KristinHove

“JULEMANNA”

It’s hard to believe it’s Christmas when it is 30 degrees and we’re at the beach. It’s our fourth Christmas in Australia, but still not used to a hot Christmas. So thanks mum for sending  me this photo of  your first round of “julemanna”. I’m now in the mood to start preparing for Christmas. We normally eat these through the whole month of December. As kids we used to paint them with colour essence, and we could spend a whole afternoon giving them a face and clothes. They are nice to wrap in cellophane and give as treats to friends as well.

This is a big recipe, so if yo don’t won’t to have the oven going the whole night you can half it.

• 750g sugar
• 1/2 liter water
• 125g butter (melted)
• 1 1/2 kg flour
• 30g “hjortesalt” hartshorn.

Blend all together and knead well. Sometimes it’s easier to work with the dough after it has been in the fridge for a few hours. Divide into four parts and start to make it flat with a rolling pin ( 5mm thick). Use your cookie cutters and make all the cookies before you place them on a tray with baking paper. Bake in oven on 200C  for about 10 to 15 min. They will rise and are ready when they are slightly golden. Let them cool on a wire rack. Delicious still hot with a class of milk.

Recipe from Randi!

Some of the ingredients I had to replace, things like “kruskakli” is quite hard to get hold of here.

The Norwegian name for this is “knekkebrød”. It’s full of good stuff and will keep you going for a while.

• 3 dl whole meal flour (sammalt grov rug)
• 3.5 dl quick oats (lettkokt havregryn)
• 1.5 dl sunflower kernels
• 2.5 dl linseed
• 1.5 dl sesame seeds
• 1.5 dl  phyto soy L.S.A mix (kruskakli)
• 5 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vegetable stock, dissolved with some hot water
• 7 dl lukewarm water

Mix all together, and divide the dough in 3, oiled trays. Flatten it with wet hands and slice squares in wanted size. Bake in the oven on 170 Celsius.

Serve with butter and brown cheese! You can buy the Norwegian brown cheese at David Jones or at Nordic Fusion in Manly.

This is a sweet, and refreshing soup. Serve as breakfast or a light meal. Serve with biscotti.

• 1 drop vanilla essence
• 2 organic egg yolks
• 4 tbsp sugar
• juice of one lemon
• 2 tbsp grated organic lemon zest
• 1.5 litres buttermilk
• 1 whole organic lemon, sliced

Beat the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla essence until pale and fluffy. Add lemon juice,zest and buttermilk. Chill for an hour.

BISCOTTI

• 250g plain flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp grated organic lemon zest
• 125 g chilled butter, diced
• 1/2 beaten egg
• 50 ml milk

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the beaten egg and milk and stir to form a dough. Knead the dough lightly, and roll into a long thin sausage. Cut the dough in small pieces. Place on baking tray and bake in oven on 200 Celsius for 7 min. Take them out, and while they are still hot, cut them in two. Place them back on the tray, and bake again for 20 min. Leave them to cool, and store them in an airtight container for up to a couple of weeks.

Nice and simple dessert

• 1.5 kg apples, peeled, cored and cut into cubes
• 175g sugar
• 200g stale bread, cubed.
• 50g butter
• 1ts mixed spice
• 50g chopped walnuts
• 200ml double cream

Place the apple cubes in a saucepan, with 100 g of the sugar. Bring to the boil, then let it simmer on low heat for 10 min. stir the mixture and let it cool.

Toast the bread on a pan, let it take some colour, and then add the butter, mixed spices, chopped walnuts and remaining sugar. Let the croutons caramelize slowly.

Layer the apples and the caramelized croutons in a glass, or a bowl. Whip the cream and decorate with chopped walnuts. Eat immediately or let it cool for a couple of hours.

A rainy and grey day gives us a great excuse for a late brunch at home with friends.We started the brunch with a buttermilk soup served with biscotti. Recipe will come later! Muffins with cranberries and nuts and Mum’s breakfast rolls served with smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. I was planning to do a raisin bread but realised we had enough food to feed the whole block.

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MUM’S BREAKFAST ROLLS

• 50g fresh yeast , or 2 sachets of dried yeast
• 400ml lukewarm water
• 1tbsp salt
• 400ml buttermilk, lukewarm
• 4tbsp honey
• 400g whole meal flour
• 450g plain flour
• 100g oats
• 1 beaten egg
• sunflower seeds
• poppy seeds

Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water, then add the buttermilk, honey and salt. Sift the flour and oats together, and stir it into the yeast mixture. Knead well and tip the dough onto a floured work surface and knead for a few more minutes. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a plastic bag and a tea towel. Let it rise to double size, approximately for an hour.

Preheat oven to 200 Celsius. Dust your hands with flour and cut the dough into 20 parts. Shape them round by rolling the on the bench. Put them on a tray with baking paper and glaze them with a beaten egg and sprinkle them with either poppy seeds or sunflower seeds. Let it stand for another 15 min. Bake for 30 min and let them cool on a wire rack.