Icelandic cooking, recipes and food

It's Bolludagur again - so it's time for a repost from 2008: In Iceland, the last Monday before Lent is called Bolludagur , or Bun Day. On this day, we stuff ourselves with delicious, sweet buns, and many families eat meatballs or fish balls for dinner ( bolla can mean both "bun" and "ball").  Two kinds of buns are made: One recipe uses yeast for rising, the other uses eggs. My mother always makes the egg kind, which are made with choux dough. As a result, I have never been able to acquire a taste for the yeast buns. The choux buns are basically profiteroles with a local twist. Choux buns, AKA profiteroles Bun recipe: 125 g margarine or butter 250 ml water 125 g flour 4 eggs   Put the water and margarine together in a saucepan and heat until margarine is melted. Sift the flour into the mixture and stir until the dough is smooth and thick. Keep the saucepan on the hotplate while stirring. Remove from the hotplate and allow to cool a little. Br...

This bread relies on fermentation for both rising and sweetness. I have not tested this recipe. 2 kg. rye flour 1 litre of water or a 1:1 mixture of water and whey 1 tsp salt Put the rye flour into a large bowl. Warm the water and add the salt and then add the water to the rye flour and mix well together. Turn out onto a floured table and knead until smooth and free of cracks. Rub a little bit of cooking oil on your hands and form the dough into a loaf. Put the loaf into a well-oiled container - Icelanders often use tins, but a cooking pot or a casserole dish may be used as well. It has to fit inside another, larger container. The dough must not fill the container as it will rise (the genius who wrote the recipe book unfortunately does not say by how much). Put a damp cloth on top of the container and leave to rise in a warm spot overnight. When the dough has risen, put baking paper on top of it and then close the baking container (with a lid, or if that‘s not available, with a...

My friends call this cake "that heavenly date cake with the caramel sauce". It is apparently an old recipe, but someone must have rediscovered it recently, because it has been served a lot at birthday parties and ladies' handicrafts clubs lately. I haven't got a clue where the recipe originally came from, but in Iceland it's known either as döðluterta með karamellusósu , which simply describes what it is, or as Dillonskaka or Dillon's Cake , which could suggests Irish or British origins. However, it might, and this is supported by information from some older ladies I know, be named after Lord Dillon, a British aristocrat who came to Iceland in 1834, fell in love with a local woman and built a house that he gave her before he left the country. It was a famous scandal at the time, as they had a child out of wedlock and were prevented from marrying by his family. She ran a guest house in the house he gave her and sold meals there for many years. Today the ho...

Now its time for the "long Danish" I mentioned in the previous post. You will need the dough, prepared as in the previous post, but rolled out into strips, about 15 cm wide and slightly shorter than the cookie sheet you will bake them on. The thickness of the dough should be about 5 mm. You will also need: Almond paste (recipe in the first post) and thick jam, e.g. strawberry or raspberry OR egg custard Pearl sugar Flaked almonds Icing Spread the jam down the centre of the strip of dough and spread or pipe the almond paste on top. Fold the sides into the centre so they overlap slightly and press together. Gently transfer to a greased cookie sheet. Brush with beaten egg, milk or water, sprinkle the pearl sugar and flaked almonds on too, and bake. This is called an old-fashioned Danish in Iceland. If you prefer custard to jam, you spread the custard down the centre of the dough strip instead of jam and leave out the almond paste. Brush with beaten egg, milk or water a...

The most popular types of Vínarbrauð in Iceland are the "lengja", which you could simply call a "long Danish", and the type known in Scandinavia as "Spandauer", which is a one-portion squarish Danish with a custard or jam centre. In Iceland, depending on where you come from, you either call them "sérbökuð vínarbrauð" (= individually baked Viennese pastries), Dönsk vínarbrauð (= Danish) or "Umslög" (= envelopes). Today's instructions are for Spandauers. The most popular filling for Spandauers is custard, but jam or fruit are also good. To put it all together: Prepare the pastry dough as given in the last post. Cut the dough into even-sized squares. For 10 cm squares put 1 tbs of custard (or thick jam, e.g. raspberry) in the middle of each square. Fold one corner into the middle, then the opposite corner, then repeat with the other two corners. Do not crimp or overlap, as the corners are meant to pull back from the middle while bak...

I got my first request for Vínarbrauð several years ago, but somehow I never got round to posting a recipe until now. I am posting this in three parts. The pastries known to most of the rest of the world as Danish pastries are called by a name that means "Viennese Bread" in the Nordic countries. In Icelandic it's Vínarbrauð . The story says that Danish bakers learned to make a type of leavened flaky pastry from Viennese bakers, perhaps similar to croissant pastry, and made it their own, Here is a longer version of the story (the article also contains images of a few of the possible variations). These kinds of pastries are very popular in Iceland, and you can buy them in every bakery and many supermarkets. I am going to give recipes for the three most popular types of vínarbrauð : Spandauers and two varieties of what are called "lengjur" in Icelandic. For the pastry you will need: 500 g flour ground cardamom to taste 50 g margarine 50 g fresh yeast 50 m...

This is a big recipe, enough for 6 cookie sheets. You can use it to make 1 1/2 cake or a six-layer cake. It is hard to make it smaller and still retain the correct thickness of the dough. Ingredients: 11/2 kg flour 900 g brown sugar 6 tsp baking soda 9 tsp ground cloves 10 tsp ground cinnamon 8 tsp ginger 900 g butter or margarine 6-7 eggs Buttercream: 600 g butter, softened 900 g icing sugar 2 egg yolks 2-3 tsp vanilla essence Rhubarb jam Instructions:  Mix together all the dry ingredients on a clean, dry table and crumble the cold butter/margarine into it until well mixed. (Use your hands to squish it in, or use a pastry cutter). Make a mound of the mixture and make a hole in the centre of it. Add the eggs and syrup and knead until well mixed. (This does not as much kneading as bread, only just enough to get everything well mixed). Divide the dough into six parts. Dust each with flour and roll out into even-sized portions onto well greased cookie sheets. B...

Brúnkaka" simply means "brown cake" in Icelandic, and the alternative name, "brúnterta" means the same, although "terta" comes from the same root as the English word for "tart". In Icelandic "terta" is a fancier alternative to calling a cake "kaka". Unlike the "Lísu brúnterta " recipe that I once posted, this one gets its colour not from cocoa powder, but from syrup or brown sugar and spices. I am posting two recipes, one today with syrup and one tomorrow with brown sugar, as some people may not have access to golden syrup. My grandmother makes these year round, but this Christmas season I discovered that for two of my friends, this cake is closely linked with Christmas from them. Here is the syrup version: Ingredients: 1 kg flour 500 g white sugar 5 tsp baking soda 3 tsp baking powder 1tsp ground cloves 5 tsp ground cinnamon 900 g butter or margarine 500 g golden syrup (Lyle's is the brand ...

This is a simple and impressive fancy cake – if you can avoid breaking the meringue! If it does break, no matter: simply crush the meringue and layer it in dessert bowls or glasses with the cream, or toss it with whipped cream, fresh fruit and chocolate bits to make a smashed Pavlova. 4 egg whites 400 ml brown sugar Optional: 1 cup cornflakes and ½ tsp baking powder For the filling: Whipping cream Chocolate bits, chocolate-covered raisins, salted peanuts (all optional) Whip together the sugar and egg whites (and baking powder if using cornflakes) until sugar is melted and mixture is stiff. If using, fold in cornflakes. Smooth into two greased round baking tins, or put into an icing bag and squeeze onto a cookie sheet covered with baking paper in a circular shape (good idea to make a guide on the paper beforehand with a pencil and a plate). Bake at 150°C for 1 hour. Cool. To make a simple but tempting cream cake, put whipped cream between the layers a day before serving ...

Once upon a time I promised to publish more recipes for fancy cream cakes, and here is one that’s a favourite with both young and old. The name, Guðdómlegt gums means Heavenly Mess . 4 egg whites 200 g sugar Whip together until the sugar is mostly melted. 1/2 cup salted peanuts 1/2 cup chopped dates 100 g dark chocolate chips 1/2 tsp baking powder Fold carefully into the egg-sugar mixture. Bake in 2 round baking tins with detachable bottoms, at 150°C for 1 hour. Cool. Whip 1/2 litre of cream until stiff. Fold in some quartered strawberries, 1 mashed banana, a handful of salted peanuts and a handful of chocolate-covered raisins. Put between the 2 layers. Decorate with whipped cream, strawberries, salted peanuts and chocolate-covered raisins. The other recipe

150 g butter or margarine, at room temperature 150 g flour 150 g cooked potatoes Rhubarb jam Some almonds, flaked Pearl sugar Peel and mash the potatoes until completely smooth. Knead together with the butter and flour. Roll out to a thickness of about 3 mm. Cut into strips of about 15 cm wide. Spread rhubarb jam down the center of each strip, fold in the edges so that about 2 cm strip of jam is showing between them. Brush with milk and sprinkle with flaked almonds and pearl sugar.

Twice-baked bread keeps well and is good in all kinds of sweetened soups, like Sweet Soup , Crowberry Soup , and Cocoa Soup . 250 g flour OR 100 g bread or all-purpose flour and 100 g whole-wheat flour t tsp baking powder 1 tbs sugar 1/2 tsp ground cardamom 75 g butter or margarine 100-150 ml milk Sift together the flour, baking powder and cardamom and add the sugar. Add the softened butter or margarine and rub into the dry mix until the mixture is crumbly. Add the milk, no more than needed to make the dough stick together. Knead until smooth and roll up into sausage shapes. Cut into even-sized pieces and roll into balls. Arrange on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 180°C until light brown. Remove the buns from the oven and cool until they can be handled, then cut in half, put back on the cookie sheet and dry in the oven at a low temperature. Serve with the above-mentioned sweet soups or with coffee.

This is a nice cake that appeals to kids. The buns can also be baked and served separately. 25 g cake yeast OR 2 1/2 tsp dry yeast 100 ml milk, skimmed milk or water 400 ml flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 30 g butter or margarine, soft 1 small egg (or 1/2 a big one) Filling: 1 tbs butter 2 tbs sugar 50 ml raisins or 1 tsp ground cinnamon Icing: 4 tbs confectioner's (icing) sugar 1/2 tsp cocoa powder (optional) 2 tsp boiling water Heat the milk to 37°C and dissolve the yeast in it. Mix the flour, salt and sugar together in a bowl. Crumble in the butter. Add the egg and milk, mix well and knead well. Set dough aside to rise for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile you can prepare the rest of the ingredients. Punch down the dough and knead again. Roll out into a rectangular shape, about 20x30 cm. Spread with soft butter and sprinkle over the sugar and raisins or cinnamon. Roll up into a sausage shape and cut into 10-12 slices. To make a cake, arrange the slices into a buttered cake pan so that the...

This cake is simply called "Batter cake", which is certainly descriptive, but not very poetic. It is an excellent base for a cream cake - in which case forget the jam and use canned fruit instead and pour a little of the juice into both layers, pipe on whipped cream to cover the cake and decorate with fresh fruit. 1/3 cup butter or margarine, soft 1/2 cup sugar 3 eggs 1 cup flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp. vanilla essence (this is my addition to the original recipe, as I think that without it the cake tastes eggy) Separate the eggs. Whip together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the egg yolks and mix well (and add the vanilla if using). Mix together flour and baking powder and add to the batter little by little. Whip the egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter with a spatula. Pour into 2 round 20 centimeter/8 inch baking pans with loose bottoms and bake at 175°C/350°F (regular oven) until the cakes area rich golden colour, if possibl...

Mömmukökur (Mother's Cookies) My mother only makes these gingerbread cookies before Christmas, but they are excellent at any time of the year. When I was little, I thought it was my mother's own recipe. Different people have different ways of making mömmukökur . My mom makes them quite thin and bakes them until they are a rich ginger colour and crisp to bite into. Others make thicker, light ginger-coloured cookies that soften quickly once the icing is on. My mom allows them to stand until completely cooled and then puts them in tins for storage. This is to ensure that they will stay crisp. Then, just before Christmas - usually on Þorláksmessa (December 23rd) - the five of us (my parents, my brother and his partner, and I) get together and stick the cookies together two by two with vanilla butter icing, to make sandwiches. Recipe: 125 g butter/margarine 250 g golden syrup 125 g sugar 1 egg 500 g flour 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp powdered ginger 1 portion butter icing Melt together...

L ike a number of other great artists, most famously the ballerina Pavlova and opera singer Nellie Melba, actress Sarah Bernhardt had some sweet desserts named after her. There is a Sarah Bernhardt cake, and then there are these delicious confections called Sarah Bernhardt cookies, invented by a Danish pastry chef who wanted to honour the actress. These cookies, which we usually just call "Sarahs", are a great favourite of mine, and I try to make some every year for Christmas. Note: I have updated the recipe. The original has one thing wrong with it, which is that the buttercream icing has a tendency to separate when made like the recipe tells you to. I found more precise instructions on how to make this kind of icing in my trusty cooking encyclopedia, and have added them into the original recipe (in closed brackets) for those interested. The downside to the new version is that it does not yield enough icing for all the macaroons (at least if you like to use as much as I do)...

The Icelandic term for gingersnaps and gingerbread cookies literally means “pepper cookies”. These unusual gingerbread refrigerator cookies not only contain pepper, but also paprika. My mother modified the recipe from one she found in an old recipe booklet. 500 g flour 500 g brown sugar 250 g butter 2 eggs 5 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp ginger 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp powdered cloves 1/2 tsp ground pepper 1/4 tsp paprika Mix together the dry ingredients. Add soft butter and eggs and knead until smooth. Cool in the refrigerator overnight. Roll out into sausage shapes of even thickness, pinch or cut off small portions and make little balls out of the dough. Put on a cookie sheet covered with baking paper and press your palm on top of each ball to flatten slightly. Bake at 200°C until browned. Update: I made a batch on Saturday. These are very good gingersnaps. Instead of making balls and flattening them with my hand on the cookie sheet, I cut the dough rolls into thin slic...

An anonymous commenter requested a recipe for Cinnamon 'snails', so here it is. This first recipe is the way my grandmother makes them. The second recipe is included for those who can not get their hands on hartshorn (baker's ammonia). This is originally a recipe for Jewish Cookies, which are a Christmas staple in many Icelandic homes. I have included instructions for both cookies and 'snails'. According to Nanna Rögnvaldardóttir, author of the Icelandic food encyclopedia Matarást ,  Jewish cookies got the name because they were originally made and sold by Jews, who presumably had a different name for them. It's a bit ironic that they should have become associated with Christmas in Iceland. Cinnamon 'snails'/Jewish Cookies 175 g flour 100 g butter or margarine 1/2 tsp hartshorn powder (baker's ammonia) – see Note 60 g sugar 1 egg 1 tbs sugar For cookies: 10 almonds For 'snails': Sugar and cinnamon, mixed together, approx 4 ...

My paternal grandmother always makes these for Christmas. 500 g flour 250 g sugar 200 g margarine ½ tsp hartshorn powder 1 tsp baking powder 1 egg 100 ml (2/5 cup) milk Cardamom essence to taste Rhubarb or other jam Mix together sugar, baking powder, hartshorn powder and flour. Add soft butter and mix until crumbly. Add egg, milk and cardamom essesnce and knead until smooth. Store in a refrigerator until cold through (overnight is usual). Flatten with a rolling pin and cut out cookies with a glass or circular cookie cutter. Put about a teaspoonful of jam in the center of each cookie, fold cookies in half and press edges together with a fork. Arrange on a lightly floured baking sheet and bake at 200°C for 7-10 minutes, or until golden.

I don't particularly care for these, as I don't like raisins in food and the currants remind me of them, but my grandmother loves them. 375 g butter, softened 375 g sugar 7 eggs, yolks and whites separated a few drops of lemon essence 500 g flour For decoration: Currants, chopped blanched almonds, extra sugar (no amounts are given in the original recipe) Cream sugar and butter, then add the egg yolks one by one, mixing well in between. Gradually add the flour, then the lemon essence. Whip the whites separately until stiff and fold into the dough. Put the doughonto a baking sheet and spread evenly over the sheet, using a spatula. Sprinkle a mixture of currants, almonds and sugar on top. Bake at about 180°C until golden and cut into squares while still warm.