1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (93 page)

Crispy brown on the outside, airy and light within, the meatballs combine beef with pork or veal, all finely ground together with hints of onion, salt, pepper, and an aromatic dash of allspice.

Uniquely, mashed potatoes are added to the mix for lightness, although some cooks prefer fine bread crumbs soaked in cream, perhaps with a little potato starch added for flavor. Whatever the individual tweak, the net result is quite the sticky mass. Meatball makers will find it necessary to use wet hands or two wet spoons to shape the meat into tiny rounds not much bigger than hazelnuts (or walnuts, for a main-course serving) before quickly browning the meatballs in hot butter.

Those who prefer crispness end the cooking there, while those craving a richer, more luxurious finish pour heavy sweet cream into the empty but still-hot frying pan. Then they scrape up bits and pieces of browned meat and juices, allowing all to reduce to a satiny shimmer while adding a pinch of powdered clove—a festive touch that seems right around Christmastime.

Cushiony, creamy mashed potatoes and garnet-red lingonberry preserves are the natural accompaniments to the
köttbullar
, which also benefit from the addition of lighter sides like red cabbage or cucumber salad.

Where:
In Stockholm
, Den Gyldene Freden, tel 46/8-249-760,
gyldenefreden.se
;
in New York
, Aquavit, tel 212-307-7311,
aquavit.org
; Smörgås Chef at Scandinavia House, tel 212-686-4230,
smorgas.com
(click Scandinavia House);
in Chicago
, Tre Kronor Restaurant, tel 773-267-9888,
trekronorrestaurant.com
.
Further information and recipes:
Aquavit
by Marcus Samuelsson (2003);
cookstr.com
(search swedish meatballs);
sweden.se
(search meatballs).

Well-dressed crayfish beget epic late-night revelry.

To the Swedes it’s known as
kräftskiva
and to the Finns as
rapujuhlat
, but by any name it’s a crayfish party and feast well worth planning a trip around. The feasts take place from late July to mid-September, but if you have the luxury of being particular, opt for early August—peak season for crayfish in Scandinavia, whether the tiny crustaceans have been farmed in its cold, clear freshwater streams or imported from Louisiana ponds (see
Crawfish
).

The tender, rosy crayfish, first cousins to the French
écrevisses
and to American crawdads or mudbugs, prompt all-night parties that have crowds of guests gathered around paper-covered tables. Fastidious diners wear decorated bibs as they work their way through massive mounds of cold, succulent shellfish heaped on sprigs of dill.

To partake in this 500-year-old Swedish tradition, place the crayfish in a large pot, cover with cold water, and add some salt and a little sugar. Plunge in some great bouquets of dill, including the flowers gone to seed. When the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat and leave the cover on the pot as the crayfish finish cooking—this should take about eight minutes, depending on their size. Greenish-black when alive, the crayfish turn lobster-red as the water heats. Replace the cooked herb with bunches of fresh dill and let the crayfish cool in the broth before being chilled.

Though many recipes allot only a dozen to a portion, hosts in the know plan for as many as thirty to fifty per guest. This may seem like a lot, especially given the fact that each crayfish must be cracked open with fingers or a special knife so the fat can be sucked out of the head and the
pearly, sweet-salty meat can be pulled from the tail. A lot, too, when you consider that diners will likely be
sköl
ing down a shot of schnapps or a quaff or two of beer with each
kräfter
. But a kräftskiva is an energetic affair, requiring much in the way of fuel. Slurping, singing, and speeches extolling the crayfish will grow louder as the evening progresses. Intermittently, guests rinse their fingers in bowls of lemon juice and destroy countless paper napkins.

The most devout traditionalists precede the feast with a sauna, but that hot steam bath might well be more practical as a hangover cure the following day.

Where:
In New York
, in August, Aquavit, tel 212-307-7311,
aquavit.org
.
Mail order:
scandinavianbutik.com
(click Food, then search swedish crawfish).
Further information and recipes:
The Scandinavian Kitchen
by Camilla Plum (2011);
newscancook.com
(search boiled crayfish with dill);
sweden.se
(search crayfish party).

Improbable as it may sound, combine some good, strong coffee with a bit of sugar and a touch of heavy sweet cream and you have not only a cup of morning joe but also the perfect baste for a rose-pink leg of lamb. Leave it to the coffee-loving Swedes to apply their favorite bean to one of their favorite meats. The coffee mollifies the lamb’s muttony overtones, while sugar and cream add a lovely flavor and satiny texture to its gravy. If you’re dubious, ask any Swede—or, for that matter, any Southerner who uses coffee as a standard ingredient in red-eye gravy (see
listing
). Better yet, try this very traditional method at home.

Ideally the dish starts with a leg of young (but not baby) lamb, somewhere around five pounds. Lamb legs that small can be difficult to find unless one lives close to a Greek neighborhood, where butchers will be likely to stock them. Failing that, or ordering from a custom butcher, half a leg will do. In any case, the bone should be left in for maximum flavor and juiciness.

After removing the fell, or thin outer tissue, while leaving a good layer of fat on, insert a few slivers of garlic into the meat, then rub the leg all over with salt, pepper, and a little powdered mustard and ginger. Roast the meat in a 350° oven, allowing about fifteen minutes to the pound for medium-rare, if you’re starting with room-temperature meat; if the lamb is cold, allow eighteen to twenty minutes per pound. About halfway through the cooking time, pour on two cups of coffee, brewed double strength and mixed with two teaspoons of sugar and half a cup of cream. Continue roasting the meat with frequent bastings. A proper medium-rare is achieved when a meat thermometer registers 150°. Thicken the strained pan juices with a light blend of cream and flour, and melt in a teaspoonful or two of red currant jelly. Roasted potatoes, braised small white onions, and green salad are classic accompaniments. Once you taste the combination, you’ll know why.

Further information and recipes:
Swedish Cooking at Its Best
by Marianne Grönwall van der Tuuk (1962);
nytimes.com
(search roast leg of lamb swedish style).

A fragile, luscious Nordic roe.

How depressing the English translation—bleak roe—for so luscious and festive a fish roe as
löjrom
, Sweden’s supple, chiffonlike caviar. Although at first glance these tiny, glistening, rose-gold beads look like the less expensive Japanese flying fish roe, tobiko, bleak roe’s much softer membrane gives it a more luxurious feel. Its flavor suggests sunlight on water, at once gently salty and faintly sweet.

The eggs are produced by a freshwater fish, the vendace or
Coregonus albula
, that is caught and processed in the town of Kalix, close to the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia.

Almost as pricey as the classic Russian caviar, löjrom is ever more difficult to come by, with its parent fish now protected by preservation efforts. When it is on hand, the roe is much loved atop baked potatoes garnished with thick sour cream and thinly sliced rings of red onion, and also decorates servings of smoked salmon alongside scrambled eggs with minced chives. It makes its most elegant appearance as the topping for delicately lacy blini enriched with drizzlings of crème fraîche and a few sprigs of dill.

Undoubtedly fresh bleak roe is best, and some fresh, iced löjrom has become available here. But it is fragile to export, and in the States the roe is mostly available only in frozen or jarred forms. The frozen import—slowly thawed and refreshed with a bit of lemon juice—gives a fair idea of how subtly delicious the fresh product can be.

Where:
In New York
, Aquavit, tel 212-307-7311,
aquavit.org
.
Mail order:
scandinavianfoodstore.com
(search bleak roe);
scandinavianbutik.com
(click Food, then Seafood, then search bleak roe).
Further information and recipes:
swedishfood.com
(search löjrom).

Sweden’s delicate pancakes.

Among the world’s most enticing pancakes, be they French crêpes, Italian
crespelle
, or American flapjacks, by far the lightest and most delicate are the tiny round
plätter
of Sweden. The airy, silver dollar–size cakes dabbed with
ruby-red lingonberry preserves are as enticing for breakfast as they are for dessert.

There are two secrets to making the tiny treats, the first having to do with flavor and texture. Plätter owe their characteristic richness to a batter that contains more eggs, butter, and sugar—and thus less flour—than that of American flapjacks. As they are not inflated by baking powder, they are thinner as well. The second essential trick is the pan. Leave it to the design-minded Swedes to invent a special device that ensures the exact size and shape of each pancake. Cooks using a
plett
, a special cast-iron plätter griddle into which perfect circles are depressed, cannot possibly err on the size of the finished product. The resulting tiny pancakes are that rare combination of delicate and rich—far too precious to drown in syrup, but great with a fine dusting of confectioners’ sugar, perhaps a glossing of butter, and the aforementioned traditional topping of lingonberry preserves.

The diminutive size means, of course, that a great number of these silky disks can be consumed at a single seating. The homey tearoom-restaurant Sears Fine Food in San Francisco—a plätter landmark since 1938, when it was opened by a retired circus clown whose Swedish wife had inherited a family recipe—claims to serve around 77,000 of the tiny pancakes each week, eighteen to an order, whether for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. What a way to start or end the day!

Where:
In New York, A
quavit, tel 212-307-7311,
aquavit.org
; Smörgås Chef at multiple locations,
smorgas.com
;
in Rockford, IL
, Stockholm Inn, tel 815-397-3534,
stockholminn.com
;
in North Oaks, Little Canada, and Loomington, MN
, Taste of Scandinavia Bakery & Café,
tasteofscandinavia.com
;
in San Francisco
, Sears Fine Food, tel 415-986-0700,
searsfinefood.com
;
in Seattle
, Swedish Cultural Center, tel 206-283-1090,
swedishclubnw.org/events/pancake.htm
.
Mail order:
For pancake mix,
searsfinefood.com
; for cast-iron plett pans, La Belle Cuisine,
cooksite.com
.
Further information and recipes:
Aquavit
by Marcus Samuelsson (2003);
The Everything Nordic Cookbook
by Kari Schoening Diehl (2012);
The Cooking of Scandinavia
by Dale Brown (1974);
foodnetwork.com
(search swedish pancakes);
nytimes.com
(search recipe of the day swedish pancakes).
Special events:
Scanfest, a huge outdoor celebration of culture, Budd Lake, NJ, end of summer,
scanfest.org
; Scandinavian Day Festival, South Elgin, IL, September,
scandinaviandayil.com
.
See also:
Lingonberries
.