonable amount of pressure, press down while moving your hand in a circular motion until the dough has formed a smooth, tight round ball. [see also diagram] If your dough isn't a little sticky or you are having trouble forming a smooth ball, rub your workspace with a wet (but not dripping) towel and try again. Arrange balls on baking sheet lined with baking paper leaving an inch or so between them. Lightly brush with egg wash (you can sprinkle the tops with pearl sugar or slivered almonds at this point, but personally I think that they don't complement the soft texture of the bun). Cover with a clean linen dishtowel or plastic wrap and leave in a warm place to rise for about 30 minutes or so.

Heat oven to 200C/390F. Bake buns for 10-12 minutes until they are a light golden brown. Place on cooling rack and allow to cool.

Filling(s):

Creamy Almond Filling:

• 2-4 tablespoons (50-100g) pastry cream (see below)
• 150g-200g almond paste, room temperature

Grate almond paste into bowl. Beat until smooth. Add pastry cream and beat until smooth, thick and creamy.

Pastry Cream

Makes: about 600g
Time: about 20 minutes
Source: The Professional Pastry Chef: Fundamentals of Baking and Pastry, 4th Edition (note: recipe doubles and halves well)

• 1 pint or 480ml whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ounce or 30g (about 1/2 dl) cornstarch
• 4 ounces or 115g granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 stick or 55g butter

In a bowl, whisk the cornstarch, sugar and salt together. Gradually whisk in the eggs and mix until smooth.

Place milk in a saucepan or double-boiler. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.

Slowly pour about 1/3 of the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking rapidly. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the remaining milk.

Place saucepan on a medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Let it bubble for a few seconds and remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla and butter until completely incorporated.

Pour pastry cream into a bowl and allow to cool a bit. When cool, use for filling or cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap directly onto the surface of the cream to avoid condensation and to keep it fresh. It will keep refrigerated for up to four days.

Traditional Almond Filling:

• 200g almond paste
• 1,5 dl or 3/4 cup milk
• bits of bun scooped out for filling

Grate almond paste into bowl. Beat until smooth. Blend in milk. Add pulla and beat until smooth.

Whipped Cream:

• 3-5dl whipping cream, cold
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

Pour cream and sugar into a completely dry, cold bowl and whip to stiff peaks. Place cream in a pastry bag fitted with a #7/14-mm star tip.

Assembling:

1. Slice top off of buns. Take the tops of the buns and cut into heart, star or other shapes if you like. For the strictly traditional, use a pair of scissors held at a 45-degree angle to make a triangular cut on top of the bun about 2cm or 3/4-in deep. Trim excess bread from the underside of the triangular divot.
2. Spread almond mixture (or strawberry jam and/or plain pastry cream if you don't like almonds) onto the buns or into the triangular hole.
3. Pipe whipped cream generously over the tops.
4. Place top of bun over the whipped cream.
5. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

permalink Ω 21 February 2006, Helsinki

Driven by fear into an age of unreason

« The old Linnanmäki Ferris Wheel. »

A long while back, a close friend of mine and I had a long and seemingly profound conversation about relationships and what he described as 'food compatible' couples. I hadn't really given much thought to something that I generally take for granted, but I began to think, and still do think, that he had a good point in that people who tend to like similar foods (or are adventurous enough to try different things) and who have the same sort of eating routines tend to share more time together eating and are happier for it.

You can, of course, apply this sort of reasoning to other things, too, such as 'movie compatibility'. For some reason or another, Jarkko and I rarely seem to manage getting motivated enough to make it to the movie theatre. We generally like the same sort of movies, but recently he wanted to go see King Kong and, well, I simply didn't have any interest nor could I muster the enthusiasm even to suffer through it which caused a reasonable amount of tension for a week or two. I hadn't realised, or maybe just hadn't given it much thought, that Jarkko enjoys going to the movies a lot more than I do. Movies are great, but with the dreck in the theatres, I'll enjoy curry take-away and a DVD from the comfort of the sofa without a second thought.

Mainstream Hollywood movies are largely formulaic and dull and do seem to be the vast majority of the movies Finland imports. Many of the independent films either don't make it here, run for a week in a micro-theatre or come once a year in a film festival that is often sold out and on weekdays during working hours. I miss the Kendall Sq. Cine near MIT for being a 9 screen wonderland of independent films all year long. I didn't think that Good Night, and Good Luck would make it to Finland, but was delighted to see that it has though tucked away in the Forum theatre which is a lovely, but terribly uncomfortable, old movie house with a Roman motif. I've grown fond of ass cushions and cup holders. :)

Good Night, and Good Luck is, in short, a magnificently understated movie. Filmed in black & white and accompanied by the lush voice of jazz great Dianne Reeves, there is little to distract the viewer from the compelling déjà vu between McCarthyism and modern times. The portrayal of Murrow as a professional journalist acting on principle and moral outrage, yet not without uncertainty and doubt for his own and his teams' safety in a climate of fear driven hysteria, was touching. Murrow's Neil Postman-esque speech regarding TV as a new medium that has potential for good, but likely headed in the direction of dumbing down a nation, is disturbingly prescient as only those who understand human nature can do. Trust, as they say, is knowing exactly what someone will do. I briefly wondered what Murrow would think of TV journalism now when none seem brave enough or strong enough to finally challenge the current administration's wiretapping of the American public, to be the ones to ask that, at long last, have they no shame.

To those who say people wouldn't look; they wouldn't be interested; they're too complacent, indifferent and insulated, I can only reply: There is, in one reporter's opinion, considerable evidence against that contention. But even if they are right, what have they got to lose? Because if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost. This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful.

George Clooney appears to have begun to channel his moral and political outrage to good use in the form of worthwhile films. I'll go to the cinema any day of the week for a good movie like Good Night, and Good Luck which would certainly improve our movie compatibility rating. I just ordered the DVD though so maybe I'll just watch it from the sofa with Jarkko and Otava and keep hoping that there is an Edward R. Murrow in the US media just waiting for the right opportunity to fight the battle against ignorance and indifference...and reality TV shows.

permalink Ω 20 February 2006, Helsinki

Mush

« Spicy lamb meatballs, feta-olive cheese sauce and mashed potatoes. »

When you have a toothache, in spite of the dentist telling you twice that there is nothing there, that causes you to daydream about taking a dremel to the offending tooth or chugging down a bottle filled with 400mg ibuprofen to ease the headache, soft foods become really attractive. Brief flashes of fizzing dentures in a glass with efferdent and sucking your meals through a straw do tend to dampen the desire to have all of them removed without ceremony. In a world without teeth, the surest proof of a non-existent or a surly bastard of a malevolent god, one might even reconsider atheism.

In the interest of soft foods, I noticed a tasty and gum-tastic recipe for meatballs and a feta cheese and olive sauce that I had to try. The pureed tomatoes that are mixed with the bread crumbs really had such a nice flavour that it's worth adding to regular meatballs as well. I served them with nice, soft and fluffy mashed potatoes that were proof that the potato ricer is a gadget worthy of my affection. A bit of butter and milk warmed in the microwave then poured over the riced potatoes and mixed with a fork are amazingly smooth. Amusingly, there seems to be a great deal of heated debate online over whether the ricer or a food mill or the old-fashioned masher makes the best mashed potatoes. It's one of those things you'll just have to try for yourself. I'll never make lumpy mashed potatoes again.

Even for those without fantasies involving dentists with pliers, meatballs and mash are perfect winter food and these actually have some taste to them. Although the Finnish 'coffee pudding', made with rolled spelt wheat, milk and coffee, that I tried making the other night looked like vomit and smelled like popcorn so I'm not sure that all soft foods are as appealing as others. :) Now, what do I make for the mobility-challenged man who wrecked his ankle yesterday? Is there such a thing as self-delivering food? Perhaps I could work on strapping a food tray to Otava. :)

spicy lamb meatballs and feta-olive sauce

Makes: about 45 meatballs
Time: about an hour
Source: Ruoka & Viini

spicy lamb meatballs

• 2 dl or 2 cups pureed tomatoes
• 1 dl or 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1,5 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 egg
• 500g or 18oz ground lamb meat (ground beef could also work)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1,5 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped mint
• 1/2 dl or 1/4 cup chopped pine nuts
• 1/2 dl or 1/4 cup chopped golden raisins
• ground black pepper

feta-olive sauce

• 150g or 5.5oz feta cheese
• 1 dl or 1 cup chopped green olives
• 250g or 9oz kermaviili/unflavoured yogurt
• zest of one lemon
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped mint
• ground black pepper

Heat oven to 200C/390F.

Puree tomatoes, mix with bread crumbs and let sit for a minute or two. Add salt, egg, and meat. Mix well. Add the remaining ingredients, mixing well. Form mixture into small meatballs. Place on a baking pan (place a lightly greased small wire cooling rack on top of the baking pan and bake the meatballs on it to allow the grease to drain away and the underside of the meatballs to brown) and bake for 15-25 minutes until brown.

In a bowl, crumble feta cheese with a fork. Blend in chopped olives and kermaviili/yogurt. Flavour mixture with lemon zest, lemon juice, mint and black pepper.

permalink Ω 17 February 2006, Helsinki

Conelandia

« It's that time again for more pictures than you ever really wanted of something that goes blink in the night: See Pylons in the Night, a.k.a the Valopylväs. »

For those who are about to either stalk Conan O'Brien upon his arrival tomorrow afternoon around 3:30 or loiter downtown in hopes of rubbernecking or getting on the show, I feel compelled remind you that Finnair does fly non-stop to NYC daily (for less than 400 euro even) where you can get free tickets to the show to see him in person without having to freeze your ass off while hoping to bump into him at random. I live in the center and, while I love Conan and am looking forward to seeing the Finland segments on the show, I'm dreading the throng of people who don't have anything better to do than bunge up the city all weekend long. I'd love to see him but I figure that he isn't flying several thousand miles to visit with expat Yankees and I get enough time out in the cold with Otava. But, Conan, if you and your crew are in the neighbourhood on Sunday evening and feel like coffee and a freshly baked seasonal treat, I'll be baking so feel free to drop in as long as you don't mind a little hair and drool from our 75kg canine greeter. :)

Those staying indoors and away from the throng might find this recent article in The Morning News,The Bear in Helsinki, amusing. There's also an interesting photo exhibit starting on the 14th at Laterna Magica, panoramic photos taken 77 years apart of the same scenes by Alfred Nybom and Christian Westerback.

Over the past few months, between all the usual 'hurry up and wait' parts of my job which make it hard to concentrate on any one thing for very long, I've been casually surfing Amazon for a few minutes here and there. I think I must be shopping mostly in the afternoon when I'm hungry as, well, I do seem to have chosen a few cookbooks.

• Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor ϖ Looks promising. I was always interested in flavour chemistry, even if I still can't stand the smell of banana after one too many freshman chem lab experiments put me off of it.
• A Swedish Kitchen: Recipes and Reminiscences ϖ Since so many Finnish dishes seem to have Swedish origins, I thought it might be interesting look into it a bit more.
• The Swedish Table ϖ Excellent cookbook written by a Swedish-born woman who moved to the States since her Father was American. It's aimed, I think, at the snobbier end of the foodie crowd, but the recipes are well done and her narrative is very interesting given that she was a black girl growing up in Northern Sweden.
• The Chocolate Connoisseur ϖ I like chocolate, but thought it might be nice to know more about it in a market that has a lot of overpriced crap.
• The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread ϖ I love baking bread and am rather bored with the pre-made varieties lately.
• How Baking Works: Exploring the Fundamentals of Baking Science ϖ Informative. I keep thinking that someone should write a book for GKP, Good Kitchen Practice, in the same vein as GLP, Good Laboratory Practice, that research labs have to adhere to.
• The Simple Art of Perfect Baking ϖ Normally I shy away from books that have 'perfect', etc., in the title but I tried a recipe or two and this book is excellent for baking techniques.
• American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza ϖ When faced with a choice of local or Pizza Hut pizza, the tough make it themselves.
• Democracy in America: And Two Essays on America ϖ I need to reread this for the book that follows.
• American Vertigo: Traveling America in the Footsteps of Tocqueville ϖ Oh, I can hear the right-wingers freaking out over a snobby educated Frenchman commenting on America already. :)
• Right, Wrong, and Risky: A Dictionary of Today's American English Usage ϖ And one of these days I might actually use proper punctuation.
• Fanboys and Overdogs: The Language Report ϖ It would appear that OUP is making this report annual.
• Insisting on the Impossible: The Life of Edwin Land (Sloan Technology Series) ϖ I've always wanted to read this as the books from the STS are excellent. I'm not really sure why they stopped the series.
• Company: A Novel ϖ A book making fun of corporate America by the author of the Jennifer Government.
• Johnny and the Dead ϖ More Pratchett.
• Weight: The Myth of Atlas and Heracles ϖ More from the Canongate Myths series.

permalink Ω 11 February 2006, Helsinki

Noodling

« Apple Noodle Kugel »

Through the wonders of the A9 search engine, I came across a rather strange recipe while looking for something and was curious enough to look into the dish a bit further and decided to give it a try. I'd always heard of kugel but had never made it or eaten it before. I grew up Catholic so we didn't get much opportunity to try what is regarded as a typically Jewish food. When you first read the recipe you find yourself wondering how egg pasta can be baked into a tasty dessert but then think that you can't go too far wrong with apples, cinnamon and raisins.

There are a few things, having made this dish once, that would make this easy recipe even easier. I bought a package of long Italian egg noodles which, after trying to mix them with the rest of the ingredients, I'd buy the shorter stroganoff sort of egg noodles the next time around. I also didn't cream the cottage cheese with my hand blender or a fork which I think would have made the texture a bit nicer. I would add a few slices of apple to the top as well before adding the brown sugar. The kugel makes the kitchen fill with the scent of apples and cinnamon while baking, too, which is a close second to the smell of bread baking.

It was interesting watching the reactions of my colleagues as they tried this heretofore unheard of and alien dessert. For the most part they thought it tasted good and commented how it didn't taste at all like noodles. Most also thought that either ice cream or vanilla sauce would complement the dish very well. Although you can serve it cold, it really does taste much better when fresh and warm.

Apple Noodle Kugel

Makes: about 12 servings
Time: about 20 minutes prep + bake time

• 12 oz or 350g wide flat egg noodles (short noodles are better)
• 3 unpeeled granny smith apples, shredded
• 1 stick or 113g butter
• 8 oz or 250g small curd cottage cheese, creamed
• 1 cup or 250g sour cream/kermaviili/creme fraîche
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup or 2,25 dl sugar
• 1/2 cup or 1,25 dl golden or regular raisins (or maybe try chopped pineapple)
• mixture of light brown sugar and cinnamon to sprinkle over the top

Cook pasta in rapidly boiling water for about 7 minutes, drain and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350F/175C.

Shred/grate apples into the bottom of a large mixing bowl. Melt butter in a glass measuring cup in the microwave and pour in with the apples. Stir in cheese, sour cream, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and fruit. Mix well and stir in noodles with a big spoon, coating the noodles well and evenly distributing the ingredients.

Pour into large casserole or shallow baking pan, sprinkle top with brown sugar and cinnamon mixture and bake for about an hour or so until the top is browned. Serve warm with ice cream or vanilla sauce.

permalink Ω 10 February 2006, Helsinki

Lawnmower Man

« Grandpa, who was proud of his modded lawnmower and jungle-worthy pith helmet. The double-exposures are kind of interesting as is his solution to faster mowing. »

Some days, system administration makes a career in landscaping look good.

permalink Ω 8 February 2006, Helsinki

Blue Plate Special

« Maksalaatikko, a.k.a. liver and rice casserole. »

I was one of those weird kids who really liked liver and onions. Liver gets an undeserved bad rap and subsequently isn't very popular in American dishes or very commonly featured in cookbooks. Years ago, I did a stint in a research lab where we would obtain human liver samples, isolate the hepatocytes and infuse them with various substances and I lost my taste for it after one night when I was mistakenly given an enormous whole human liver instead of the usual 50g sample. The image of the hard, red, bulbous organ would pop into my mind every time I'd see or smell liver for the next few years, but I eventually got over it and it's a good thing, too, since liver casserole is one of the most popular and commonly consumed dishes around here. It's the macaroni and cheese of Finland.

Finland doesn't have diners, sadly, but if it did maksalaatikko would be first on the menu since it's packed with diner and comfort food qualities. I can imagine it as a featured blue plate special served with a side of slaw and fries at any diner north of the Mason-Dixon. It's easy to make in a single dish (such as the fabulous Arabia Kokki casserole), in fact so easy that there aren't any good excuses to buy the ready-made instead, especially since the ready-made stuff doesn't really taste like much of anything except rice. I add cronions to the top for a bit of truck stop flair as well as to avoid the pre-digested appearance of the store-bought variety and it works well if you like onions. A bit of blue or cheddar cheese might also make a nice addition. What's not to love about liver when it's baked with tasty stuff in a casserole?

Maksalaatikko / Liver Casserole

Makes: 4-6 servings
Time: about 50 minutes + bake time

• 400-500g or 14-18oz beef, chicken or pig liver
• 2 large onions, diced
• 50g or 4 tablespoons butter
• 5 dl or 2 1/4 cups milk or beef stock
• 1 dl or 1/2 cup raisins, soaked in warm water if dry (optional)
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon ginger culinary syrup (optional)
• 1-2 teaspoons ground white pepper
• salt
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh or dried marjoram
• 1 dl or 1/2 cup cronions for the top (optional)
• lingonberry jam or cranberry sauce to serve with it

rice:

• 2 dl or .85 cup porridge rice
• 5 dl or 2 1/4 cups water
• 5 dl or 2 1/4 cups milk

In a saucepan or the casserole dish, bring milk, water and rice to a boil. Stir in raisins, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.

In a skillet, or in the casserole dish you intend to bake with, melt butter and sautee onions until soft. Put onions into a small bowl and set aside. Slice liver into small pieces and sautee until brown and cooked through. Place on cutting board and use either a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to crumble the liver into very small bits. You could also briefly use a hand blender.

When rice is done, mix together all ingredients in casserole dish and bake for about 50-60 minutes at 200C/390F.

permalink Ω 5 February 2006, Helsinki