My mum gave me this book last Christmas, The Nordic Cookbook. It was one of those presents where you unwrap it and have a small excited titter just on running your fingers over the front cover. (Much like the time when she gave me a Figgio plate without knowing what it is was, just knowing that I would like it.)
On reading the book, I wasn’t disappointed. Skimming the pages, and I feel like I’m sitting in some snug Nordic kitchen drinking tea…
…there’s a soft snow gently coming down outside, the kids are calmly playing a board game, while we all wear (similar in pattern) knitted reindeer sweaters. With a tidy plateful of almond bars on the kitchen counter I reach for one to deftly dunk into my steaming mug of tea, I catch a cheeky smile from my loving partner across the subtly decorated effortless styled room…
Ahh, wait. Hang on a sec, seems I got carried away. That last part must have been an IKEA catalogue I’d seen.
Back to the chaos of reality.
The kids are tearing around laser blammering each other, the dog is sinking her puppy teeth into a couch leg once more. Everything is completely mismatched, the autumn weather is unseasonably warm for this time of year (thank you climate change), partner has disappeared under several piles of washing needing somehow to be dried before tomorrow, and tea may yet have to be rewarmed (again) due to distractions and time constraints of drinking it hot within a 15 minute advisable time frame. (Tepid at best on a regular basis.)
Thankfully I’ve been playing with my own Nordic Almond Rusk recipe, and no one has managed to break the Figgio (as yet.)
Nordic Almond Bars
150g softened butter
150g sugar
150g almond meal
2 tablespoons of honey
2 eggs
300g (2 cups) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp almond aroma * (if you love it, omit if you don’t)
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Then give a quick knead on a lightly floured surface.
Divide mixture into three even fat log shaped rolls, lay on a lined baking tray and bake at 200C for approximately 25 minutes. Take logs out, and allow them to cool (this part is important) for about 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 180C, then carefully slice on the diagonal with a serrated bread knife, and lay them back on the tray.
Continue to bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until just a light golden. Swapping sides mid way through.
Eating these will guarantee crumbs on any nordic themed reindeer sweaters.
cityhippyfarmgirl 
This is very entertaining Brydie! I am sure my mum had a Figgio sugar bowl when I was young. Perhaps I need to ask her about it. Oh yes, the catalogue world. That would be like me in my rambling country kitchen complete with angelic children dressed in stylishly plaid country clothing. The reality looks more like a chaotic whirlwind, particularly on this Sunday morning! It must be boring in catalogue world 🙂 Your rusks looks delicious, happy dunking.
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Yes I think you do need to ask your mum about it Jane! They are really hard to come by the old ones and they are snapped up really quickly as they are such a collectors thing.
(And wait, you mean you and the kids don’t get about in perfectly styled plaid country clothing? You’ve crushed me Jane.)
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Yep, I get the tepid tea. It’s Mother’s day and I don’t know how many times I’ve had to get up and I’ve been pestered umpteen times while sitting here about whether my 4.5 year old will get a present. My daughter: “Mum, can you give me a present now please?”. Me: “Can you you wait ’til I’ve finished my tea sweetie?”. My daughter: “Mum, can you give me a present now please?”. All after just reading a small book dedicated to Mum’s about how precious all these moments are. Yep, those pictures out of the magazines are so far from the truth … Or is it just what we (want to) read into the images? :0) Pure streamlined lifestyle with no chaos?? Hmmm …. I actually went to make her a little necklace out of air dry clay beads we made a couple of weeks back and can’t find the thread … yes, sometimes I would LOVE streamlined!!!!
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Life is pretty chaotic… every single day Brigette. When it’s not, I’m nervous I could be mowing the lawn at 8am on a Saturday followed by washing the vertical blinds because I have the time…oh hell no. I’ll take chaotic over that any day….with periods of streamlined activities for good measure 🙂 (Happy Mother’s too.)
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Yep, that sounds like me down to a t! If I’m not “busy”, I’m wondering what I can achieve next to get things more organised. But my daughter pretty well always comes first when I don’t HAVE to be doing something. Streamlined for all of that would help.
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Delish but nothing short of what I would have expected from you Ms C 🙂
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Not crazy sweet and not insipid to the taste buds Ms Narf. If you pop over for a cuppa I’ll make you a vegan version, promise.
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I am not a sweet cake lady. I love dark, dense and predominately MOIST (OH how people hate that word 😉 ) cakes that sing their own song without the need for extras like icing. Your almond rusks look perfect. I am seriously planning to try them with aquafaba. Have you ever tried whizzing up the liquid from a can of chickpeas? It really works! I made meringues with the liquid from a can of black beans (because I am an experimentralix and I figured “why waste it?”) and they turned out perfect aside from a slight salty tang but then some people like that. Another way to use all of our food and it has a lot of uses from meringues through to making excellent mayo.
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Nothing worse than a dry old cake Ms Narf. Nothing. So to counteract the fact that dry old cakes even exist, I say we claim that word, moist and yell it to the roof tops. Moist cakes are the BEST and especially so when there is no need for any icing or such nonsense. (Which really is just balancing off the fact that you have a dry old cake right.)
Still haven’t done your aquafaba but haven’t forgotten it.
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I’m with you on the moist cake. I LOVE using that word. I love a good full bodied cake that is moist, and NO icing thanks!
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The aquafaba thang is good to remember for if you run out of egg whites. I think everyone should have a recipe for a really good vegan MOIST chocolate cake in their repertoire for when the metaphorical Vicar’s wife is coming to “tea” and you have run out of eggs or butter or milk and you absolutely positively HAVE to impress her.
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