Munkki

Munkki is part of the traditional foodstuffs of Vappu, the Finnish labor day holiday on the 30.4-1.5. Among lots of other traditions, such as wearing your highschool graduation cap, drinking sparkling wine, paying too much for a helium balloon the shape of 'Hello Kitty', wearing jumpsuits, picnicing.....

.... well the list goes on. Other foods include Silli (herring), Sima (fermented yeast soda), nakki (little sausages) and tippaleipa (from what I can tell this is stale funnel cake).

Needless to say Munkki, or sugar coated doughnut holes, are probably one of the best. My friend Jenni made this over a vat of spatting oil and survived. If she can do it, so can you.

1 cup milk, warmed

25 grams dry yeast

1 egg

a pinch of salt

1/5 cup sugar

2 1/5 cups of flour

50 g butter, softened or at room temperature

oil for frying
sugar for coating

1. Proof the yeast in the warm milk and sugar.

2. Incorporate the egg, butter and flour graduatlly until a soft dough forms.

3. Knead dough to eliminate lumps, about 5 minutes.

4. Allow the dough to rise, 1 hour, covered in a warm place free of breezes.

5. Roll balls of dough between floured palms to the size of ping-pong balls. Allow the balls to rest covered for about 10 minutes.

6. Heat oil to about 375. I check to see if the oil is read by taking a small bit of dough and dropping it in. The ball should take about 3-5 seconds to get golden brown.

7. Fry in small batches of 3-4 to avoid cooling the oil too much. Turning once in the process.

8. Remove munkki with a slotted metal spoon when they are golden brown.

9. Drain on paper towels until cooled enough to handle.

10. Coat munkki in sugar while still warm. I used a bag half full of sugar, dropped the munkki in, closed the bag, and shook.

Mämmi

Finally it's time for Mammi, a Finnish treat for Easter holidays. It's truely a relic of midevil times, and there are dozens of varying recipes for it, as well as recipes that include Mammi in them. I recently heard of one Finnish beer brand up North that even makes a Mammi beer!


The main ingredients include rye malt, rye flour, molasses and orange rind or extract. It's slightly fermented before baked and lasts several days, which is why it took popularity around Lent when on Good Friday, cooking was forbidden. Other symbologies of Mammi during Easter include it's laxative properties, which represents the purging of our sins (oops, should have thought of that before I started eating massloads for breakfast this morning right from the box!)

Finnish people either love it or hate it, and they serve it to foreigners with glee, awaiting with baited breaths the expected look of horror when a newbie sees Mammi for the first time. Afterall, it looks like dog excrement in a box. But it's good I swear! I know we eat with our eyes, so if you want to eat it like the Finns do, you can either pour a little cream over top and sprinkle it with sugar, eat it 'a la mode' or spread it on a piece of bread.

Here I'll provide the basic recipe, but I warn you that it's much easier just to buy the premade produce in this case. If you're truly adventurous, or don't live in Finland but are curiuos enough to give this a shot, here it is:


This recipe is for quite a large amount of Mammi, but if you're going to go through all the trouble, you might as well make a lot and then have some to share!

• 7 litres water
• 2 kg rye flour
• 1/2 kg rye malt
• 3 tbs syrup or molasses
• 2 tbs salt
• the grated orange rind of two oranges

1. Heat the water to about 60C.
2. Using about 2 litres of water, mix in just enough flour and malt to make a thick but soupy mixture, likened to porridge.
3. Sprinkle a thin layer of more flour and malt on top and let the mixture sit one hour to sweeten.
4. Add another litre of hot water to that mixture, mix in more flour and malt to regain a thick consistency, and sprinkle generously with more malt and flour and let sit again.
5. Continue step 4, until all flour, malt and water has been used.
6. Cook on low heat for about an hour, stirring frequently, adding the other spices, such as orange peel, salt and molasses.
7. Remove from heat and continue stirring while cools.
8. Place in several small containers (made from Birch if you like!) and bake on about 100C for several hours.
9. Allow to cool and serve chilled, with cream, sugar, ice cream or however you like

Normally, I'd have an Easter brunch with friends that don't otherwise have family in Helsinki to celebrate Easter with. This year, my current apartment is doesn't have the living area space big enough to be conducive to such a thing. But in any case, I'm moving in a few weeks to my own studio apartment! Other Easter things I had aspired to make, but won't make because I am celebrating alone this year? Paskha and Kulich (Russian desserts). That doesn't mean I can't make them on a day which isn't Easter, right?

Cloudberry and Lingonberry Custard Pie

I literally dreamed this pie up Friday night. Maybe I was hungry. Maybe Finland is finally getting under my skin. Maybe I just needed to have my fix of sweetness.... Whatever the reason, it was still in my head after I woke up. After I had brunch at Fanny Goes to Hollywood on Bulevardi, I was all the more inspired to do some cooking of my own.

• Basic pie crust
• 2.5 dl cooking cream
• 1.5 dl milk
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 dl sugar
• 1 tbs vanilla sugar
• pinch of orange zest
• 1.5 dl lakkahillo (cloudberry jam)
• 100 g puolukka (lingonberries) dusted in flour

1. Bake the pie crust at 175C for about 15 minutes.
2. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla sugar, and orange zest.
3. Heat cloudberry jam in a small pan until it becomes runny.
4. Fold in warm jam into egg mixture.
5. Pour egg and jam mixture into pre-baked pie crust.
6. Sprinkle lingonberries all over the pie.
7. Bake for about 45 minutes or until set.

This turned out well, although a little more egg-y and a little less sweet than I had hoped. I think I will try this recipe again, using more sugar, or more jam (or more of both), and perhaps some orange flavored cream cheese, to make it a hybrid between a custard and a cheesecake. In my dream of this recipe, I also melted some white chocolate and lined the pie crust with it once it had cooled. During execution of the recipe, I wanted to keep things simple and practical, so I omitted the white chocolate- maybe next time. We'll see how it goes. I'm always up for some experimentation!

Laskiaistiistai: Shrove Tuesday Buns

So instead of Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday! Ok, so it might not be as exciting as a parade with plenty of semi nude drunken people, but it's still a fun holiday nonetheless!

Reminiscent of most cultures' 'Fat Tuesday' preceding Lent, food on Laskiaistiistai was meant to be fatty, to symbolize the fattening of the pigs and a good harvest for the coming season. But since Reformation, Lent is not so strongly recognized or practiced in Finland. Instead, we make a point to go sledding with families or friends, eat pea soup, and eat Shrove buns.

I did go sledding with friend in Coffinpuisto off of Bulevardi, nearby a friendly yet trendy cafe, Fanny goes to Hollywood. We had a little picnic of 'pulla' (or buns), drank some warm beverages, and took turns sledding down the hill.

Shrove Tide Buns

• 1 cup warm milk
• 25 g dry active yeast
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3-4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp cardamom crushed coarsely (cinnamon is an acceptable, yet non traditional substitute)
• 1 egg, separated
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• almond flakes or sanding sugar for garnish (optional)
• Whipped cream
• Jelly or sweetened almond paste (marzipan)

1. Preheat the oven to 175C. Proof the yeast in warm water with sugar for 10 minutes until foamy.
2. Add the butter, egg yolk, cardamom, salt and 2 cups of flour and mix well.
3. Add more flour, gradually, until the dough is still soft and somewhat sticky, but comes off the bowl easily enough.
4. Knead for several moments to firm the gluten in the dough and eliminate lumps.
5. Let the dough rise for about an hour covered in a warm place, or overnight in the refrigerator.
6. Punch down dough and form into approximately 12 small balls, and place evenly on a baking sheet. Brush with egg whites for the glaze, and sprinkle on any additional garnish. Let rise for about another half an hour.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top.
8. When cooled, cut off top third of the bun and layer jelly (strawberry or raspberry work best) or marzipan, then whipped cream.
9. Replace top third of the bun.

Hyvaa ruoka halua!