Norway: Fattigmands Bakkelser

Fruits and berries mature slowly in the cold climate. This makes for a tendency to smaller volume with a more intense taste. Strawberries, blueberries, lingonberries, raspberries and apples are popular and are part of a variety of desserts, and cherries in the parts of the country where those are grown. (If you've ever visited an Ikea store, you'll have a chance to try lingonberries cooked in several different ways!)

The wild growing cloudberry is regarded as a delicacy. A typical Norwegian dessert on special occasions is cloudberries with whipped or plain cream.

German and Nordic-style cakes and pastries, such as sponge cakes and Danish pastry (known as "wienerbrød", literal translation: "Viennese bread") share the table with sweet breads - "kaffebrød" (literally: "coffee bread", named for its accompaniment, not ingredients), waffles and biscuits. Cardamom is a common flavouring.

The Norwegians, like the rest of us, have many traditional cookies that cook mainly at Christmas: Sandbakels, Pepperkaker, Morkaker and, of course, Fattigmands Bakkelser.

My family doesn't have a Danish bone in their body, but Fattigmands Bakkelser was a cookie that we made every Christmas, sometimes flavored with Cardamom and sometimes with Cinnamon. I think my Dad liked the name of the cookie more than the cookie itself, as he always called them "Fat Man's Buckles"!

Fattigmands Bakkelser

10 egg yolks

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 tbsp. cognac or other brandy

1 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel

2 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In large mixer bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar about 10 minutes or until very thick and lemon colored. Stir in cream, cognac, cardamom and lemon peel. Mix in enough flour to make a stiff dough. Cover; chill at least 3 hours.

Heat fat or oil (at least 2 inches deep) to 375°. Divide dough in half. Roll each half very thin, 1/8 to 1/16 inch thick, on well-floured board. Cut dough into 4"x2" diamonds. Make 1-inch horizontal slit in center of each; draw a long point of diamond through slit and curl back in opposite direction.

Fry in hot fat about 15 seconds on each side or until light brown. Drain.

Store in airtight container. Before serving, sprinkle with confectioners' (icing) sugar.

Yield: 4 dozen cookies.

Indonesia: Kue Semprong

Literally translated, Kue Semprong means smokestack cookie. The Kue Semprong is a very thin, rolled (usually or sometimes flat to display the pattern of the cookie maker in this case an elephant on one side and a snail on the other) sweet cookie. The cookie dough is made and rolled out and then placed in the maker and trimmed. The cookie maker is then clamped using the fastener on the end and placed in a fire for a short time. When the maker is removed from the fire the cookie is immediately rolled and set aside to cool. They are light delicious treats and it is very difficult to stop eating them once you have started. These are also sometimes filled with chocolate or other sweets.


Kue Semprong (Love Letters)

1-3/4 cups rice flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs, beaten to a froth
1-3/4 cup thick coconut milk from 1 ½ coconut
1/4 cup sesame seeds, washed and dried (optional)
Oil, for brushing

Mix rice four, sugar, cinnamon and eggs. Pour in coconut milk a little at a time and keep stirring until the mixture is smooth and the sugar is dissolved. Add sesame seeds if desired

Heat Kue Semprong mold on a charcoal fire or stove and brush the inside with oil. Pour in 1-2 tablespoons batter and cover the mold. Turn the mould to distribute the heat evenly. Cook for about 10 minutes.

Shape the cookies immediately after cooking and while it is still hot and soft. You can roll it or fold it twice to form a quarter-circle.

Recipe courtesy of Yasa Boga at Indo Lists.

An authentic Kue Semprong iron is up on eBay for auction. Click here to see the auction.

Switzerland: Apfelküchlein

Switerland's cuisine is amazingly diverse. It incorporates cuisine many of their neighbors such as Italy, France and Germany.

When it comes to sweets, the Swiss utilize a variety of fruits in their recipes. All over the country, fruit is featured in many desserts from delicious fruit tarts to simplistic fresh berries and cream. This recipe for deep fried apple cookies incorporates the decadently sweet and tart flavor of apple cider that is in keeping with the Swiss tradition.

Apfelküchlein (Deep fried apple cookie)

4 or 5 tart apples (e.g. MacIntosh, Jonathan, etc.)
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup ground hazelnuts
½ teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla sugar
5 fl. ounces apple cider
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon of oil
Juice of a lemon
Oil (for deep frying)
Confectioner's or cinnamon sugar

Add flour, hazelnuts, salt, one tablespoon of sugar and the vanilla sugar to a bowl and mix well. Add apple cider and stir to combine. Mix in 2 egg yolks and one tsp of vegetable oil.

Set aside the dough to rest for about 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting, peel and core the apples. Cut the apples in rings, each about ½ inch thick. Mix the lemon with 3 tbs of sugar. Toss the apples with the lemon mixture to keep them from browning and let them sit also for approximately 30 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, add a pinch of salt to the whites of two eggs and mix until it is stiff. Carefully fold it into the dough.

Heat the oil in a frying-pan (or deep fryer) to 375 F.

Dip one apple ring at a time into the dough and fry it immediately in the oil on both sides until it is lightly brown. Let the oil drain on a rack or paper towels.

Sprinkle confectioner's or cinnamon sugar evenly over the cookies while they are still warm and serve them immediately.

But they will also taste good when they are cold, especially if you serve them with some warm vanilla sauce.

Iraq: Klaicha

Iraqi food is rich and diverse, incorporating spices typical of Arabic cooking, such as saffron and mint. Extra food is usually cooked in case of surprise visitors, while expected guests are treated to many elaborate dishes. People eat their evening meal around 8:00 p.m. Most cooking is done on gas or paraffin-oil stoves, though in the cities, people often own microwave ovens to help shorten cooking time.

For dessert, people enjoy some of Iraq's local fruits, rice pudding, Turkish Delight, date or sesame cookies, or baklava - a pastry made with honey and pistachios layered between filo sheets.

Klaicha (Iraqi date cookies)

3 cups plain flour

1/2 cup sugar

8 oz. unsalted butter (1 cup)

3 tsp orange flower water or rose water

1/4 cup water

8 oz pitted dates

2 Tbsp butter

Sift flour and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Cut butter into pieces and rub flour with fingertips until distributed evenly. Blend orange flower water or rose water with water and sprinkle onto flour mixture. Mix to a firm dough and knead lightly untl smooth. Rest dough for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop dates. Place in a pan with the butter and heat gently until dates soften, stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside.

Roll dough into balls the size of a large walnut. Flatten a ball of dough in the palm of your hand and place a tsp of date filling in the center. Mould dough around filling and reshape into a ball.

Press ball into a carved mold similar to a tabi and place on an ungreased baking tray. Alternatively, place on a tray, flatten slightly and press tines of a fork obliquely around sides and across top, giving pastry a slightly conical shape.

Bake in a preheated moderately slow oven (170 C or 325 F) for 30-35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on tray - pastries will become firm and crisp on cooling. Store in a sealed container when cool.

Alternate shaping: Divide pastry into 3 equal portions and roll each portion into a rectangle 1/2" thick and 4" wide. Put one-third of the date mixture, shaped into a long roll, along one edge of pastry and roll up to enclose filling. Press edges and ends to seal and place rolls joint side down, on ungreased baking sheet. Decorate top with pastry crimper or any other means to make a design. Bake as for Klaicha above, cool and slice at an angle to serve. Store in a sealed container.

Egypt: Kahk bi Loz

Almond Bracelets are a favorite at engagement and wedding parties in the Middle East, as well as during the traditional ritual bath of the bride. This custom is still common in rural areas, where the female relatives assess the bride’s potential to be a good wife and bear children easily. The bride-to-be listens to this commentary (hopefully positive) while she bathes in scented water and while trays laden with sweets are passed around for everyone to enjoy.

Kahk bi Loz (Almond Bracelets)

5 cups almonds, ground

2-1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1 egg white, stiffly beaten

Orange blossom water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix almonds and sugar together. Add the egg white, stiffly beaten, to the amond/sugar mix. Add just enough orange blossom water to make a firm, dryish paste.

Knead the paste well and roll into thin sausages approximately 5" long. Bring the ends together forming bracelets the size of a small napkin ring. Decorate with a few blanched almonds if desired.

Arrange the bracelets on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. DO NOT allow the bracelets to color or brown or the taste will change.

Remove carefully from the cookie sheets once they have cooled.

Source: The New Book of Middle Eastern Cooking by Claudia Roden, Knopf, NY NY 20001

Romania: Salam de Biscuiti

Romanian cuisine is diverse, blending the dishes of the several traditions which it has come into contact with, as well as maintaining its own character. It has been greatly influenced by Balkan cuisine but also includes influences from the cuisines of other neighbours, such as Germans, Italians, and Hungarians.

The truth is, that Romanians like to eat. And they eat a lot and well. I think man can evaluate the richness of a foreign culture by appreciating the richness of its cuisine. The multitude of combinations, the richness of the tastes, the variety of first courses, second courses and deserts, the constant "must do's" and the doors open to imagination and invention are speaking for themselves. I can assure you, the Romanian cuisine is one of the tastiest and most appetizing.

Sweet salamy it' s an old recipe, my mother used to make it often. I said make, because no cooking is involving. It's an easy recipe because it can be done with more, or less ingredients or even put anything else you like into it, just be creative. This is how I use to do it and I can assure you that is very tasty.

Pofta buna! Bon appetit!

Gina Enescu, Guest Contributor

http://www.ginuca27.blogspot.com/

Salam di Biscuiti (Sweet Salamy)

1-3/4 cups (400 gr) biscuits or vanilla wafers (coarsely crushed)

1 cup + 2 tbs (250 gr) milk

3 tbs cocoa

1/2 lb (200 gr) Turkish delight

2 fiole rum essence/extract/flavoring

1-1/3 cup (300 gr) walnuts, chopped

2/3 cup (150 gr) butter

6 tbs powdered sugar

2 eggs

1 cup (200 gr) sour cherry (from cherry liqueur)

1 grated coconut

For a richer flavor, toast walnuts in the oven for a short time or saute in some melted butter. Set aside to cool.

Boil milk with small pieces of Turkish Delight until the candy starts to melt and reduces in size. Remove from heat.

Add 1/2 of the cocoa, 1/2 of the biscuits/vanilla wafers and 1/2 of the walnuts plus 1/2 of the rum essence/extract/flavoring. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix the butter with 5 tbs powdered sugar and 2 egg yolks. Combine with the first mixture.

Add in the rest of the rum essence, cocoa and biscuits/vanilla wafers. Add in the rest of the walnuts and sour cherry. Whip egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Blend into the mixture.

Sprinkle some powdered sugar and shredded coconut ona large piece of plastic wrap. Put the dough in the middle and roll it up in the plastic wrap, forming it so it looks like a salami. Refrigerate in the plastic wrap for 6 to 7 hours.

Remove plastic wrap and cut into 1/2" slices.

Notes:

• To see the original recipe in Romanian, please visit Gina's blog page: http://ginuca27.blogspot.com/2007/09/salam-de-biscuii-ingrediente-400-gr.html


• To purchase Turkish Delight online, visit: http://www.turkishfoodstore.com/category.cfm?cat=3&subcat=304&sort=1

China: Hang Geen Beng

Very few cattle are raised in China, so dairy products such as milk, cheese and butter are hard to come by and rarely used in traditional Chinese dishes. They do raise pigs and so they generally will use the pork fat or lard as a substitute for the butter. As a matter of fact, pork is so prevalent in the Chinese cuisine that it is commonly referred to as simply "meat".

Hang Geen Beng (hahng geen bee-EHNG), traditional Chinese Almond Cookies, are a traditional treat found in bakeries across China as well as Chinese restaurants around the globe. Like many Chinese dishes, these crisp, tasty treats do use lard. You can substitute vegetable shortening, but the the taste won't be nearly the same. Many people also use butter in this recipe. Cookies made with butter tend to not be as crisp as those made with lard or shortening, and the crispness of these cookies is what makes them so good. (I've also seen these called Hang Yen Bang. Beats me who's right!)


Hang Geen Beng (Chinese Almond Cookies)


2-1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup lard (or vegetable shortening)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp almond extract
1 tbs cold water
4 dozen whole, blanched almonds

1 egg yolk
1 tbs water

Sift the first four ingredients together into a large bowl. Cut the lard (or vegetable shortening) in with a pastry blender, or rub it between your fingers until the mix is very crumbly.

In a small bowl, combine the beaten egg with the almond extract. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and combine. Add in the tablespoon of cold water and use your hands to quickly form a firm ball of dough. Cover in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease baking sheets.

Remove dough from refrigerator and form into 1-1/2 inch balls. Place the dough balls on baking sheets and flatten gently with the bottom of a glass. Press one whole almond into the center of each cookie.

For the glaze, mix one egg yolk with one tablespoon of water. Using a pastry brush, brush some of the glaze over each cookie.

Bake approximately 12 minutes or until the cookies are very lightly browned. Remove from oven and baking sheets and cool in wire racks.

Yield: 4 dozen

Nicaragua: Rosquillas

The Cuisine of Nicaragua is as diverse as its inhabitants. It is a mixture of criollo style food and pre-Columbian dishes. When the Spaniards first arrived in Nicaragua, they found that the Creole people present had incorporated foods available in the area into their cuisine.

Despite the blending and incorporation of pre-Colombian and Spanish influenced cuisine, traditional cuisine changes from the Pacific to the Caribbean coast. While the Pacific coast's main staple revolves around local fruits and corn, the Caribbean coast's cuisine makes use of seafood and the coconut.

A favored treat in Nicaragua is the Rosquilla. Similar to an Italian biscotti, the Nicaraguan rosquilla is designed to be accompanied by a hot cup of coffee. Its plump shape facilitates an easy drop, and a well-made rosquilla is best eaten after floating in your coffee for 30 seconds or so.

Approximately half a ton of rosquillas from Jinotega travel to ExpoNica in Miami each year, from the Rosquillera Pampa. Probably three times that amount travel to the States and Europe via Nicaraguan travelers, stuffed in two- and three-pound bags, and stashed in luggage for distribution to expat family members.


Rosquillas


3 lbs. queso seco or Mexican Cotija cheese
3 lbs. masa
4 Tbs. butter
4 Tbs. lard from beef
2 Tbs. lard from pork
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grate the cheese finely. Mix it with the masa. Add the rest of the ingredients, mixing until combined.

Shape into small donut shapes, about 1 to 1-1/4 inch in diameter. Place on cookie sheets.

Bake until they get a little color. Take them out of the oven and cool.

Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Return cookies to the oven and bake until they are crispy. (Can dust with confectioners sugar if desired.)

Yield: 100 rosquillas

Note: The masa should be the one used to make tortillas, not tamales. If you can only get masa harina, then prepare the masa harina as if you were making tortillas and then weigh it to get to 3 pounds.

Special thanks to Ligia for submitting this recipe. Recipe from 50 Años en la Cocina authored by Angelica de Vivas.

Peru: Alfajores de Manjar Blanco

There is no doubt that Alfajores are native to South America, and each country has their little spin on this delectable delight. In Argentina, they use Dulce de Leche as the filling for these cookie sandwiches. Dulce de Leche is a caramel made from reducing sweetened condensed milk.

In Peru you will find both Dulce de Leche and Manjar Blanco being used in the creation of this cookie. Manjar Blanco (loosely translates to "white food") is an incredible cross between a caramel and a pudding and can be considered the paler cousin of Dulce De Leche. The main difference in the two is that Manjar Blanco is made from whole milk rather than condensed milk.

In Bolivia, Manjar Blanco is the traditional filling for the Alfajores. However, they prepare their Manjar Blanco just a bit differently. The Bolivian style Manjar Blanco is thickened further with rice flour and occasionally you will find other flavorings in it such as vanilla, cinnamon and/or rum.

Alfajores

Cookies:
1-1/2 cups unsalted butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup ground almonds
3 cups flour

Manjar Blanco Filling:
5 cups whole milk
1-1/8 cups sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Prepare the Manjar Blanco filling. Put the milk, sugar and vanilla in a medium saucepan and let it come to a boil. Continue to boil the mixture, stirring occasionally, until thickened, approximately 45 minutes. The Manjar is ready if you put a bit on a plate and it does not run.

2. Cream butter with confectioners' sugar until fluffy.

3. Stir in remaining ingredients.

4. Wrap and chill 30 minutes (if you leave it longer, just let it warm up to the point of being able to be rolled out).

5. Roll dough out to 1/4" thickness. Cut in 2 1/2" circles and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. They won’t expand much, so you can place them pretty close together.

6. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes.

7. Cool cookie sheets between batches and cool cookies on wire rack.

8. When cookies have completely cooled, carefully spread some manjar blanco on one cookie and top with another cookie.

9. Dust tops with confectioners' sugar and enjoy immediately.


TIP: Best enjoyed if served immediately. Traditional alfajores are crispy, and these (although they will still taste delicious) will soften as they set.

Yield: 4-5 dozen cookies

Recipe and photo submitted by guest contributor, Adrienne , with special thanks to a friend of a friend of hers who is native to Peru.

Russia: Pryanik

Russian honeybread has been made since the 9^th century, at which time they were made with rye-flour, honey and berry-juice. Over time, some other natural indigenous ingredients like local roots were added to flavor these cookies. When trade first began with the Middle East and India (12^th-13^th centuries) these sweet recipes were kicked up with a variety of spices – popularly with cloves, ginger, citrus fruits, pepper, nutmeg, badian, mint, anise, ginger and many others and hence these cookies were referred to as “pryanosti” meaning they were well-spiced.

Today pryanik are available in many flavors, shapes and styles. They are commonly seen as pressed cookies or painted cookies – the latter of which are painted with white, rose or chocolate icing or are decorated with berries, nuts or candied citrus peel. They can also be filled with jam, sandwich-style.

The myriad styles of pryanik are generally always served with tea and coffee, and they have that wonderful spiciness of a gingerbread cookie, perfect for when the weather is getting colder (I guess since I live in New Orleans, our coldest weather probably never approaches that of Moscow in the summer, but I still enjoy cold-weather treats!)

Pryanik

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup honey
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

1. Sift the flour, baking soda and spices into a medium bowl.

2. Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and thick.

3. Heat the honey in a small saucepan over low heat until it liquifies. Stir the honey and vanilla into the beaten egg mixture.

4. Mix in the dry ingredients to form a stiff dough.

5. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

6. Butter two cookie sheets. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Use your favorite cookie cutter to make cookies, and whatever size your cookies are, use that as a guide for how far apart to place them, expecting them to double in size.

7. With a pastry brush, give the cookies just a little honey on top.

8. Bake for 10-20 minutes, or until just golden, rotating the sheets halfway through for even baking.

9. Cool on the sheets until the cookies firm slightly. Transfer to racks to finish cooling.

10. In a bowl, add 1-2 tbs water to the confectioners’ sugar and whisk together to form a paste. Decorate your cookies when they’ve cooled and enjoy.

TIPS: These cookies are great with different spices, and I even have tried adding cayenne, so feel free to be creative. Toppings also vary throughout Russia so try adding your favorite nuts or berries if you are so inclined. I also *highly* recommend taking out about 2-3 cookies when they’re only halfway baked, putting them in a bowl with apricot jam and cool whip, and not telling anyone else about it – it was heaven.

Recipe, photos and post courtesy of our guest contributor, Adrienne, with special thanks to her Russian friend, Constantin.