In the May-June 2010 issue of Cook’s Illustrated, there is a recipe that promises light, crispy waffles without the hassle of separating the eggs and whipping egg whites.  Yahoo!  It looked like a good excuse to make waffles to eat with the breakfast sausage.  The secrets to the recipe are seltzer (or club soda) instead of whipped egg whites (a la tempura batter) for lightness and lift, and vegetable oil instead of melted butter (the water in the butter prevents crispiness).  I found the article interesting, and decided to try it out.  We had excellent results, without much effort, and only a minimal flavor tweak, to suit personal preference.  How can you not like this, if you like waffles?

Buttermilk Waffles

from Cook’s Illustrated magazine, May-June 2010

Equipment

• waffle iron
• mixing bowls (2)
• whisk
• rubber spatula
• ladle
• measuring cups, dry (or scale)
• measuring cup for liquid
• measuring spoons
• non-stick cooking spray, if your waffle iron requires it
• wire rack
• rimmed baking sheet

Ingredients

• 2 cups (10 ounces) all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 0.75 teaspoon table salt
• 0.5 cup buttermilk powder (example here, sold in most grocery stores)
• 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
• 0.5 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 0.25 teaspoon vanilla extract (I like to use almond extract)
• 0.25 cup vegetable oil
• 1.25 cups unflavored seltzer water (or club soda)

Process

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees F.  Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and place baking sheet in oven.
2. Whisk flour, sugar, salt, buttermilk powder, and baking soda together in large mixing bowl to combine.
3. Whisk sour cream, eggs, extract, and oil in medium bowl to combine.  Gently stir seltzer (or club soda) into wet ingredients.
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the wet ingredients.  Using a rubber spatula, gently stir until just combined.  Batter should remain slightly lumpy with streaks of flour.
5. Heat waffle iron and bake waffles.  Transfer waffles to rack in warm oven and hold for up to 10 minutes before serving with butter and maple syrup.

After my success with the new equipment and the Breakfast Sausage with Fresh Ginger and Sage recipe (aka Da Bomb, from Ruhlman & Polcyn’s book),  I realized that 5 pounds of sausages isn’t that many. Once you have a brunch party, give a few to your friends to taste test, and eat some for dinner the next night, there isn’t that much left in the freezer for later.     My only recourse was to make more!

On Monday morning I called my favorite meat shop, Ledebuhr’s, and ordered more meat for curing and drying fun, and preparation for a party we’re going to have at the end of the month.  The order:

• 20 pounds of pork shoulder butt  (Sausages, Mortadella)
• 2  eye of round roasts of beef  (Bresaola Round 2)
• 3 pork bellies (Pancetta and Smoked Bacon)
• 1 full beef brisket (to be dry rubbed and smoked for the party)

I ordered the pork shoulder butt for our sausage making Thursday, and picked up the rest of the meat on Saturday, for curing fun this next week.

The Bag My Pork Shoulder Butt Was In

Here’s a shot of the bag that the pork was in when I picked it up on Thursday.  Note the lack of last name, phone number, etc.  I love that I’m on a first name basis with my butcher.

My friends Sheila and Connie helped me make more of the Ginger and Sage Breakfast Sausage, and some spicy Mexican Chorizo.  More on that at a later date.

from Charcuterie by Ruhlman and Polcyn, with additional commentary

Mexican Chorizo is classically a free form sausage used loose as an ingredient in other dishes, rather than in links or in patties.  But don’t feel bound by classic rules if you like a spicy sausage with a long, interesting finish!

Ingredients

• 5 pounds /2.25 kg boneless pork shoulder butt, diced
• 1.5 ounces / 40 grams kosher salt (3 tablespoons)
• 2 tablespoons /16 grams ancho chile powder
• 1 tablespoon / 8 grams hot paprika
• 1 tablespoon / 8 grams chipotle powder or cayenne powder
• 1 tablespoon / 18 grams minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon /3 grams freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon /6 grams chopped fresh oregano (1 teaspoon / 0.5 gram dried oregano)
• 0.5 teaspoon /1.5 grams ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons /45 ml tequila, chilled
• 3 tablespoons /45 ml red wine vinegar, chilled
• 10 feet /3 meters hog casings, soaked in tepid water for AT LEAST 30 minutes and rinsed

Prep (can be done a day or more in advance)

1. Put the bowl from the stand mixer in the freezer.  Put the grinder attachment in the freezer.  Let them stay there as long as possible before grinding the meat.  I have the luxury of freezer space, so I put them in a day in advance.
2. Dice the pork shoulder butt in one inch cubes.  Put these in a large mixing  bowl, cover with plastic, and put in the refrigerator and allow to chill as long as possible.  I found chilling it overnight works well.
3. Soak the casings (if you’re going to use casings) in tepid water for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.  I’ve found that soaking overnight, and then changing the soaking water helps relax the casings so that they are easy to work with.

Process

1. Combine all ingredients except the tequila and vinegar and toss to distribute the seasonings.  Chill until ready to grind.
2. Grind the mixture through the small die into a bowl set in ice.
3. Add the tequila and vinegar to the ground meat mixture and mix with the paddle attachment until the liquid is incorporated and the mixture has developed a uniform, sticky appearance, about 1 minute on medium speed.
4. Saute a small portion of the sausage, taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary.
5. If desired, stuff the sausage into casings and twist into 6 inch / 15 cm links.  Refrigerate or freeze until ready to cook.

Cook

1. If in link form, gently saute or roast the sausage to an internal temperature of 150 degrees F / 65 degrees C.  If using loose, saute until cooked through.

from Charcuterie, by Ruhlman and Polcyn, with additional commentary

Ruhlman and Polcyn are not kidding when they refer to this as Da Bomb.  This sausage has complex flavors that wake up your whole mouth.  I don’t want to be without some of this in my freezer.

Ingredients

• 5 pounds/2.25 kg boneless pork shoulder butt, diced in 1 inch pieces
• 1.5 ounces/40 grams kosher salt (about 3 tablespoons)
• 5 tablespoons/50 grams peeled and finely grated fresh ginger (we minced ours)
• 1 tablespoon/18 grams minced garlic (about 5 cloves)
• 2 teaspoons/ 6 grams ground white pepper
• 1 cup / 250 ml ice water
• 20 feet / 6 m sheep casings or 10 feet/3 m hog casings, soaked in warm water for AT LEAST 30 minutes and rinsed
• ice cubes (for bowl under ground meat)

Prep (can be done a day or more in advance)

1. Put the bowl from the stand mixer in the freezer.  Put the grinder attachment in the freezer.  Let them stay there as long as possible before grinding the meat.  I have the luxury of freezer space, so I put them in a day in advance.
2. Dice the pork shoulder butt in one inch cubes.  Put these in a large mixing  bowl, cover with plastic, and put in the refrigerator and allow to chill as long as possible.  I found chilling it overnight works well.
3. Soak the casings (if you’re going to use casings) in tepid water for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.  I’ve found that soaking overnight, and then changing the soaking water helps relax the casings so that they are easy to work with.

Process

1. Combine all ingredients except the water and toss to distribute the seasonings.  Chill until ready to grind.
2. Grind the mixture through the small die into a bowl set in ice.
3. Add the water to the ground meat mixture and mix with the paddle attachment until the liquid is incorporated and the mixture has developed a uniform, sticky appearance, about 1 minute on medium speed.
4. Saute a small portion of the sausage, taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary.
5. Stuff the sausage into casings and twist into 4 inch / 10 cm links, or shape into patties.  Refrigerate or freeze until ready to cook; or roll into a log, wrap in plastic and freeze; slice into patties.

Cook

1. Gently saute or roast the sausage to an internal temperature of 150 degrees F / 65 degrees C.  If you are using this loose, or in patties, saute until cooked through.

Creamy Woodsy Morelly Goodness

Now that I had the lovely morels from my foraging adventure, I decided to cook them as my contribution to a dinner party, where I was scheduled to bring an asparagus dish.  I went searching the web for something seasonal and delicious, and found a couple of recipes (here and here) that suggested asparagus and morels was a good combination.  I ended up doing my own variation of the two, trying to remember to let the ingredients be the stars, and that simplicity is a virtue in cooking those star ingredients.  The amounts of ingredients used was approximate, as I wanted enough to serve about 10 people.

Sauce Delivery Medium, Prepped For Roasting

Equipment

• 2 quart sauce pan with lid
• 2 baking sheets
• colander
• cutting board
• chef’s knife
• spoon or silicon spatula for stirring

Ingredients

• about 20 morels
• 2-4 lbs asparagus (I used both white and green because both were available)
• 1 large shallot
• unsalted butter
• beef broth
• half & half
• salt
• pepper

Prep:

1. Wash, drain, and trim asparagus.  Place in single layer on baking sheets.
2. Wash, drain, trim, and slice the morels into bite sized pieces.
3. Peel and mince the shallot.
4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Cook:

1. When the oven is hot, roast the asparagus in the oven for about 15 minutes per pan, depending on the thickness of the asparagus spears.  Thicker spears may need more time.  If the asparagus is bright green, and slightly tender after 15 minutes, remove from the oven, place on a serving plate, and cover with foil to keep warm.  If it’s too crisp, roast the asparagus for a few more minutes.
2. Melt about 3 Tbs. of butter in the sauce pan over medium heat.  When the foam subsides, add the shallot and let it soften.
3. Add the morels to the sauce pan with about 1/4 tsp. of salt and cook, so that they begin to release some water.  Add about 4 Tbsp. of beef broth, and cook, covered, for about 4 minutes.
4. Remove the lid and stir the mixture.  Bring to a boil to evaporate some excess water, if needed.
5. Lower back to medium heat, and add half and half.  I used about half a cup, but use your judgment, based on the amount of asparagus, and the sauce consistency you like.  Taste and adjust seasonings.
6. Pour sauce over asparagus, and serve.

Morels Bubbling With Broth

This was a big hit at the dinner party, despite the fact that some of the sauce was spilled due to the shallowness of the serving plate.  I’ll definitely do this again the next time I have morels available.

Hummus serving suggestion, with chives, olive oil, and pita

Hummus (There are several possible spellings for this word) is one of those foods that we see almost everywhere now, either served with raw vegetables or pita bread triangles. Or in vegetarian sandwiches, or drizzled with olive oil as a side dish with gyros. It’s one of the first Middle Eastern foods to go mainstream in the United States. It’s easy to find in tubs at grocery stores, if you need a quick dip/spread for a party. It’s even pretty good for you, nutritionally, with the fiber of the garbanzo beans and all.  Did I mention it also freezes well?

Another wonderful thing about hummus is that if you have a blender or food processor, it’s really easy to make, whether you used canned beans, as in this video from about.com,

Traditional Hummus

or if you really start from scratch and use dried garbanzo beans (aka chick peas), which takes more time (The beans need to soak for several hours- all day, or overnight). This recipe is rather flexible. You can make it with or without tahini (sesame paste), with or without garlic, with or without lemon juice, and you can modify it with herbs and spices to match your own taste. I personally use a food processor, and I like garlic, tahini, and lemon.  The recipe below makes a large quantity- enough to freeze a couple containers for later.

Dried chick peas, before soaking

Equipment

• food processor or blender
• liquid measuring cup
• measuring spoons
• cutting board
• large bowl
• large saucepan or pasta pot
• knife
• colander
• rubber or silicone spatula
• plastic freezer containers and lids

Chick peas soaking

Ingredients

• 3 cups dried chick peas (aka garbanzo beans), picked over to remove rocks and bad beans
• water
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste)
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 6 -8 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Chick peas, re-hydrated, before cooking

Procedure

1. On the day before you want to serve your hummus, put the dried beans with 12 cups of water in a large bowl or pot with the 1/2 tsp. baking soda.  Let the beans sit in the water for 12 hours, or overnight.
2. After the beans have sit in the water, they will be re-hydrated, and gotten larger, absorbing a lot of the water.  Drain off any soaking water, then place your beans in the large cooking pot, and cover again with fresh water, so that the beans are under an inch or so of water.
3. Cook the beans at a simmer until they can be mashed easily with a fork.  This can take an hour or longer, depending on the simmer and the heat of your burner.
4. Meanwhile, peel your cloves of garlic, squeeze your lemon, and measure out your olive oil.
5. When the beans are done, reserve a cup or two of the cooking water, and then drain the beans in a colander.
6. Put the beans in your blender or food processor (you may need to do this in batches, depending on capacity), and add the lemon juice, tahini, and garlic.  Process until smooth, adding some of the cooking water as needed to thin the mixture out.
7. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil.
8. Stop the blender or processor, scrape down the sides with the spatula, and taste for seasonings.  Add more garlic, olive oil, tahini, or lemon juice as fits your taste.
9. When you have a hummus you like, you can serve it immediately, or store it in the refrigerator or freezer, in a covered plastic container.

More ingredients, ready for the processing

It’s officially asparagus season in southwest Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota.  Spring is really here.   After our success with Dilly Beans last summer, my friend Connie of MyPart and I jumped at the opportunity to pickle some of that asparagus goodness, to have throughout the year.  We got about 21 pounds of asparagus from Bronk’s, a local produce and plant vendor, who had gotten the asparagus from across the river in Wisconsin.

After a search for recipes and a collection of ingredients in our respective kitchens, we decided to pickle our asparagus with two different brines;  a basic brine for most of the jars, and a sweet and spicy brine, to make suitable garnishes for Bloody Marys.  Let’s start with the equipment needed for both of these recipes, and a few links to information on water bath canning:

Equipment

• 1-quart and 1-pint wide mouthed canning jars, with lids and rings
• canning kettle
• jar lifter
• ladle
• large saucepans
• cutting board
• tape measure or ruler
• paring knife or chef’s knife
• colander
• kitchen towels

A good explanation (including pictures of this equipment) of water bath canning is here- we did what the article refers to as “cold pack”.  We processed our jars for 10 minutes for both recipes.  Now onto the exotic sweet and spicy brine.

Mary Asparagus

modified from an original recipe by Johnnydeez on Allrecipes.com

For 4 quarts:

Ingredients

• 4 1-pound bunches of fresh asparagus
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup white wine vinegar
• 3 cups white vinegar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 18 cloves of garlic
• 4 jalapeno peppers
• 2 Tbsp. dried thyme
• 0.5 cup Old Bay seasoning
• 8 bay leaves
• 4 tsp. pickling salt
• 25 whole black peppercorns

Procedure

1. Wash the asparagus, and trim the stalks so that they will fit in the quart jars (ours were just under six inches in length).
2. Pack the asparagus spears into the jars.
3. Seed and julienne the jalapeno peppers.  Crush the garlic cloves. (I used a garlic press.)
4. Combine the non-asparagus ingredients into a large saucepan.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Boil hard for 1 minute.
5. Pour the hot liquid into the jars, filling to cover the tips of the asparagus.
6. Put on lids that have been rinsed in hot water, and screw on the rings so they are only fingertip tight.
7. Process in the water bath canner for 10 minutes.
8. Carefully remove jars with jar lifter to a clean flat surface, and let cool and air dry completely before moving the jars.

And now for some process photos:

Trimmed and Washed Asparagus Spears

The brine, after a hard boil

The canned Mary Asparagus

And now on to the second recipe, which we used for the remaining 17  pounds of asparagus.  We filled 11 quart jars and 7 pint jars, if my memory is correct.

Basic Pickled Asparagus

Ingredients

• fresh asparagus, rinsed and trimmed to pieces that will fit in the jars
• fresh garlic cloves, whole, peeled (about 1-2 bulbs, enough for two or three cloves per jar)
• hot peppers or chilies (enough so that each jar gets at least one half a pepper, preferably one whole chile per jar)
• white vinegar
• pickling salt
• water
• pickling spice (which is a combination of things like peppercorns, coriander, cloves, bay leaves, etc)

Quantities are much less exact in this recipe, as it depends on how much asparagus you have, and how many jars it takes to contain it.  We used about two batches of the brine as described below.

Procedure

1. Wash the asparagus, and trim the stalks so that they will fit in the jars.
2. Pack the asparagus spears into the jars, with one or two garlic cloves per jar, and at least one half a chile pepper.
3. Make the brine. Add 10 cups white vinegar, 10 cups of water, and 1 cup of pickling salt to a saucepan.  Add 2 Tbsp. of pickling spice, and heat.  Stir until the salt dissolves.
4. Pour the brine into the jars, filling to cover the tips of the asparagus.
5. Put on lids that have been rinsed in hot water, and screw on the rings so they are only fingertip tight.
6. Process in the water bath canner for 10 minutes.
7. Carefully remove jars with jar lifter to a clean flat surface, and let cool and air dry completely before moving the jars.

And, of course, a picture of our finished product:

The basic pickled asparagus

We had a good time doing this, and we’re a lot more experienced at it than when we did the dilly beans last summer.   I expect that by the end of this summer, we’ll be seasoned veterans, what with strawberry season coming up, and then more beans in August.  This is very satisfying to do (I’m saving food!), and I look forward to having good pickles in a month or so.

Yesterday I went to a baby shower.  So of course, I offered to bring food.  The mother to be has celiac disease, and therefore can’t have gluten, and she’s also in the 50% of celiacs who can’t have dairy, either, due to an allergy to casein, which makes up 80% of the proteins in milk.

I could have brought a plate of fresh fruit, which is always nice, but I thought that the guest of honor deserved a cake, and one that she could eat!

That said, I’m a newbie at gluten-free and dairy-free cooking, particularly baking, where there’s lots of important chemistry going on.  The one vegan cookbook I have wasn’t much help, because while it is dairy-free, it doesn’t deal with the gluten issues.  There are lots of flourless chocolate cake recipes out there for the gluten-free set, but not the half that are allergic to casein.   I can only imagine what a transition this has been for my friend, since having this kind of diet really requires research, careful shopping, and mostly cooking at home.

I found a great cake recipe to start with on the Gluten-Free Goddess’s site, along with some good general information about gluten-free cooking and baking.  I went shopping.  Then I ran into the minefield that celiacs deal with daily, searching for the ingredients.  I began to price the items that were in the recipe, which are probably staples in an average celiac’s pantry, but not items I had purchased before.  I was floored at how expensive xanthan gum is – it’s only available in 1 lb. packages here in town- a package is $12, and I only need a teaspoon?  I did eventually find sorghum flour at our local HyVee, but didn’t on the first try.

It was back home to do more research.  Thank goodness for the internet, blogs, and message boards.  I found out that people often substitute guar gum for xanthan gum, and I was able to buy a couple of ounces of this in the bulk section of  a food co-op in the next large town.  $0.85 is a big switch from $12.  So, I guess substitutions will be OK ?!?!?!?!?

I was a bit hesitant (ok, VERY hesitant) with substitutions from my experience in baking, but Karina, the gluten-free goddess, suggests that substitutions are OK for like materials (say, brown rice flour instead of sorghum flour), and that you just need to get comfortable that sometimes the chemistry may not work out, and you’ll get a doorstop or hockey puck.  As she says,  a sense of humor is required.

I like to think I have a sense of humor, and I embraced substitutions.  I bought rice flour instead of sorghum and buckwheat flour, and got tapioca starch.  I used pears instead of apples, and hemp milk instead of rice milk.  The cake did rise, and was tasty, though it needed to bake a bit longer, at a slightly higher temperature, than the original cake recipe.  There were only 2 slices left over at the party, so I have to think it worked out OK.  And the mother to be is suitably gifted and showered.  I can’t wait to meet her cute baby!

Pear Cake with Dried Cranberries

more than slightly modified from Karina’s Apple Cake with Cranberries

Equipment

• two mixing bowls
• dry measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• liquid measuring cup
• whisk or mixing fork
• rubber or silicon spatula
• 1 9″ round cake pan
• non-stick cooking spray
• parchment paper or wax paper

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups of rice flour  (or 1 cup sorghum flour, 0.5 cup rice flour)
• 0.25 cup tapioca starch or potato starch
• 1 teaspoon (tsp.) guar gum
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1.5 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 0.25 tsp. nutmeg
• 0.25 tsp. allspice
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs (or egg replacer + 0.25 cup water to make this vegan)
• 0.5 cup vegetable oil
• 0.5 cup applesauce
• 0.5 cup hemp milk or rice milk, mixed with 0.25 tsp. cider vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons (Tbs.) honey  (maple syrup is good here, too!)
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 rounded cups chopped pears or apples (2-3 pears, depending on size)
• 0.5 cup dried cranberries (aka craisins)

Process

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line the bottom of the cake pan with parchment or wax paper, and grease the pan lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Peel and chop pears.  Set aside.
3. In one of the mixing bowls whisk together the dry ingredients: rice flour, tapioca starch, guar gum, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and sugar.  Set this bowl aside.
4. In the other mixing bowl, measure the wet ingredients together:  hemp or rice milk with vinegar, eggs, oil, applesauce, honey, and vanilla.
5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir together into a smooth batter.  Add half the pears to the batter, and then turn the batter into the prepared cake pan, evening out the batter in the pan.  Add the rest of the pears, and press them into the batter.  Sprinkle the dried cranberries on top.
6. Bake in the center of the oven for 40-60 minutes until golden brown on the edges and firm in the center.  The time could vary greatly depending on the moisture in the apples, size of apple pieces, etc.    If the edges start to get too brown, cover them with foil.
7. Cool on a wire rack.  It is great slightly warm from the oven, and would also be a great breakfast or brunch food.

This recipe is modified from one I found on The Bitten Word (thanks, guys, for sharing!).  Since it seems to be Brussels Sprout season in our local supermarkets, when I found the original recipe, I was hot to try it.  The original does not have leeks in it, but we had a huge one in the fridge, and since we love roasted leek and onion with bacon, it seemed like a good thing to add.  I also made double the amount from the original recipe, since it was our main dish, and we like having leftovers.

Equipment

• chef’s knife
• vegetable peeler
• cutting board
• colander
• roasting pan
• spoon

Ingredients

• 2 lbs fresh Brussels sprouts
• 4 slices of bacon
• 1 huge leek or two medium sized ones
• 2 apples (I used Pink Lady, the Bitten Word uses Honeycrisp)
• 0-4 Tbs olive oil (optional, depending on how fatty the bacon is)

Prep

1. Wash the Brussels sprouts, leeks, and apples.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
3. Remove any icky outer leaves from the Brussels sprouts, and trim the stems.  Slice each one in half, lengthwise.
4. Chop the white and light green parts of the leek in up to quarter-inch rounds, crosswise.
5. Peel and core the apples, and cut into big (3/4 inch, about) chunks.
6. Stack the bacon slices, and cut them crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces.
7. Spread the vegetables and fruit in the bottom of a large roasting pan, in a single layer.
8. Distribute the bacon pieces evenly over the layer of veg and fruit.
9. Depending on the fattiness of your bacon, drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and fruit.   I left this out, since there was plenty of fat on the bacon.

Cook

1. Place in the oven for 20 minutes.
2. Stir up the contents, redistributing the vegetables, still keeping them in a single layer.
3. Bake for another 15-30 minutes, depending on desired level of caramelization, then remove from the oven.

Serve this immediately, as either a side dish, or by itself as a main course.  I really appreciated how the leek flavor blended with the other elements, to provide sweet, oniony, and earthy flavors.  I think this could make a lot of people like Brussels sprouts.

A dear friend and foodie recently had a short hospital stay that involved some pain.  As all good friends do, while I was thinking of H lying in agony, I thought “What would make H really happy?”  Why a collection of his favorite ingredients… Cardamom, butter, flour, eggs…

So I decided to make what my family refers to as Swedish Coffee Bread.  H, a Norwegian, has a different name for the same concoction, which they eat with jam and goat cheese.  Our family tradition is to eat this stuff with coffee, and to dunk it.

I am sworn to secrecy on the family recipe, but there are some similar ones I found out there on the web, which have other variations or additions.

From the Sons of Norway- Kardemommeboller

From the Paupered Chef- Cardamom Cinnamon Rolls

From epicurean.com, Meryl’s Swedish Cardamom Bread

From Cooks.com, Finnish Cardamom Bread

Obviously we’ve got a good base here, from some Scandinavian common roots.  I’d bet there’s been something like this tagged on YeastSpotting already.  The main addition my family makes, I think, is the rolling/twisting technique that makes it possible to break off pieces without a knife, when the bread is removed from the pan.  We roll and twist little ropes of dough and line them up in the pan.  They grow together as it rises, but you can pull them apart easily, or break the bread into halves or quarters easily when it comes time to plate or store them.

I’m pleased to say that H is recovering, and really enjoyed the bread, or at least he faked it well when I was there in person.  *smirk*  I’ll have to get him to tell me the name his family calls this kind of bread in Norwegian.