Okay, so today I decided to dive into the world of Finnish Christmas recipes. I’ve always been fascinated by Scandinavian traditions, and their Christmas food seemed like a cozy and delicious place to start. I wasn’t aiming for anything super complicated, just a few authentic dishes to get a feel for the flavors.
Getting Started: The Research Phase
First things first, I needed some recipes! I scoured the internet, looking for blogs and websites that seemed genuinely Finnish, not just generic holiday stuff. I found a couple of Finnish food blogs (thank goodness for Google Translate!) and a few expat sites that had some good-looking recipes.
Choosing the Recipes
I decided to keep it simple. I went with three classic-sounding dishes:
- Joulutorttu (Christmas tarts): These looked like little star-shaped pastries filled with prune jam. Sounded easy enough!
- Porkkanalaatikko (carrot casserole): This one seemed like a staple. Carrots, rice, milk, eggs… sounded hearty and comforting.
- Piparkakut:Gingerbread.
The Baking Begins: Joulutorttu
I started with the Joulutorttu. I bought some ready-made puff pastry (don’t judge, I’m not a pastry chef!), and some prune jam. The instructions were pretty straightforward. I cut the pastry into squares, snipped the corners to make the star shape, added a dollop of jam in the center, and folded the corners in. Into the oven they went! They came out looking pretty good, if I do say so myself. Golden brown and the jam was bubbling nicely.
The Carrot Casserole Challenge
Next up, the Porkkanalaatikko. This one involved a bit more work. I boiled the rice, grated a mountain of carrots, and mixed everything together with milk, eggs, and some spices. It baked in the oven for a surprisingly long time. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical about this one. But when I took it out, it smelled amazing! The top was golden and slightly crusty.
Ginger bread
I used a simple recipe that I know well and quickly finished baking, cutting out various shapes.
The Taste Test
Time for the best part! The Joulutorttu were delicious. The pastry was flaky, and the prune jam was sweet and slightly tart. The Porkkanalaatikko was… surprisingly good! It was creamy, sweet, and savory all at the same time. It’s definitely something I’d make again.
The gingerbread are good,too.
Final Thoughts
Overall, my Finnish Christmas baking adventure was a success! It was fun to try something new, and the food was genuinely tasty. I definitely feel like I got a little taste of a Finnish Christmas. Next year, I might try some more adventurous recipes… maybe the Christmas ham? We’ll see!
