Treats à la Martina

“Sola i Karlstad” (the Sun in Karlstad) is really not about the sun, it is about a waitress who was always extremely friendly, happy and smiley. She was given the famous nickname that is now symbolic for my hometown. I think I am sort of a Vancouver version of that, a true “Värmlänning” in Canada, disguised as an engineer. Who knew?

My roots in Hammarö island outside of Karlstad have taught me to

appreciate water, closeness to nature and being able to bike as a perfect mode of transportation. I moved to Stockholm quite young, graduated from the Royal Institute of Technology with a degree in Civil Engineering, got another degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, and started working as a consultant in the US with focus on sustainability and green building design. I like working with the sun, and I thank the Värmland part of me for that.

Staying happy means eating healthy and I believe this is the key to shining like a sun. Living in New Zealand, USA and now in Canada has really helped me appreciate Swedish cuisine. Fresh, diverse, interesting flavors, not to mention the strong traditions and celebrations. I love sitting through a big home-cooked meal with napkins, silverware, candles and traditional singing for snaps number one, two and three. We are so lucky to have that, and I always look forward to visiting home and spending time at the table with my lovely family who are all still there. I happen to make killer meatballs, but I also like to bake desserts to give away. Baking is a secret passion of mine and my dad being a chemical engineer taught me to measure with precision in the kitchen – it’s all about the right balance! by Martina Söderlund

Ice cream cake with raspberries

Ingredients: Cake:

20 walnuts (100 grams) 75 grams dark chocolate 4 egg whites 1.5 dl sugar

Ice cream:

3 egg yolks 0.5 dl powdered sugar 2 tsp vanilla sugar 3 dl whipping cream

METHOD

1. Chop walnuts and chocolate fairly coarsely. 2. Whip egg whites until solid. Blend sugar, nuts and chocolate into the egg whites carefully. Pour into a 24 cm diameter cake pan with removable edges. 3. Bake in the middle part of the oven for 25 min at 175 0C – cool off. 4. Mix egg yolks, powdered sugar and vanilla sugar to fluffy consistency. 5. Whip the cream and blend carefully into the egg mix. Pour all of the cream mix on top of the cool walnut cake, and put in freezer for at least 4 hours up to several days! 6. Before serving, remove the cake pan edges, decorate the ice cream cake with a bunch of fresh raspberries – beautiful!

Fyriskaka (Apple sponge cake)

Ingredients:

125 grams butter 1 ½ dl sugar 2 eggs 2 ½ dl flour ½ tsp baking powder 2 tbsp milk 3-4 apples 1-2 tbsp sugar 2 tsp cinnamon 2 dl chopped almonds

METHOD

1. Melt butter and let it cool down, then mix with sugar until fluffy. 2. Add eggs one at a time and then flour, baking powder and milk. 3. Pour into round cake pan with removable edges, approximately 24 cm diameter. 4. Peel the apples and cut into slices, and push into the cake mix each apple slice close to another to cover all of the cake. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon generously until nicely covered. Distribute chopped almonds on top. 5. Cook in the middle of oven 30-40 minutes. 6. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream!