Beatrice Ojakangas brings to life the cuisines and customs of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark, countries that share borders and bounty. Danes lead with smørrebrød (an open-faced sandwich), which may be topped with cheese, green pepper, and sliced fresh strawberries. Finns specialize in earthy, chewy whole grain bread. Norwegians have wonderfully fresh fish and seafood, and the Swedes gave the world smörgåsbord! Ojakangas offers us true Scandinavian home cooking that features the best of what is in season. Scandinavian Cooking provides traditional menus for different occasions and seasons-from a Farmhouse Brunch with Buttered Potato Soup to an Old-Fashioned Christmas Smörgåsbord with Dip-in-the-Kettle Soup and Norwegian Cream Pudding, to a sumptuous Midsummer's Day Buffet with Salmon-in-a-Crust and Fruit-Juice Glögg.
A good Scandinavian cook has a flair for color, texture, shape, and simplicity in creating the food that these menus show off to perfection. Beatrice Ojakangas describes her experiences gathering recipes at the tables of friends on her visits to Scandinavia and the beautifully crafted tools and tableware that will help to make the Scandinavian dishes you prepare authentic.
Beatrice Ojakangas is the author of more than twenty cookbooks, including The Great Scandinavian Baking Book (1999), Scandinavian Feasts (2001), The Great Holiday Baking Book (2001), and Quick Breads (2003)-all available in paperback from the University of Minnesota Press. Her articles have been published in Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, Cuisine, and Redbook. She has appeared on television's Baking with Julia Child and Martha Stewart's Living, and lives in Duluth, Minnesota.
