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Scandinavian Christmas
Celebrate Christmas Scandinavian style—where every day from the first Advent Sunday to the end of December is part of the holiday. Trine Hahnemann serves up a cornucopia of festive recipes for brunches, cocktail and tea parties, lunches, and dinners, all filled with traditional goodies and delicious modern dishes. Enjoy regional specialties such as spiced gløgg wine, Slow-Cooked Goose with Apples and Prunes, Kale Salad with Pomegranate, Caramel Potatoes, Meatballs with Pickled Beets, and Chocolate-Dipped Candied Oranges. Skol!
144 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2012
About the author
Trina Hahnemann
13 books2 followersActual first name is Trine but all English language editions give her name as Trina. Trina is also what the Library of Congress uses.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 1, 2019
Truthfully, I will never make any of these recipes. However, the book is beautifully put together. The pictures are stunning and the whole book feels so cozy. I loved it!
December 13, 2021
Since marrying into a Norwegian family, I have looked for traditional foods to prepare around the holiday season. "Scandinavian Christmas" does a great job of giving basic recipes for the holiday season while also providing ideas for Advent, parties, and the popular Smorgasbord. This cookbook is well thought out and presented in easy-to-follow sections. The pictures are beautiful and give you a sense of being in Scandinavia for a holiday feast. Definitely check this cookbook out for new recipes from another culture or to rediscover family favorites once again.
Find it today: https://ent.sharelibraries.info/clien...
Ashley C. / Milton Public Library #CheckOutMPL
Find it today: https://ent.sharelibraries.info/clien...
Ashley C. / Milton Public Library #CheckOutMPL
November 6, 2016
I am ethically Swedish (by both heritage and choice), and this is a very inspiring book!
However, I think the recipes were not adequately tested. For example, the recipe for pate that calls for 8 oz of pork liver- and 8 POUNDS of pork fat!- is clearly not right. That will not give you a pate. And that huge fail makes me look at the other recipes with suspicion. Especially when a bread recipe calls for "whole wheat rye" flour, when there is not such a thing; a mix of whole wheat and rye? 100% whole-grain rye? Which????
Nonetheless, it does have most of the recipes that seem that they will work. I would recommend caution and knowledge, especially if you re experimenting with something your are not familiar with making.
It is a very pretty and inspirational cookbook, with a good combination of old-style and modern Scandinavian dishes. The photography is excellent.
I look forward to trying some of the more sensible recipes, including the bread (for which I will use whole rye flour).
However, I think the recipes were not adequately tested. For example, the recipe for pate that calls for 8 oz of pork liver- and 8 POUNDS of pork fat!- is clearly not right. That will not give you a pate. And that huge fail makes me look at the other recipes with suspicion. Especially when a bread recipe calls for "whole wheat rye" flour, when there is not such a thing; a mix of whole wheat and rye? 100% whole-grain rye? Which????
Nonetheless, it does have most of the recipes that seem that they will work. I would recommend caution and knowledge, especially if you re experimenting with something your are not familiar with making.
It is a very pretty and inspirational cookbook, with a good combination of old-style and modern Scandinavian dishes. The photography is excellent.
I look forward to trying some of the more sensible recipes, including the bread (for which I will use whole rye flour).
December 20, 2014
Scandinavian Christmas is a beautiful book. From the crisp red, white, and silver of the cover to the gorgeous full-color photography inside to the clear, attractive design of the recipes, this book was a joy to page through and learn from. The pictures felt close-up and immediate and carried me right into the sunny, snowy world of a Scandinavian Christmas, with its bright decorations, savory roasts and tangy fish, earthy root vegetables, and abundant sweet baking.
Hahnemann introduces the book with a Danish welcome--Velbekommen!--and explains that Christmas in Scandinavia "celebrates life and 'hygge,' a Danish term that is almost untranslatable, but encompasses comfort, camaraderie, and good food and drink." It is also "all about baking," she says. Her chapters reflect these two themes and carry the reader through the season with "Christmas Baking," "Gifts from the Kitchen," "Advent: A Whole Month of Christmas," "Christmas Party," "The Christmas Eve Feast," and "Christmas Day Smörgåsbord."
Let's get right down to the indispensable baking! Breads such as Lucia bread and Pulla bread are made with white wheat flour for a softer, more refined texture at holiday time than the many hearty rye bread variations that are the daily staple. The most appealing cake for me was a Spiced Christmas Cake baked in a heart shape and decorated with piped hearts of white chocolate icing. The Honey Layer Cake with Orange Mousse also looked amazing and quite straightforward to make. And then there are the cookies, lots of cookies, in many shapes and flavors.
As intriguing as the baked goods are, some of the other dishes are what makes the Scandinavian Christmas menus seem distinctive: Roast Duck with Turnip Gratin, Caramel Potatoes, drinks with lingonberries and elderflowers, red cabbage cooked with spices and black currant cordial, and many varieties of winter salads. Meatballs, served with pickled beets or lingonberry jam, are such a necessary item at the Smörgåsbord that she offers them up in four languages: "frikadeller" (Danish), “köttbullar” (Swedish), “kjøttkaker” (Norwegian), and “lihapullat” (Finnish). Her meatball recipe combines pork and veal with sage, juniper berries, and rolled oats.
I learned that there is a specific order for eating the offerings at the Christmas Smörgåsbord: first, the cured herring (often pickled); second, hot fish (flounder breaded in rye flour and fried like veal cutlets looked good); third, cold fish--all of these served with good rye bread. Then diners take a new plate and dig in to the hot meats (this must be the place for the meatballs!), and then finish with cheese and various homemade candies.
I like what the author wrote about the zest for life at this time of year, even as temperatures drop. For example, she suggests: "Celebrate one of the Advent Sundays outside. Play in the snow: Remember there is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes. Serve hot drinks, salmon sandwiches, and "nisse" (elf) cake, make a stew and bake bread over an open fire."
Don't forget to leave some rice porridge, topped with butter, sugar, and cinnamon, in the attic for the "nisse"--then, as she informs us, "he won't eat your cookies or hide your favorite things; instead he will leave little presents in your boots." I especially liked the recipe for this simple comfort food and, equally, the one for sweet Rice Pudding with Hot Cherry Sauce. I know I will want to make them, with or without elves in the house.
I recommend this book highly for anyone who collects international cookbooks or holiday cookbooks. Most of the recipes didn't seem too difficult, but simply called for that extra bit of care that one wishes to put into a food gift or a special recipe for holiday meals and entertaining.
Read the full review at Northern Lights Reading Project.
Hahnemann introduces the book with a Danish welcome--Velbekommen!--and explains that Christmas in Scandinavia "celebrates life and 'hygge,' a Danish term that is almost untranslatable, but encompasses comfort, camaraderie, and good food and drink." It is also "all about baking," she says. Her chapters reflect these two themes and carry the reader through the season with "Christmas Baking," "Gifts from the Kitchen," "Advent: A Whole Month of Christmas," "Christmas Party," "The Christmas Eve Feast," and "Christmas Day Smörgåsbord."
Let's get right down to the indispensable baking! Breads such as Lucia bread and Pulla bread are made with white wheat flour for a softer, more refined texture at holiday time than the many hearty rye bread variations that are the daily staple. The most appealing cake for me was a Spiced Christmas Cake baked in a heart shape and decorated with piped hearts of white chocolate icing. The Honey Layer Cake with Orange Mousse also looked amazing and quite straightforward to make. And then there are the cookies, lots of cookies, in many shapes and flavors.
As intriguing as the baked goods are, some of the other dishes are what makes the Scandinavian Christmas menus seem distinctive: Roast Duck with Turnip Gratin, Caramel Potatoes, drinks with lingonberries and elderflowers, red cabbage cooked with spices and black currant cordial, and many varieties of winter salads. Meatballs, served with pickled beets or lingonberry jam, are such a necessary item at the Smörgåsbord that she offers them up in four languages: "frikadeller" (Danish), “köttbullar” (Swedish), “kjøttkaker” (Norwegian), and “lihapullat” (Finnish). Her meatball recipe combines pork and veal with sage, juniper berries, and rolled oats.
I learned that there is a specific order for eating the offerings at the Christmas Smörgåsbord: first, the cured herring (often pickled); second, hot fish (flounder breaded in rye flour and fried like veal cutlets looked good); third, cold fish--all of these served with good rye bread. Then diners take a new plate and dig in to the hot meats (this must be the place for the meatballs!), and then finish with cheese and various homemade candies.
I like what the author wrote about the zest for life at this time of year, even as temperatures drop. For example, she suggests: "Celebrate one of the Advent Sundays outside. Play in the snow: Remember there is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes. Serve hot drinks, salmon sandwiches, and "nisse" (elf) cake, make a stew and bake bread over an open fire."
Don't forget to leave some rice porridge, topped with butter, sugar, and cinnamon, in the attic for the "nisse"--then, as she informs us, "he won't eat your cookies or hide your favorite things; instead he will leave little presents in your boots." I especially liked the recipe for this simple comfort food and, equally, the one for sweet Rice Pudding with Hot Cherry Sauce. I know I will want to make them, with or without elves in the house.
I recommend this book highly for anyone who collects international cookbooks or holiday cookbooks. Most of the recipes didn't seem too difficult, but simply called for that extra bit of care that one wishes to put into a food gift or a special recipe for holiday meals and entertaining.
Read the full review at Northern Lights Reading Project.
October 28, 2016
Although the title is Scandinavian Christmas, the author lives in Denmark and a lot of the recipes are Danish. Some of them are not quite what I am used to, having married into a Danish-American family 44 years ago, but I know that Denmark today is not exactly the same as when my husband's ancestors came here in the 1870s and 1880s. The book is illustrated with many beautiful photographs that will make you want to play in the snow, make tasteful natural decorations, and just generally bring the spirit of "hygge" into your home at Christmas.
I might have given this book 5 stars but for one recipe that looks like a recipe for disaster. When I saw the recipe for leverpostej (listed as Liver Paté with mushrooms and bacon), I at first thought that it was a recipe for a year's supply, as it called for EIGHT POUNDS of pork back fat or leaf lard. Then I saw it only called for half a pound of pork liver! And this was to go into one buttered terrine mold (I've made this from another recipe, a bread pan works fine if you don't have a terrine mold). I checked a bunch of other recipes and most had a ratio of 2:1 liver to fat. I hope this is the only dreadful misprint in the book! I must say also that I've never seen kransekage (a Danish marzipan cake baked in concentric circles to make a tower) stuck together with chocolate. But, to each his own, and I will probably try a few of these recipes this year.
I might have given this book 5 stars but for one recipe that looks like a recipe for disaster. When I saw the recipe for leverpostej (listed as Liver Paté with mushrooms and bacon), I at first thought that it was a recipe for a year's supply, as it called for EIGHT POUNDS of pork back fat or leaf lard. Then I saw it only called for half a pound of pork liver! And this was to go into one buttered terrine mold (I've made this from another recipe, a bread pan works fine if you don't have a terrine mold). I checked a bunch of other recipes and most had a ratio of 2:1 liver to fat. I hope this is the only dreadful misprint in the book! I must say also that I've never seen kransekage (a Danish marzipan cake baked in concentric circles to make a tower) stuck together with chocolate. But, to each his own, and I will probably try a few of these recipes this year.
December 13, 2013
If you have a large number of cookbooks from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland in your collection, you should probably shelve this one with the Danish books rather than with the pan-Scandinavian ones, despite the title. Trine Hahnemann is a Dane who lives in Copenhagen and has written five cookbooks in the Danish language. The recipes in this book are truly from all over Scandinavia but often in their Danish version. The traditions (if not the theology) of Christmas are very strong in the North Countries. Scandinavian cultural Lutheranism expresses itself in holidays, songs, stories and food. This book is strong on baked goods; savoury dishes tend to emphasize pork and fish. There are even some cocktail recipes! I made the dessert of rice-and-almond pudding with hot cherry sauce (Risalamande in Danish; there are, of course, Swedish and Norwegian versions of this dish). The recipes are easy to follow and the book is beautifully illustrated by photography, not just of food but of scenes from Scandinavia, as well.
December 29, 2014
Since marrying into a Norwegian family, I have looked for traditional foods to prepare around the holiday season. "Scandinavian Christmas" does a great job of giving basic recipes for the Christmas season while also providing ideas for Advent, Christmas parties, and the popular Smorgasbord. This cookbook is well thought out and presented in easy-to-follow sections. The pictures are beautiful and give you a sense of being in Scandinavia for a holiday feast. Definitely check this cookbook out for new recipes from another culture or to rediscover family favorites once again.
Ashley C. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.
December 10, 2012
A pretty little cookery book - very much a book of recipes with accompanying notes about the Scandinavian Christmas, rather than the book about Christmas I was expecting. I would have like more, better, bigger pictures too. Some snowscapes, some landscapes, some interiors and exteriors all decked for the holiday. There are plenty of pictures, but they're almost all of the food. When other pictures appear, they tend to be small and used in montages. I would have liked more folklore, more stories, more recipes in context, perhaps a calendar to give it all some shape.
I enjoyed the recipes very much and am looking forward to doing some baking. It's a nice book, full of wonderful food. A little more atmosphere would have made it much nicer.
I enjoyed the recipes very much and am looking forward to doing some baking. It's a nice book, full of wonderful food. A little more atmosphere would have made it much nicer.
October 29, 2016
I enjoyed reading the "backstory" of certain Christmas traditions (mostly food-related) in Scandinavia.
The recipes are definitely not what I'm used to as an American (plenty of duck, lamb, fish, and spiced breads/cakes) and a few recipes explained that the ingredients were rare and included websites to order them; therefore, this isn't the most practical book for myself.
I do wish there had been even more stories and traditions explained. (And I wish the title had included a descriptor indicating it was a cookbook, not a general book on Christmas in Scandinavia, which is what I had assumed - but I didn't read the back cover, so that was my mistake.)
The recipes are definitely not what I'm used to as an American (plenty of duck, lamb, fish, and spiced breads/cakes) and a few recipes explained that the ingredients were rare and included websites to order them; therefore, this isn't the most practical book for myself.
I do wish there had been even more stories and traditions explained. (And I wish the title had included a descriptor indicating it was a cookbook, not a general book on Christmas in Scandinavia, which is what I had assumed - but I didn't read the back cover, so that was my mistake.)
December 28, 2014
A beautiful cookbook with nice photos Christmas table settings and outdoor winter scenes. I mostly was in search for a sugar cookie that could be decorated and still taste good. I came pretty close with the Gingerbread Cookie recipe here. They are sturdy spiced cookies that hold up well with travel and time. The only change I would make for next years is to add a splash of vanilla and a pat of butter to the frosting.
October 17, 2017
I really enjoyed this book and learning about Christmas traditions. There were quite a few pictures in this book and I really loved the chapter prefaces, with the author sharing her family traditions and what they love. The recipes were pretty delicious too. Although along with the normal Scandinavian food being mainly fish and food of that sort, I would totally eat what was in this book. I am looking forward to making the gingerbread cookies YUM!!
December 14, 2015
The only good thing I can say about this book is that the photography is nice. The recipes mostly aren't that good and involve a lot of pesky or harder to find ingredients. The authorial voice is unappealing. And I really don't feel I got a better sense of Scandinavia by book's end.
December 30, 2013
This book is very well presented but truly a gift type book. I'll keep my copy but as a good practical and historical guide to Scandinavian Christmas styling and traditions it's just ok.
November 2, 2014
Interesting, beautifully photographed . . . but, yeah - I use dried yeast and found the constant rebuke tiring.
November 11, 2018
If you are thinking about leaving porridge out for the elves, then this is the book you'll need for the holidays. Also, you will want to buy an æbleskiver pan.
July 14, 2020
Thé cocktail ideas were good.
December 8, 2021
Wonderful traditions shared with gorgeous pictures
December 26, 2021
Some lively recipes and commentary but a bit lacking in vegetarian recipes for me.
November 10, 2022
This book is much more thank a cook book. Trine shares a part of her culture and family traditions. She also gives an insightful look into some Scandinavian Christmas meals and practices .
May 10, 2021
Since marrying into a Norwegian family, I have looked for traditional foods to prepare around the holiday season. "Scandinavian Christmas" does a great job of giving basic recipes for the Christmas season while also providing ideas for Advent, Christmas parties, and the popular Smorgasbord. This cookbook is well thought out and presented in easy-to-follow sections. The pictures are beautiful and give you a sense of being in Scandinavia for a holiday feast. Definitely check this cookbook out for new recipes from another culture or to rediscover family favorites once again.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews