Different yet delicious recipes for this winter season

Grace your dining table with these delicious recipes from Finland. Let your tongue taste the flavors of Finnish food.  

 

SAVORY RICE PUDDING PIE (KARJALANPIIRAKKA)

Eaten throughout Finland as a snack during the traditional afternoon coffee break, these pastries consist of a simple rye flour and water dough tucked around a thick, creamy rice filling and topped with a salty butter mixed with chopped hard-boiled eggs. In this recipe, adapted from the author’s friend, local Finnish cooking teacher Miriam Yliniemi, extra melted butter is brushed on the pastries before, during, and after baking for a richer-tasting, crispier dough.

For the Dough:

2 cups (9 ¹?₂ oz.) rye flour, plus more for dusting

1 cup (5 oz.) all-purpose flour

4 tsp. kosher salt

6 tbsp. (3 oz.) unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling and Topping

3 cups whole milk

1 cup sushi rice

3 tbsp. (1½ oz.) unsalted butter, melted

¹?₂ tsp. kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 large eggs

6 tbsp. (3 oz.) unsalted butter, softened, plus 6 Tbsp., melted

Salt

Instructions

Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk the rye flour, all-purpose flour, and salt. Add the melted butter and ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon water; stir with a fork until firm dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead until smooth, 2–4 minutes. Cover with a dry towel and set aside.

Make the filling: In a heavy-bottomed saucepot, combine the milk and rice; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Immediately lower heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the melted butter, salt, and pepper, and remove from the heat. Once the mixture is slightly cool, cover the surface with plastic wrap.

Meanwhile, prepare the egg butter for topping: In a medium saucepan, cover the eggs with cold water and set over high heat. Bring to a boil, then immediately turn off the heat and set a timer for 9 minutes. Drain the eggs and immediately plunge into ice water to cool completely. Peel the cooled eggs, finely chop, and add to a medium bowl. Add the softened butter, season with salt to taste, and stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 450°. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces (about 1½ oz. each). Lightly dust a clean work surface with rye flour, then, using a rolling pin, roll each portion into a circle about 7 inches in diameter. Using a 6-inch round cookie cutter or cake pan, trim to a perfect circle. Spread 3 tablespoons of the rice filling in an oblong shape down the center of each dough circle. Bring the two long outer edges of the dough to the center (the top of the rice filling should remain exposed), and press and pinch in places to create a scalloped, open, oval shape.

Lightly dust a baking sheet with rye flour. Place the pies on the sheet and generously brush the top of each with some of the melted butter.

Transfer to the oven and bake, brushing the pies with butter again halfway through cooking, until the pastries are crisp and darkened at the edges, 25 minutes. Immediately after removing from the oven, brush the pies with any remaining melted butter. Serve warm with a healthy dollop of egg butter.

 

ROASTED CABBAGE WITH HORSERADISH CREAM

In this buttery, creamy side dish, dry white vermouth and freshly grated horseradish help to make wintry cabbage lively and robust. In Finland, a splash of barley or rye syrup would be added to enhance the cabbage’s natural sweetness; Finnish-Americans are likely to use more widely available dark corn syrup. Cut into large wedges, the peaks turn brown and crispy while the inside layers soften in the cream.

SERVES 4

45 MINUTES

Ingredients

1 medium (2¼ lb.) green cabbage

1 ¹?₂ cups heavy cream

¹?₃ cup freshly grated horseradish (1½ oz.)

¹?₃ cup dry white vermouth

1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more as needed

³?₄ tbsp. (1½ oz.) unsalted butter, cut in small pieces

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450°. Remove a few of the large outermost leaves from the cabbage. Rinse the leaves, and place them around the perimeter of a wide, shallow stovetop-safe baking dish or small Dutch oven so they come partially up the sides (don’t worry if they don’t cover the whole surface). Cut the remaining cabbage into 6 wedges. Arrange these tightly with their points facing up in the baking dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk the cream, horseradish, vermouth, corn syrup, and ¾ teaspoon salt; pour the mixture over the cabbage. Dot with the butter and cover with a tight-fitting lid.

Set the dish on a burner over high heat. Let it cook until the cabbage steams to a brighter green and looks slightly wilted at the edges, 4–6 minutes. Remove the cover, and using a turkey baster or a large spoon, drizzle the tops of the wedges with the cream mixture.

Transfer to the hot oven, uncovered, and roast, basting once halfway through, until the cabbage is tender and caramelized at the tips, 35–40 minutes. Serve immediately.

 

FINNISH WHIPPED PORRIDGE WITH YOGURT CREAM (VISPIPUURO)

In Minnesota’s “Finnish Triangle,” vispipuuro, a sweet, whipped, pudding-like porridge, is sometimes made with a tart wild fruit called the highbush cranberry. Classic versions also use lingonberries, red currants, or conventional cranberries. Cranberries contain natural pectin that helps to thicken the fruit juice; the addition of starchy farina allows the syrupy juices to be whipped to a tangy mousse that holds soft meringue-like peaks. The author advises that you use frozen berries rather than fresh, as they break down much more quickly into juice.

SERVES 10-12

8 HOURS, 45 MINUTES

For the Cranberry Topping:

2 cups (8 oz.) frozen cranberries, thawed slightly and sliced in half

3 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

For the Pudding and Yogurt Cream:

Pudding:

6 cups (24 oz.) frozen cranberries

2 tbsp. finely grated fresh ginger

¹?₂ cup sugar

¹?₂ cup farina (cream of wheat)

¹?₄ tsp. kosher salt

3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Yogurt Cream:

1 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. sugar

³?₄ cup villi (Finnish yogurt), or substitute whole-milk yogurt

Instructions

Prepare the cranberry topping: Put the halved cranberries in a medium bowl. Add the sugar, maple syrup, and lemon juice, and toss well. Set aside to macerate for 2 hours. (Mixture can also sit covered overnight.)

Meanwhile, make the pudding: In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cranberries, ginger, and 3 cups of water and bring to a low simmer. Cook, crushing the cranberries once or twice with a potato masher to expel their juice, until the skins have popped, about 10 minutes.

Set a fine sieve over a large liquid measuring cup. Add the cooked cranberries and drain, pressing with the back of a ladle to expel the juice, until you have 3 cups.

Rinse out the saucepan and return the juice to the pan. Add the sugar, farina, and salt and cook, whisking, until the farina is swollen about 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice.

Transfer the mixture to a wide bowl to cool slightly. Once no longer steaming, cover with plastic wrap, pressing it down against the surface of the mixture. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 1 day.

Meanwhile, make the yogurt cream: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cream and sugar. Whisk on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Remove the bowl and stir in the yogurt, then refrigerate until well chilled.

Transfer the cranberry pudding mixture to the mixer and whip until the mixture holds stiff peaks and looks about three shades lighter, similar to the texture of meringue.

To serve, divide the pudding between 8 bowls and top each with a dollop of yogurt cream and some macerated cranberries.