A little table covered with a creamy white, embroidercd, lace-edged linen cloth. Coffee cups, a little larger than demitasses, set on saucers; the saucers set on plates with coffee spoons nestled next to the cups and pretty napkins pulled through the handles. A plate of three kinds of buttery cookies in the middle of the table. This scene was set for a simple afternoon coffee during our visit in Norway.
On another occasion, I happened into a bank in Stockholm to cash a traveler's check. It was the bank's anniversary and they were serving coffee, cardamom bread, and ginger cookies. Of all cookies, scalloped, thin, spicy ginger cookies (which are called pepparkakor) are by far the favorite. They are served year-round, but at Christmastime there are special ones, which are richer and even spicier. I have a cookbook from Finland with 100 different recipes for "pipparkakku"! People often wonder why the recipe for pepparkakor, to use the Swedish name, does not include pepper as an ingredient. In old Swedish, the word peppar was used for all spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Bakery browsing is one of my favorite activities when traveling; while others find every cathedral and museum, I never miss a patisserie or a Konditorei! The varieties of cookies I have found could fill a volume. "One of this," "one of that" are phrases that I think Berlitz should include in books for travelers like me! The cookies I've eaten throughout Scandinavia are replicated in this chapter down to the last crumb, and I offer as many as possible from the amazing variety. The selection here includes favorites from everyday gingersnaps to fanciful rolled cones. Many of the cookies here are specialities that are favorites for holidays and special celebrations. Cookie baking heads the list, and Scandinavian bakers worth their salt will not put their rolling pins down until every available container is rilled and stashed away. One woman I know has as a goal to have baked twenty-four different kinds of cookies by Christmas Eve. She packs them up for special gifts to family, friends, and shut-ins. Gingerbread cookies are among the favorite cookies in all of Scandinavia. They are important for holiday baking, too, and are cut into whimsical shapes. I first became aware of them when we spent a year in Finland. At the beginning of the Advent season, piggy-shaped gingerbread cookies marked with the name nissu-nassu appear in shops wherever baked goods are sold. These cookies signal children that the special season leading to Christmas is beginning. Hearts, stars, gingerbread boys, and other animal shapes are traditional, too. I was curious about the use of animal shapes, not only in baked goods, but also in Christmas decorations. Scholars believe that the tradition goes back to pagan times, when animals were slaughtered to appease the gods. Poor people who had no animals to offer substituted animal-shaped baked goods at their harvest festivals. After Christianity was introduced, Christmas came at the time of the traditional harvest festival. Baked goods were naturally important, and animal shapes were carried over to modern times. GINGERBREAD HOUSE The gingerbread house is a tradition not restricted to the Scandinavian countries. But Scandinavians, having a bent toward architecture, turn out some creative structures. Inspired by my neighbor Barbara Collins, who makes a new gingerbread house every year at Christmastime, adding to and elaborating on it more and more each time, I spent about five years following the tradition. Sometimes I made the standard house, and at other times altered the structures to make a complete Bethlehem scene, complete with the inn on one side and a stable on the other. In the directions that follow, the standard measurements are given. Alter them any way you wish to make your own creative house or scene. The basic dough is very spicy, so it will add a fragrant aroma to the area in which you place the house. It is, of course, 100 percent edible! Makes 1 house 1 cup butter, room temperature 1 cup brown sugar, well packed 2 tablespoons cinnamon 4 teaspoons ginger 3 teaspoons ground cloves 2 teaspoons baking soda 1\2 cup boiling water 5 cups all-purpose flour FROSTING AND SUGAR SYRUP 1 egg white 3 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1 teaspoon almond extract 2 cups sugar In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until blended. Add the cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Mix the baking soda with the boiling water and add to the dough along with the flour. Mix to make a stiff dough. If necessary add more water, a tablespoon at a time. Chill 2. hours or overnight. Cut patterns for the house, making patterns for the roof, front walls, gabled walls, chimney, and door out of cardboard. Roll the dough out on a large, ungreased baking sheet and place the patterns on the dough. Mark off the various pieces with a knife, but leave the pieces in place. Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the cookie dough feels firm. After baking, again place the pattern on top of the gingerbread and trim the shapes, cutting the edges with a straightedged knife. Leave to cool on the baking sheet. Prepare the frosting by mixing the egg white with the powdered sugar, vinegar, and almond extract until smooth. Put mixture into a pastry bag and pipe through a fine tip onto the pieces of the house, making the decorations on the parts before assembling the house. Let the frosting harden. To glue the house together, first place the 2. cups sugar in a wide, heavy skillet. Place over low heat and stir until the sugar melts but does not burn. Dip the edges of the house pieces into the syrup as you put the house together. The sugar hardens quickly, so you need to work rapidly. Finally, put the house on a tray or board and surround it with cotton for snow, evergreen twigs, and figures. For more recipes visit: healthfoodanddietblog.wordpress.com/2018/12/17/greek-salad-whole-wheat-wraps/
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