The Transplanted Baker

Grandma Larson's Ice Box Cookies

This is another of my resurrected posts, one that was originally published on the old Transplanted Baker a year ago, on August 12th. When a recipe is this good and this classic, there's good reason to re-publish it...

My Grandma Larson was a notoriously good cook. 

I never knew her in person, but I have gotten to know her through her recipes as well as her apron collection, which I recently inherited for my 25^th birthday. My grandma was not a small woman, which is given evidence from not only old family photos, but from the size of her aprons and her love of butter, mayonnaise, and deep fry oil in many of her recipes. She may not have always put a low-fat dinner on the table for her family of six, but what I do admire about her cooking repertoire is that unlike so many of the women from her day, she didn’t make shortcuts in her cooking and baking. The woman made her cakes from scratch, never dreaming of incorporating in a box of Betty Crocker cake mix or packages of Instant Jello Pudding. I can’t imagine her taking a trip to the grocery store and returning with Cool Whip, Margarine, or Wonder Bread. I guess they just didn’t have those things on the farm in the 1920s and 30s when she began to learn her way around the kitchen.

My parents came for their first visit to our little Norwegian town this past week and with my newly acquired vintage aprons, I decided to let my mom in on a little food blog action. 

Now, if I ever want to come across a nice Americana recipe, preferably one that does not have  a list of 50 ingredients, I take a peak into my coffee-stained, centennial cookbook put out in 2002 by my childhood church. You can find some pretty amazing stuff in there like, “Mother’ Boiled Raisin Cake” from Mrs. Betty Lockhart,  as well as “Golden Pecan Tassies” from Mrs. Lorraine Steen, not to mention Grandma Larson’s “California Ice Box Cookies”, which was just what we chose to make. I guess you could say I like the novelty of using old, sometimes outdated recipes. 

The charm of many of the church ladies’ recipes, including Grandma’s, is that they use very simple ingredients, never forcing you to hunt down imported liquors that you’ll never use again, or a specific type of ladyfinger that you can only find at one shop in town. No, these are not the recipes of Gourmet and Bon Appetite,  they rarely require extra sifting, buying a candy thermometer or a brushing of rich egg glaze. These are the type that give you little more direction beyond “mix all ingredients together and bake at 350”. How long to bake that cake and whether to grease the pan is up to your discretion.

On to the cookies!

I had made this recipe once or twice before with wonderful results, particularly enjoying the citrus zing you get from both the juice and zest from a lemon and an orange. The recipe calls for a cup of chopped almonds, which of coarse, can be omitted for those with an allergy or I guess, a bizarre dislike of almonds- I must point out that the extra little crunch of the nut was surely what Grandma liked so much about these cookies (or maybe it was the whole cup of butter...). The other fun bit is that they are “Ice Box Cookies”, which automatically makes me think of something Aunt Bee would serve Opie and his friends with a nice glass of lemonade in Mayberry. Rolling up the dough and chilling it over night before slicing into nice little rounds the following day is sort of fun too! Not only do you end up with impressively uniform cookies, you can bake them off as you like without having a bowl full of hardened cookie dough in the fridge.

Grandma Larson’s California Ice Box Cookies

Farmors California Kjøleskapekjeks

Recipe originally from “The Smorgasbord and Other Recipes”, compiled by the St. Anthony Park Lutheran Ladies’ Aid in 1940.

*Makes about 3-4 dozen cookies

(I have added my own, necessary additions to the recipe in (parentheses),  only to help you end up with the results grandma would have approved of).

1 cup (230g) butter (softened)

1 cup (200g) sugar

2 beaten egg yolks

2 T. orange juice

1 T. lemon juice

1 T. orange rind

(1 T. lemon rind)- if desired, I think it adds a lot

2 2/3 cups (350g) flour

1/2 t. salt

1 small tsp (1/2 t.) baking soda

1 cup (80g) finely chopped almonds

 (Put on your favorite apron, preferably one with a fruit or flower pattern).

Cream butter and sugar (in a large bowl).

Add egg yolks and flavoring (juices and rinds).

Add dry ingredients (then add the almonds).

Mix thoroughly.

(Separate dough into two, rolling each into a long, medium-thick log, wrap each in parchment paper or plastic).

Chill overnight.

Slice thin.

(Place on a cookie sheet, an inch apart).

Bake in a hot oven, 410F/200C. (or slightly lower, 390F).

(Bake until cookies are golden, but not browned, roughly 10 minutes).

 

"Fall is Approaching" Chocolate Ginger Cookies

Aka: "My New Favorite Cookie"

 

 

I know it hasn’t kicked in for some of you, but my cravings for fall food have already begun.

Summer’s a fine time to sun yourself and grill everything in your refrigerator, but the truth of the matter is, my desire level to bake during the summer sits at a pathetic “1.4”. It’s not so much the heat that gets me during the Norwegian summer, as we’ve rarely had a day over 80 Fahrenheit, so much as the fact that all my favorite flavors seem out-of-place in the summer. You see, I’m an apple and spice kind of girl. Ginger cookies, rye bread, and apple orchard crisp are the foundation of my being as a baker, and it just doesn’t seem right to make any of those things during the summer months.

Of course, I haven’t forgotten about all the great summer berries. The wild mountain blueberries, the early juicy strawberries, the jewel red currants tempting me from the neighbor’s yard... they all become things I dream of during the long and dark Norwegian winter. I guess the difference is, it’s fairly easy to get domestic and do a little canning in August, so that you can enjoy the summer bounty in the berryless fall and winter months, while all you can do during the warm months is pretend to love all things summer.

But I do have a point to all this rambling. And my point is, the first fall breeze has hit, and instead of crying while I pack away all my hot pants and tube tops (sure, my closest is just full of them), I rejoice and I bake.

I bake fall cookies, cookies that yearn for a cup of hot cider or coffee. I bake cookies that make you think a little bit about fall, but also start to put you in that Christmas cookie mood. Picture your favorite ginger cookie infused with a little cocoa and chunks of bittersweet chocolate. Sounds a little nutty, a little too much??? Believe me, it’s not. In fact, it’ such a good combination, that I declared it my new favorite cookie on my Facebook profile. And we all know that if you share a piece of news with 250 of your most random acquaintances , that it must be true. Right?

Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for this recipe. So I’ll give credit to where credit is do...this is a Martha Stewart recipe. The good thing with Martha recipes, is that they’re consistently easy to follow and produce good results. Try this one out and tell me you don’t agree.

“Fall is Approaching” Chocolate Ginger Cookies

Sjokoladepeparkaker

Recipe adapted from marthastewart.com

Makes 2 dozen

 

7 ounces (200g) good semisweet chocolate, chopped into chunks

1 1/2 cups (200g) flour

1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

8 tablespoons (1 stick/115g) unsalted butter, softened (I actually used salted with great results)

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1/2 cup (120 g) brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup (0,6 dl) unsulfured (blackstrap )molasses- Martha recommends using a full 1/2 cup

1 teaspoon baking soda

*1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar for rolling

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter and grated ginger well. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.

3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chopped chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.

4. Heat oven to 325F/160C degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2- inch balls; place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes, slightly longer if you like a crispy cookie. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  

Summer Squash and Potato Torte

I like gardening.

I like the process of planting seeds, of watching them grow, and of enjoying the bounty- be it flowers that you can fill your vases with or vegetables you can fill your stomach with. With that being said, I’m not a very good nor faithful gardener. I thrive in the early spring, during the warm weather itch, but tend to become “side-tracked” with other things later in the season.

This was the first year that I’ve had my own vegetable garden and started everything from seed. Sure it’s satisfying to buy plants and tend them as your own, but you reach a different level of enjoyment and attachment to your garden when you’ve watched everything grow from tiny, dry seeds to gigantic beasts.

One such beast is my summer squash. Yellow squash. The kind I once associated with old people, but now have a good amount of appreciation for. Part of the fun with growing squash is watching them bloom their gigantic yellow flowers (I’m still not sure if you’re supposed to let them do that), and then quickly develop from tiny squash babies to one-pound wonders.

Today is Sunday. 

Sundays in Norway are family days- the shops are closed and it’s one’s duty to become a mountain man, berry picker, or bike rider for the day. Try to spend the whole day inside on your butt (in front of you’re computer screen, for example) and the neighbors will begin to question your patriotism. Last Sunday we were able to hit two birds with one stone and got in a full day’s mountain trip and berry picking excursion all-in-one. I figure, after so much exercise and patriotism last week, there’s no need to feel guilty about staying on flat ground this Sunday. That doesn’t, however, change the fact that all the grocery stores are closed.

It’s lazy Sundays like these that make a person grateful for their garden.

A simple from-the-garden summer squash torte with two potatoes and two cheeses became today’s lunch. It’s the kind of dish that fits into any meal plan- it’s great served as a main course with a salad and some bread on the side, while also being the kind of dish that can cozy up along side some roast chicken or steak. In addition, it’s tasty hot, right out-of-the-oven, but the flavors shine just as well, perhaps even better at room temp. And lastly, it’s adaptable. What more could a girl want on an at-home Sunday afternoon?

I made my torte with a mixture of sweet potatoes and new potatoes, although using just one or the other would work fine too. Be sure to slice the potatoes and squash uniformly so that they cook evenly- use a mandolin if your knife skills aren’t up to par. For the cheese, I went with two flavorful favorites that melt well and provide complexity- Manchego and Jarlsberg. Parmesan, Gruyere, or any melting cheese with some bite would be fine. Lastly, I recommend using a variety of herbs, preferably fresh, and as much garlic as you like- skimp on these two things and the dish won’t be nearly as good.

Summer Squash and Potato Torte

Sommersquash og Potettorte

*Makes 8 side-dish servings or 4 main-course servings

 

1 medium yellow onion, sliced thinly into rings

1 cup (4 ounces/ 115 g) grated cheese (such as: Manchego, Jarlsberg, or Parmessan)

2 T. all-purpose flour

A good handful of fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, chives, rosemary, etc...), chopped

2-3 garlic cloves,  minced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

 1 large sweet potato (about half a pound/225 g), peeled and cut into 1/8” rounds

1 lb. (450 g) new potatoes (or other good baking potato), peeled and cut into 1/8” rounds

3-4 Tablespoons olive oilMore chopped fresh herbs to garnish

 1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Grease a 9-inch/23 cm spring form cake pan with olive oil. Toss the, cheese, flour, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

2. Layer 1/2 of the potatoes in slightly overlapping circles in the bottom of your pan (you can choose to mix the two varieties or use just one variety for this layer and another for the second layer). Layer 1/2 of the squash in slightly overlapping circles atop the potatoes. Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Repeat, layering the remaining potatoes, remaining squash and some more olive oil. Sprinkle with top with the remaining cheese mixture.

3. Cover your pan with foil. Bake until potatoes and squash are almost tender, about 45 minutes. Remove foil; bake uncovered until the cheese and onions begins to brown and the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes longer.

4. Cut each tart into wedges. Sprinkle wedges with more herbs to garnish.

*Can be made ahead of time. Rewarm, covered with foil, in 350°F/175C oven until heated through, about 30 minutes.

Yellow August