It was all set. She had decided they would eat in the kitchen by the window that was open to the light, early summer evening. Air wafted in filled with the smells and sounds of the approaching night: flowers folding, dew settling on the grass, insects of the day falling silent and those of the night stirring. The warmth of the kitchen added smells of wilting dill on steaming potatoes, sliced lemon, pungent cheese.  She had opened a bottle of New Zealand chardonnay and poured herself a glass. She stood by the window, waiting and she raised the glass to her lips and took a first sip, letting the familiar flavours linger on her tongue. Apple, grapefruit, pineapple, feijoa, butter grass – even experts struggled to find words to describe it. She looked out over the landscape, still wrapped in sunshine but distinctly evening quiet, and took in the immense stillness. She pulled the window to, leaving on a small chink. A fine film of steam covered the glass, the condensation running like tears. She was playing a recording of Lars Erik Larsson’s Förklädd Gud, God in Disguise. It was as if all her senses had come together to form a complete whole. The stillness of the evening, the smells from the stove, the taste of the wine, the sound of the music. She was surprised to realise that she was filled with a quiet, measured feeling of anticipation.
chapter 9

Menu
new potatoes steamed with fresh dill
hot smoked trout, wedges of lemon
homemade mayonnaise

rye knäckebröd
mature cheese, if possible Swedish Västerbotten, but otherwise a powerful cheddar

new Zealand Chardonnay, preferably from the Marlborough district
wild strawberry liqueur

Recipes

Potatoes: Wash small fresh potatoes and put in a pot, fill water till just covering the potatoes, add a generous amount of salt, perhaps a table spoon, cover with coarsely ripped fresh dill – save some nice tips for decoration. Boil till just cooked, approximately 10 – 15 min.

Trout: Arrange the smoked trout on a serving plate and decorate with lemon wedges and dill tips.

Mayonnaise: For the mayonnaise, separate three egg yolks and put in a bowl, add a table spoon of nice Dijon mustard. Pour a cup of good oil into a small pitcher (if you use olive oil, pick one with a mild flavour, or use canola or sunflower oil instead). Whisk the egg yolks and the mustard and begin to add the oil very slowly. As soon as the mix ‘takes’ you can add oil more quickly. Add salt and pepper to taste, and perhaps a small squeeze of lemon juice. Spoon into a serving bowl.

Bread: If you cannot find Swedish rye knäckebröd, any coarse dry bread will do. Or perhaps some good fresh rye bread.

Wild strawberry liqueur: I believe it is possible to purchase a kind of wild strawberry liqueur, but here is how to make it yourself. Allow a few months, though.

I  quart unflavoured vodka (Swedish, of course), or decent quality brandy, 40% proof
4 cups wild strawberries, or roughly chopped sweet cultivated strawberries, make sure they are very ripe and the smallest you can find – large cultivated strawberries contain a lot of water and the flavour will not be as intense. If you use frozen berries, let them thaw in the alcohol.
1 ¼  - 1 ½ cup icing sugar

Wash the berries and let them dry on paper, then put in a glass container with a screw top. The berries should fill the container to at least two thirds. Top up with the alcohol. Screw the top on tightly and put in a cool dark space for at least one month. Turn and shake now and then.
Open the container and filter the contents through a fine mesh. Add the sugar and stir with a metal spoon. Add more sugar if you like a sweeter taste. Then fill onto glass bottles and seal. Store in a cool space for a month or so before using.

Veronika took her glass and held it up to the light. The content was burgundy red, mysterious and evocative, like a witch’s brew. She could smell the fragrance of the ripe berries as she held the glass to her nose. She closed her eyes, took a sip let the sweetness fill her mouth.
chapter 9

Music
God in Disguise by Lars Erik Larsson, Intim records B00009QGD6
Lyriskt!, traditional Swedish folksongs, recorded by Hägerstens Motettkör, Nosag cd 007
Violin sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. I08 by Johannes Brahms, EMI Classics 7243 5 67974 2 0
and, though not mentioned in the book
Benny Anderssons Orkester, Mono MMCD 017

All available from www.amazon.com

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 17th, 2007 at 5:09 pm and is filed under Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.