welcoming Lent with Tasty Dishes

 Tuesday is Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. It's a time to not only celebrate but use up foods forbidden tfor the Lenten period. These are butter and milk which can add to any dish.\

Newcomer Matt Haines who is also the author of The Big Book of King Cakes and The Little Book Of King Cakes wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Food section.He knows abotu mardi Gras living in New orleans and writing about that classic King Cake.It's celebrated all over the Christian world from fastnacht in Germany to Shrove Tuesday in part of the US and the UK.It's mostly a day to celebrate with rich treats.One of the easiest to makes are pancakes. Mr Haines gives us buttery pancakes with sugar and lemon. These are more like crepes, thin and crispy fried in butter. These are on my radar to make on Tuesday Mine will be a vegan version, subbing in Just Egg for the egg used and frying the pancakes in a mix of Melt and vegetable oil. The recipe also calls for a teaspoon of baking powder for lift. It's  served with granulated sugar and lemon , much in the style of a street crepe. I may just douse mine in Melt and maple syrup.There is also Carnivale celebrated in Brazil with big raucous parties and parades. Is it any wonder that they have colorfully dyed pancakes stuffed with freshly grated coconut and jaggery or palm sugar. Cardamon pods also give them extra flavor as well along with an earthy spicy flavor. The pancakes are the typical recipe but with sugar added.

Even the northern countries like Sweden have special pre Lenten treats Ingrid Schatz makes cardamon buns at her  Richmond Virginia bakery Axelsdotter.These are called semlor anf it makes her customers nostalgic for them, reminiscing about eating the treats  with their parents. The whole day is special in Sweden as it its in other countries. She feels proud to contnue with the tradition. The dough is a yeast one made with bread flour (preferably the King Arthur brand ) and dry yeast. It has seven tablespoons of butter for a rich flavor. The filling is a mix of Odense almond paste, whipping cream, confectioner's sugar and vanilla. This creates a stiffer filling that can easily be piped into the buns and not lose its' shape The recipe is a bit labor intensive with the sugar , butter and milk cooked to what the Swedes call fingenvarm, just above body temperature. The filling is made as the buns are baking. They also have to be forned into balls and left to rise for forty five minutes , covered in Saran wrap.Once baked, the tops are cut off and there should be room made to accomodate the filling.Pipe the filling on top and then decoate with a square of the bun's top.

Celebrate Fat Tuesday or mardi Gras any way you want. Use up that fat and sugar for fun treats. It's a day for tasty treats before the austerity of Lent.

Swedish Cooking Perfect For Long Summer Days

Sweden isn't notorious for any summertime activities. Everyone knows it primarily for skiing and phenomenal Christmas sweets However this is also one of the countries for the Midnight Sun, a time when summer days are 24 hours long. It's also known as the best place for extravagant summer outings. These usually consist of hampers filled with native dishes, popular during the warmer months.

The Swedes are big on seafood and you'll find that in any hamper. They make a smorgastarta,
which kind of resembles a big tea sandwich.I t requires a loaf of bread, cream cheese and fillings such as hard boiled egg or shrimp. You can also use egg and salmon or even liver pate and then frost with a cream cheese "icing" plain cream cheese. The construct on is similar to those chocolate wafer cakes. Another favorite is open faced sandwiches with that staple from Viking days, herring. Another one meatball are served as are potatoes for great midsummer feasts.

Sweden is also known for its' crayfish and there are even festivals celebrating it. If you're over in Stockholm, It's a great pleasure to be invited to a crayfish dinner where they're prepared with dill , sugar and salt. They're served with side dish of new boiled potatoes and shaved cucumber. There is usually buttered rye bread too to help blance the fish's taste..

Sweden is the land of the Midnight Sun and all day revelry and fun. The picnics reflect it in their easy to make dishes, perfect for a summer outing anywhere. Even in places where the sun goes down at eight PM!