I know, I know. I'm all talk. I said I was back in the blogosphere and then I up and disappeared for another month. I hate to blame the kid, but he is mostly to blame. First strept throat, then his giant diaper butt sitting on and breaking the internet modem, thus not having the net for over a week. Talk about drama. But I've forgiven him and we're back now. Read on...
The theme of my November was rain. Well, rain and seasonal depression, really. Thank God November is over and advent in Scandinvia has begun. Thank God for the light therapy lamp that Santa has promised to bring. And thank God for butter.
Dark as it may be, the entire month of December in Norway is dedicated to all things cozy. Candles, gløgg, slippers, warm blankets, a crackling fire, advent calendars for the kids, and lots of lots of baking. Baking of cookies. Baking of cakes. Baking of bread. Baking with butter.
That is....until there becomes a butter shortage!!!
A combination of a poor summer for the dairy farms and the (scary!) rise in populartity of the low-carb diet has created a massive shortage of butter throughout much of the country. The local bakery might have to stop their usual production, since they only have 3- 1/2 kilo packages of butter left in their industrial fridges. There's even talk of importing butter from some of the EU countries (gasp! unheard of! will it have the same, sweet, sweet taste of butter from our beloved Norwegian dairy cows?) What kind of a Christmas will this be?!
Enter, my husband.
A man who is weak when it comes to remembering to buy flowers for the mother of his child, but who makes up for the fact with a gift of butter. Several kilos of pure and perfect butter. The gift of butter for a girl who lives on butter. What more could one want in the weeks leading up to Christmas?
What shall I make with all this butter, you ask?
Lots, really. But sadly, not a whole lot of new recipes. Christmas is NOT the time to start breaking into the unknown. It is a time for the familiar and good. The cookies of childhood and breads of the season. For kakemenn and peparkaker. For boller and kringler and julekake and perhaps some rice pudding (must. share.recipe!)
I promised Lasse some kakemenn this weekend, so that's where we started. It put a little dent in my butter supply. Let's hope we won't have to look to Germany or Denmark before Christmas is over.
What a guy! You didn't say, was it black-market, Soviet Union style? Obtaining the butter I mean.
Posted by: Mormor | December 05, 2011 at 12:06 AM
A shortage in butter?! The horror!! Glad your man came to the rescue and the diaper butt did not defeat modern technology for too long. :) Did some cookie baking myself today - peanut butter blossoms w/ my little sister mentee. Those things are delish.
Posted by: lauren @ sassy molassy | December 05, 2011 at 12:29 AM
How scary, a shortage of butter! Butter makes everything taste so good. I make lots of shortbread this time of year for gifts. We eat plenty of it too of course. Jacinta
Posted by: embracingitall | December 05, 2011 at 02:24 AM
I've certainly missed you, so welcome back! Your husband is indeed a rare breed.
What a wonderful gift. I hadn't heard about the butter shortage but I know as soon as I tell my mother she'll be horrified! Enjoy your weeks of baking ahead. I already have kransekake, serenakake and gingerbread in the freezer ready to bake off and am now inspired to whip up some boller too! God Jul! Dixx
Posted by: Di-licious | December 05, 2011 at 04:14 AM
I made your Julekake this last weekend, and it was superb! My Norwegian husband said its spot on (and better than what his family makes!). Thank you :)
I find this lo carbs diet really strange here in Norway, how can they give up eating potet everyday? And butter is not something you should avoid if you're on diet? It all seems too strange for me.
Posted by: Maayane | December 05, 2011 at 03:53 PM
Nothing like comfort food during the dark season. I also take a light dose of "happy pills" to get through the dark months, but a butter shortage might just be enough to put me over the edge.
Posted by: Jon | December 05, 2011 at 05:57 PM
Lasse looks like a little old man counting his gold For those of us naive Americans what would be typical Norwegian Christmas Eve/Christmas menus ??
Bob
Posted by: Bob | December 06, 2011 at 04:42 AM
Can you purchase game such as deer, birds, rabbit in markets in Norway? Do many people hunt there for food, not game?
Bob
Posted by: Bob | December 06, 2011 at 04:48 AM
You really made me laugh with poor Lasse's bottom! I always had such wonderful image of Scandinavian Christmas, much due to My Swedish friends who I visit for the 1st of December Advent party, and even more childhood memories from Astrid Lindgren's books. Especially Bullerby Children and that one lucky almond in the pudding!
Posted by: Sneaky Magpie | December 06, 2011 at 02:03 PM
Oh, yes, lets import great butter from France and some lovely unsalted Lurpack butter from Denmark! This should be a lesson to the norwegian government to start importing lots of lovely foreign foods! Let the food revolution begin!
I"m glad you have butter though! We have too, we shopped in Sweden at the weekend and the norwegians were buying butter like it was the end of the world!
Posted by: lisakjellerød | December 06, 2011 at 05:23 PM
I adore butter! Remember, Andreas Viestad calls butter "the olive oil of the North."
How unthinkable that there is a butter shortage in Norway of all places! I hope you can find enough for all your Christmas needs.
Posted by: Caterina B | December 06, 2011 at 09:39 PM
Mormor- no, not black market, although hoarding is frowned upon. Maybe we'll have to start ration coupons ;)
Maayane- great news about the julekake! still need to bake mine this year...
Bob- you should see my post on Christmas dinner from last year: http://transplantedbaker.typepad.com/the_transplanted_baker/2010/12/the-lutefisk-misconception.html
Bob (answer to your 2nd question): I can easily get a hold of venison, reindeer, moose, and whale meat (although I wouldn't really call whale "game", more of just an oddity). In fact, I know that in some more remote regions, you can't even buy beef of any sort because venison is so abundant and popular. It's harder/next to impossible to get any type of game bird or rabbit. Best to stick to animals with antlers, I guess.
Sneaky Magpie- I had to look up, "Bullerby Children" and now I realize they're the same thing as "The Children of Noisy Village"- apparently the UK and US versions had diff. names. What a classic! Read them a million times.
Lisa- want to become business partners?
Caterina- "Olive Oil of the North"! That's what I should have called this whole post. Andreas is a gem!
Posted by: siri | December 06, 2011 at 09:56 PM
I'm so jealous! I have about 4 tablespoons worth of butter left- and I haven't been able to start my christmas cookies as I haven't been able to find butter for 2 weeks! I'm headed to Sweden tomorrow, however, to see if I can buy some Swedish butter! Enjoy your baking!
Posted by: Jessica | December 07, 2011 at 10:01 AM
Please do share your rice pudding recipe! My grandma used to make it each year. I don't have her recipe--unfortunately most recipes were lost with her passing--but I hope to have my own someday, once I find a favorite.
Posted by: D. @ Outside Oslo | December 16, 2011 at 01:46 AM
I was looking for a recipe for Skillingsboller and found your website and I love it! Summer 2010 we visited Norway, ate some delicious skillingsboller (being 3 months pregnant I did not need any excuse) and I was inspired to call my baby... Lasse! Reason to love your website even more. Mine is 10 months now and unfortunately does not have any notion of his mom baking cookies. Yet. Hopefully next Christmas.
Greetings from the Netherlands,
Merel
Posted by: Merel | December 19, 2011 at 03:26 PM
Merel- you have good taste! Soon as your Lasse turns one, you'll have to bake that boy some cookies! Is he also a February baby?
Posted by: siri | December 21, 2011 at 01:01 PM