Every Christmas, three generations of the Maybach family--now ages 2 to 92--gather in a thoroughly modern log cabin near Keystone, Colorado, to celebrate the Old World in New World style.
A few years ago, Carol Maybach, then a recent culinary school grad, began exploring why chefs love to cook for a book she was writing, Creating Chefs. Looking into her subjects' food histories, Maybach became fascinated with her own family's culinary roots in Norway, and instead of celebrating the traditional American Christmas, it seemed time to acknowledge their unique ancestry. "I wanted to put together a menu that honored our past but that also reflected who we are today," she says. "An authentic celebration with contemporary twists."
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A Norwegian Christmas is full of ritual: Various Maybachs bury salt- and sugarcoated salmon in the snow to cure for gravlax; bake the seven traditional holiday cookies; roll out floury rounds of dough to make potato lefse (a chewy flatbread); and fry up thin batter into crisp snowflake rosettes to garnish creamy rice pudding, always the last course of the meal.
The Rocky Mountain setting occupies the noncooks. There's the Christmas tree to choose and bring in from the forest, races to run on sleds or skis, and horse-drawn sleigh rides to enjoy. Then everyone sits down to a leisurely five-course feast around the 10-foot-long pine table.
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Since burying salmon in the snow may be a little problematic in other parts of the West, and finding birch twigs to roast meat over can be tough, we've simplified Carol Maybach's menu. This being an abundant region in every way, though, you can easily buy the more traditional ingredients for your first Norwegian Christmas. Just make sure to include some aquavit for a postdinner toast to the cooks, past and present, who keep tradition alive.
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INFO: Creating Chefs (The Lyons Press, 2003; $28), by Carol Maybach
A Norwegian feast
* Gravlax with Norwegian caviar sauce
WINE: Blanc de noirs sparkler
* Fresh potato flatbread (lefse) and/or plain flatbread (flatbrod)
* Butter and lingonberry jam
* Pickled herring and/or herring in sour cream
* Apple, beet, and cabbage salad
* Roast pork with gingerbread sauce and celery root with bacon
WINE: Zinfandel
* Christmas rice pudding (riskrem)
* Aquavit and Christmas beer
NOTE: You can buy the gravlax, caviar, flatbread, jam, and herring at a Scandinavian deli, or order from Wikstroms' Gourmet Foods (773/275-6100).
Gravlax with Norwegian Caviar Sauce
Although the Maybach tradition is to bury their salmon in the snow to cure, buying the gravlax is a pretty good option for those of us who live in snowless parts of the New World.
PREP TIME: About 8 minutes
MAKES: 8 servings
NOTES: Gravlax may also be sold as Norwegian-style salmon. You can make the caviar sauce up to 1 day ahead; cover and chill.
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper
1 jar (2 oz.) red lumpfish roe (Norwegian caviar)
1 pound thinly sliced gravlax (see notes)
Fresh dill sprigs, rinsed
1 jar (2 oz.) black lumpfish roe (optional)
1. In a bowl, stir together sour cream, whipping cream, lemon peel, and pepper.
2. Pour red lumpfish roe into a fine wire strainer and rinse under cold running water. Drain well and stir into sour cream mixture.
3. Arrange gravlax on a platter or plates. Garnish with dill sprigs. Rinse black lumpfish roe in a fine wire strainer, drain, and put in a small bowl. Serve red caviar sauce and black caviar with gravlax to add to taste.
Per serving: 176 col., 61% (108 col.) from fat; 13 g protein; 12 g fat (6.3 g sat.); 2.5 g carbo (0 g fiber); 561 mg sodium; 69 mg chol.
Apple, Beet, and Cabbage Salad
This salad puts color on the table, to say nothing of hearty flavors.
PREP TIME: About 25 minutes
MAKES: 8 to 10 servings
NOTES: You can make the salad up to 1 day ahead; cover and chill.
1 can (15 oz.) sliced pickled beets
3 Braeburn or other sweet red apples (1 1/2 lb. total)
4 cups finely shredded red cabbage (6 oz. total)
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar Salt
1. Drain the beets and cut into matchstick-size strips 2 to 3 inches long. Peel and core the apples. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then into 1/4-inch-thick sticks 2 to 3 inches long.
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2. In a bowl, mix beets, apples, cabbage, lemon juice, sugar, and salt to taste.
Per serving: 70 col., 4% (2.7 col.) from fat; 0.7 g protein; 0.3 g fat (0 g sat.); 18 g carbo (1.4 g fiber); 116 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.
Roast Pork with Gingerbread Sauce and Celery Root with Bacon
In the mountains, the main dish might be venison or elk, but roast pork loin has a long tradition in Norway too. A sauce made with gingerbread adds a little interesting sugar and spice.
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PREP AND COOK TIME: About 2 1/2 hours
MAKES: 8 servings
NOTES: You can cut the celery root (also called celeriac) up to 1 day ahead; immerse in a bowl of water, cover, and chill. Drain well before using.
8 ounces thick-sliced bacon
5 pounds celery root
1 center-cut pork loin rib roast (4 1/2 to 5 lb.), bones cracked and fat
trimmed to 1/8 inch thick
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper
Gingerbread wedges (recipe follows), optional
Thin orange slices
Gingerbread sauce (recipe follows)
1. Preheat oven to 350[degrees]. Cut the bacon crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips. In a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat, stir bacon until lightly browned and slightly crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Discard all but 2 tablespoons fat in pan.
2. Peel celery root and cut into about 1/2-inch cubes (see notes). In a 12- by 17-inch roasting pan, mix celery root and the 2 tablespoons reserved bacon fat. Bake for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, rinse pork and pat dry. Sprinkle lightly all over with salt and pepper. Stir celery root, then set a rack above mixture (it can rest on pan rim). Set roast, fat side up, on rack.
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4. Bake in the 350[degrees] oven until a thermometer inserted in center of thickest part of roast reaches 155[degrees], 1 3/4 to 2 hours. Transfer roast to a platter or board and let rest in a warm place, 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, stir bacon into celery root and return to oven; bake until celery root is lightly browned and tender when pierced, 8 to 15 minutes longer. Add salt and pepper to the mixture to taste. Wrap gingerbread rounds in foil and warm in oven, 8 to 10 minutes, then break into wedges.
5. Spoon celery root alongside pork roast. Garnish with orange slices and serve with gingerbread sauce and wedges.
Per serving: 542 col., 51% (279 col.) from fat; 44 g protein; 31 g fat (10 g sat.); 22 g carbo (0 g fiber); 500 mg sodium; 136 mg chol.
Gingerbread Wedges
Maybach bakes this dense, slightly sweet bread in patterned ceramic molds for a decorative finish, but plain pie pans work well too.
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PREP AND COOK TIME: About 40 minutes
MAKES: 16 wedges
NOTES: You can make the gingerbread up to 1 day ahead; store rounds airtight at room temperature. Freeze if storing longer.
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/8 lb.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup light molasses
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup water
1. Preheat oven to 350[degrees]. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat sugar and butter until well blended and creamy. Add molasses; beat until blended.
2. In another bowl, mix flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and cloves.
3. Add about a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture; beat on low speed until blended. Add about a third of the water; beat until incorporated. Repeat to add all of the flour mixture and water, beating just until incorporated. Gather mixture with floured hands and form into a soft ball.
4. Spray bottoms of two 8- or 9-inch pie pans with cooking oil spray. Divide dough in half and press a portion level in each pan. With a floured knife, cut each round into eight wedges.
5. Bake until top springs back when lightly touched, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool about 5 minutes in pan, then invert onto a rack to cool completely.
Per piece: 183 col., 17% (31 col.) from fat; 2.9 g protein; 3.4 g fat (1.8 g sat.); 35 g carbo (0.7 g fiber); 159 mg sodium; 7.8 mg chol.
Gingerbread Sauce
PREP AND COOK TIME: About 30 minutes
MAKES: About 1 1/2 cups; 8 servings
NOTES: For a shortcut, instead of making the gingerbread wedges (preceding), you can use purchased gingersnaps. You can make the sauce through step 2 up to 2 days ahead; cool, cover, and chill. Demi-glace, a highly reduced pastelike stock, can be found in gourmet markets and some supermarkets. More Than Gourmet (www.morethangourmet.com or 800/860-9385) makes DemiGlace Gold, an all-natural shelf-stable version.
1. In a 3- to 4-quart pan, combine 1 1/2 cups Merlot or other dry red wine, 3/4 cup tawny Port, and 2/3 cup orange juice. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir occasionally until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, 12 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup hot water and 1 1/2 tablespoons concentrated veal or veal and beef demi-glace (see notes).
2. Crumble enough of the gingerbread wedges (recipe precedes) or gingersnaps to make 2/3 cup. Add gingerbread and demi-glace mixture to wine mixture; let stand until gingerbread has softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour into a blender. Add 1/4 cup whipping cream and whirl until smooth. Return to pan.
3. Stir over low heat until hot. Whisk in 1 tablespoon butter until blended and smooth. Add salt to taste.
Per serving: 132 cal., 38% (50 cal.) from fat; 1.9 g protein; 5.6 g fat (2.6 g sat.); 19 g carbo (0.4 g fiber); 184 mg sodium; 12 mg chol.
Christmas Rice Pudding (Riskrem)
In Norway, an almond is hidden inside one of these desserts, and the lucky recipient gets a gift--usually a marzipan pig.
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PREP AND COOK TIME: 1 1/4 hours
MAKES: 8 servings
NOTES: Maybach garnishes the puddings with snowflake rosettes, available in some Scandinavian bakeries. You can make the pudding through step 4 up to 1 day ahead; cover and chill.
1 quart milk
3/4 cup long-grain white rice
1/2 cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup frozen raspberries, thawed
2 cups whipping cream
3 tablespoons cloudberry or lingonberry preserves
1. Preheat oven to 350[degrees]. In a 3- to 4-quart nonstick pan, simmer milk, rice, 1/2 cup sugar, and the salt, stirring often, until rice is tender to bite and mixture has thickened, about 30 minutes. Add almond extract. Pour into a large bowl and let cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bake almonds in a 9-inch pie pan until golden under skins (break one to check), about 10 minutes. Reserve one almond (see note above); chop remaining.
3. In a blender, whirl raspberries until smooth. Push puree through a fine wire strainer set over a bowl; discard seeds. Sweeten puree with sugar to taste (1 to 2 tablespoons).
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4. In a bowl, with a mixer on high speed, whip cream until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream, the one whole almond, and the chopped almonds into cool rice mixture just until blended. Spoon into eight bowls.
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5. Shortly before serving, heat preserves in a microwave oven on full power (100%) just until hot. If mixture is too thick to pour, whisk in a little hot water. Drizzle preserves and raspberry sauce over pudding.
Per serving: 438 col., 55% (243 col.) from fat; 8.3 g protein; 27 g fat (15 g sat.); 43 g carbo (1.2 g fiber); 376 mg sodium; 83 mg chol.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY LISA ROMEREIN
COPYRIGHT 2005 Sunset Publishing Corp.
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