Jansson's Temptation

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             FOOD FUNNY
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Here's a good one from Rosemary Zwick:

I was having lunch in the cafeteria on the first day of the fall
semester at a local high school, I saw three students hard at work on
their calculators. Surprised that they had received such an obviously
tough problem so early in the semester, I asked them what their
assignment was. One girl looked at me and replied, "We're figuring out
how many days until Christmas break."

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             TODAY'S RECIPE
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This classic Swedish dish is a favorite at any time of year, and many
Swedes consider it an essential part of a traditional Christmas dinner.

Jansson's Temptation (Janssons Frestelse)

6 medium boiling potatoes
6 Tbs (90 ml) butter plus additional for greasing the baking dish
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
16 anchovy fillets, drained
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
1/2 cup (125 ml) milk

Peel the potatoes and cut into match sticks, 2 inches (5 cm) long and no
more than 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thick. Place in cold water to prevent
discoloring. Heat 4 Tbs (60 ml) of the butter in a heavy skillet, add
the onions and cook 10 minutes until soft but not brown. Grease a baking
dish with butter. Drain the potatoes and pat dry with paper towels.
Arrange 1/3 of the potatoes on the bottom of the baking dish, followed
by half the onions and half the anchovies. Sprinkle with salt and white
pepper. Repeat, and then place remaining 1/3 of the potatoes as the top
layer. Dot with the remaining butter, cut into small pieces, and add the
cream and milk. Bake in a preheated 400F (200C) oven for 45 minutes,
until the potatoes are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
Serves 4 to 6.

This wine punch is much loved all over Scandinavia. Use white grape
juice or apple juice in place of the wine for a non-alcoholic version.

Glogg

1 quart (1 L) dry red wine
1 quart (1 L) dry white wine
The zest of 1 orange, peeled in strips with a vegetable peeler
1 cup (250 ml) raisins
6 whole cardamom pods
6 whole cloves
A 2-inch (5 cm) piece of fresh ginger
1 cinnamon stick
About 1/4 cup (60 ml) sugar
1 cup (250 ml) whole blanched almonds

Combine the wines, orange zest, raisins, and spices in a stainless steel
pot and let stand covered at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. Just
before serving bring to a simmer over moderate heat - do not boil. Stir
in the sugar to taste and add the almonds. Serve in mugs.
Serves 6 to 8.
Received on Sun Dec 21 19:26:05 2008