Flaeskesteg

Flæskesteg

Words By: Margaret Kuffner Photos By: Ngan Tran and Eileen Shelton

Imagine your life being transformed into a winter wonderland where snow slowly falls, Christmas trees are adjourned with sparkling lights, and people gather with happiness as they drink hot chocolate and eat spiced cookies. This is what Danish Christmas is like: a magical experience where time doesn’t exist and I felt like I lived in a snowglobe. Christmas in Denmark involves cookies, markets, trees, but most importantly hygge.

Hygge is a Danish word that truly cannot be translated into English. It is a feeling of being warm and cozy while being surrounded by people you love. Hygge is snuggling up with family under the warm glow of candlelight and experiencing the pure moment. Danes turn Christmas into pure magic with hygge, their unmatched happiness, and their longlasting traditions. Christmas time was the pinnacle of my exchange and we elaborately celebrated for four whole days. My family had a live Christmas tree with real burning candles and I was overcome with joy as I linked hands with my host family and danced around the flickering tree singing Danish Christmas carols.

Hygge encompasses the nation as tables are set with Royal Dansk settings and families enter the kitchen to prepare a traditional feast. Flæskesteg, juicy roast pork, is assembled by parents as children’s excitement grows once the ribbensteg crisps in the oven. Ribbensteg, the rind of the pork, is a coveted element that families fight over; no eating the ribbensteg without eating the succulent pork it is attached to. The pork’s aroma encompasses the house as families await Santa’s arrival and grandmothers pass down decade-old recipes in the kitchen.

Flæskesteg

Ingredients:

2.5-pound pork loin, rind on (visit your local butcher shop) 5 bay leaves 2-3 teaspoons coarse salt 1 medium onion, chopped 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped 2 cups water

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 440°F. Using a sharp knife score deep grooves, about ¼ inch thick and right up to the roast, every ½ inch. Rub the roast thoroughly with salt, ensuring you get between each groove. Place the bay leaves in between the grooves. In a roasting pan, add the onion, carrots, and 2 cups of water. Note: the vegetables and juice can be used to create a sauce later. Place the roast in a horizontal position and level in the roasting pan. Roast the pork for 15 mins at 440°F. Decrease the temperature to 400°F and roast until the core temperature is 150°F. If the water in the pan evaporates during cooking, add more. The roast will take approximately 1.5 hours, and at the end broil the roast for 3-5 min to ensure the ribbensteg are perfectly crispy.

Danes are not ones to eat vegetables but three different types of potatoes as their side dishes; hvide kartofler (white boiled potatoes), brunede kartofler (brown sugar potatoes), and chips. To add color to the dinner table, there is rodkål (pickled red cabbage) or brunsauce (gravy). Our Christmas potatoes were grown in our neighbor’s garden and held a taste like no other. Potatoes are a staple food and for Christmas, Danes elevate the flavor with brunede kartofler. This dish combats the saltiness of the pork with miniature potatoes covered in sugary caramel.

Brunede Kartofler

Ingredients:

1 pound small new potatoes 1 cup white sugar 5 tablespoons butter

Instructions:

Peel the potatoes and boil until fully cooked. Set aside to cool. In a medium saucepan, melt the sugar over low heat: carefully watch the sugar until a light brown color is reached. Stir in the butter until fully incorporated.. Add the cooled potatoes to the sugar mixture and mix until the potatoes are fully coated in the sugar mixture. Serve warm.

For dessert, families devour a simple risalamande to finish off the magical evening. Rice pudding is food for the nisse (elves) so nostalgia filled the air while eating this cold cream rice pudding filled with sliced almonds and topped with a warm, sweet cherry sauce. The bowl of pudding has one whole almond within it and whoever finds the almond wins the mandle gave (almond gift) and receives good luck for the year. If a family member finds the almond, they conceal the secret until the pudding is gone, creating a fun game for everyone. My stomach was about to explode but I reached over the candles, snagged the last bite, and found the almond. The game transcends generations bringing families together through friendly competition while enhancing the hygge.

Risalamande

Ingredients:

1 cup arborio rice 1 ¼ cups water 2 teaspoons lemon zest 4 cups milk 4 ounces peeled almonds, chopped 2 cups heavy whipping cream ¼ cup powdered sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions:

For the risalamande, in a medium saucepan boil the water, rice, and lemon zest. Boil for 3 minutes, then add the milk and return the mixture to a boil. Cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes, ensuring you stir the rice occasionally. Increase the frequency of your stirring for the last 10 minutes of cooking to prevent burning. Stir in the chopped almonds. Let the rice cool completely and then chill for 6 hours or preferably overnight.

Beat the cream until it is thickened. Add the sugar and vanilla, ensuring not to overmix the cream. Fold the cream into the rice mixture until there are no clumps left, and there is a smooth consistency. Add only one full peeled almond.

Recipe Adapted from The Daring Gourmet’s Risalamande

Cherry Sauce

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups pitted cherries, fresh or frozen ½ cup water 3 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in water ½teaspoon almond extract

Instructions:

In a medium saucepan, combine the cherries, water, sugar, butter, and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the cherries are mostly reduced yet some pieces still exist. Stir in the cornstarch and cook until the sauce thickens. Take off the heat, and stir in the almond extract. Serve warm over the risalamande.