On page 181 of Hanna Winsnes’ cook book:

Take equal amounts of butter and thick sour cream. Brown the butter in a pan and mix in a teaspoon of flour; this should be mixed with a couple of spoonfuls of cooking juice. When boiling add the cream and stir vigorously until the sauce is boiling. If you don’t have any cooking juice, don’t use any flour either but then the cream has to be really good. Should it happen that it starts to separate, add a little more cream, and as it therefore will become too white, compensate with soy.

This gravy is for veal and roasted bird ad can in a pinch be used for roast beef or roast lamb. For roasted bird you should avoid the soy.

Read about Hanna Winsnes and the first Norwegian cookery book.

On page 140 of Hanna Winsnes’ cook book:

One pound of rice is rinsed in cold water, and then scolded in two to water litres of boiling water. Add five litres of milk; this is treated the same way as barley grøt but only boils for two hours; good quality rice can even be boiled faster.

If you fear that the rice could be acidic, it is safest to put it for a while in boiling milk to draw out the sourness. This milk must not be included in the grøt. If you want to boil the rice with water, only use four litres. When it is boiled stir in a spoon of butter. Some coriander is also good. They can be brought to the boil with the grøt, but must not boil for long in the grøt, as in may separate from their acidity.

Read about Hanna Winsnes and the first Norwegian cookery book.

On page 155 of Hanna Winsnes’ cook book:

The beer is mixed with water according to taste; normal home-brew beer can be used undiluted. For each pot of mix take two egg yokes and one half pægel (1.2dl) of full fat cream, or three egg yokes without cream. Beat well. When the beer is boiling and has been mixed cooked with sugar (to taste), take the pot off the heat, and pour in the eggs while beating vigorously, to form a froth.

The dish does not keep but must be eaten immediately.

Dice fine rye bread and brown it in butter; when it has been well mixed with the butter sprinkle a little powdered sugar (icing sugar) over, keep stirring, like when you are roasting coffee. This is eaten with the beer porridge, and can be made before the beer is started.

Read about Hanna Winsnes and the first Norwegian cookery book.

Gløgg is a Norwegian Christmas drink with cinnamon, cloves and other spices.  Traditionally it was made with red wine and a spirit such a brandy but over the years a child-friendly syrup is now the norm.  There are many different flavour traditions from place to place but is it most often served with nuts (hazelnuts or almonds)  and raisins that is placed inside the cup before pouring in the gløgg.  As gløgg is one of the flavours of Christmas, here is a gløgg bolle recipe to put a double amount of Norwegian into your Christmas.

Because my boller will be eaten by the whole family I am using a syrup for my gløgg.  This particular one is made in Northern Norway by Nordlys Mat in Alta.  The flavour is a lot more elegant than most gløgg syrups and it is made  with native meadowsweet (mjødurt), cinnamon and clove.  (They do ship over Norway but no international shipping – sorry.  You will just have to come to Alta and get some!)  If you plan to make your gløgg with alcohol, remember that you don’t boil gløgg, you only heat it so the alcohol will not evaporate – and yes, the more the merrier.

What you need:
50 grams of yeast
3.5 dl of gløgg
100 grams butter
500 grams flour
1teaspoon of baking powder
raisins

Glaze:
1 cup Icing sugar
Water
Sliced almonds

First have your gløgg prepared.  Make sure it is not too strong as it is only supposed to replace the subtle flavour of cardamom.

After the gløgg is prepared, set aside.  In a bowl mix flour and baking powder, then pinch in the butter.  When the gløgg is lukewarm, put in the yeast and stir.  Then add the liquid mixture to the flour mix.  Knead in the bowl (good to use electric beater with a kneading tool).  Leave to rise for 20 minutes in a warm place under plastic.

When risen, roll out gently with a little flour and sprinkle in raisins.  Fold over and then cut off slices and roll them into balls.

Place on a baking tray with paper.  Glaze with a beaten egg and put in a hot oven – 210 degrees Celsius for 12-14 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

Mix icing sugar with a couple of drops of water according to desired thickness.  Drizzle on the boller and sprinkle on almonds.  Serve at room temperature.