Trina HahnemannCritiques

This is an interesting book, but best I can guess it is a Swedish cookbook, not Scandinavian. But I'm not Swedish, so maybe it isn't even Swedish.

My mother was dyed in the wool Norwegian, and at Christmas we would have all of her sisters, brothers and other relatives (large family) over. We seemed to be the gathering spot, as had her mother.

The week before Christmas we would all be drafted into the Kitchen to help with the baking, not the simple stuff, like in this book, but delicate treats, endless different ones.

Few if anything in this book is familiar to me. That was a big disappointment, it wasn't at all reminiscing, nor Norwegian.½

I enjoyed reading the "backstory" of certain Christmas traditions (mostly food-related) in Scandinavia.

The recipes are definitely not what I'm used to as an American (plenty of duck, lamb, fish, and spiced breads/cakes) and a few recipes explained that the ingredients were rare and included websites to order them; therefore, this isn't the most practical book for myself.

I do wish there had been even more stories and traditions explained. (And I wish the title had included a descriptor indicating it was a cookbook, not a general book on Christmas in Scandinavia, which is what I had assumed - but I didn't read the back cover, so that was my mistake.)

Delightful. And the recipes all turn out well.

Indeholder "Tak", "Mogens Lykketoft: Forord", "Indledning", "Syrisk spisekultur", "Damaskus' store køkken - en rejse i nutid og fortid", "Køkkenet er Deres, Madame", "Rigtige mænd drikker te", "Forelsket i en gade", "Fatimas fødselsdag", "Søvnløs på Abdel Nasser Street", "Den Grønne Café", "Farmen ved havet - Munas gæstebud", "Gud har ikke kaldt mig - kokken der vil være munk", "Agatha Christie, Baronen og sufierne i Aleppo", "Så skal der bades", "Pigen med den blå ring - i druserland", "Det daglige brød", " Khuboz pitabrød", "Krydderier", "Mezze", "Opskrifter", " Labneh - Yoghurtost", " Hummus", " Baba Ganoush - Auberginemos", " Fatoush - Brødsalat", " Ful Medammes - Bønner i tahinisauce", " Beewaz - Persillesalat", " Tabbouleh - Bulgursalat", " Melines fiskeboller", " Taratour Al-Zahra - Dybstegt blomkål med yoghurtsauce", " Mfarakit kusa - Squashdip", " Kassis Mshattah - Stegte auberginer og tomater", " Salateh Shamiyeh - Syrisk hverdagssalat", " Adjeh patata - Kartoffelkager", " Muhammara - Peberfrugtsauce", " Sabanekh bi-zeit - Spinat i olivenolie med butterbeans", " Laban Immo - 'Hans mors mælk' - Grillet lam marineret i yoghurt", " Mutabal el-shamandar - Rødbedemutable", " Falafel", " Kafta - Stegte krydrede oksefrikadeller", " Moujaddara - Fattigmandslinser", " Shurbeh sebanekh - Spinatsuppe", " Kebab karaz - Lam i kirsebær", " Dawood basha - Syriske kødboller i tomatsauce", " Samak el-sultan - Sultanens fisk", " Borak zaitoon - Små olivenpirogger", " Kylling med citron og grønne oliven", " Kibbeh - Farmens kibbeh med lam", " Makloubet fakhdeh - Lam med ris og nødder", " Arabiske ris", " Makloubet dajaj - Vendt risret med kylling", " Mahshi bathinjan - Fyldte auberginer", " Kafta bel laban - Krydrede lammefrikadeller med mynteyoghurt", " Syriske kibbeh - Fyldte kødboller i yoghurtsauce", " Røde linser med spinat", " Kafta b'sebanekh - Kødboller med spinat", " Kikærtesalat med kylling", " Mehshy el-filfil - Peberfrugter med fyld", " Sheikh al-mihshi koussa - Fyldte babysquash med bulgur", " Kekat bortokal - Appelsinkage", " Baklava - Sød filodej med nøddefyld", " Barazeh - 'Jamals søde tand'", " Rystet yoghurt-drik", " Sleeha - Granatæbledessert", " Mynte-citrondrik", "Register".

Meget appetitvækkende kogebog med sjove retter fra et helt andet køkken end det danske. Jeg laver gerne krydrede lammefrikadeller inspireret herfra, men kagerne er en tand for søde, tror jeg.

Indeholder "Forord", "Holdning til mad", "Hvad jeg spiser i løbet af dagen", " Morgenbord: Morgenmad til min mand og jeg", " Morgengrød", " Øllebrød med citron", " Baconsandwich med kål og spejlæg", " Rugpandekager med blåbær", " Tre slags grønsagsjuice", " Rodfrugtjuice", " Spinat- og ananasjuice", " Agurke- og estragonjuice", " Røgede sild med flødeost og pocherede æg", " Perlebyg og frisésalat med asparges og forårsløg", " Pariserbøf med æblerelish", " Flæskestegssandwich med rødkål og peberrod", " Spinat og kartofler bagt med æg", " Stjerneskud", " Rugbrødsmadder", " Oksekød og pickles", " Æg og røget makrel", " Flæskesteg og æblesalat", " Agurk og gedeostecreme", " Ristede løg", " Grillet sandwich", "Påskefrokost", " Karrysild", " Påskelam", " Kartoffelsalat til påske", " Gulerods- og agurkesalat", " Citronfromage", " Påskeæg", "Måltiderne i vores familie", " Biksemad med lam", " Farsbrød med tyttebærsyltetøj og små bagte kartofler", " Labskovs - min yndlings vintergryderet", " Flæskesteg med kartofler og æblerelish", " Mormors gule ærter med sprængt svinebryst og syltede rødbeder", " Stegte sild med nye kartofler og persillesovs", " Mormors fødselsdagsmiddag med stegt kylling, grøn salat, agurkesalat, sauce og nye kartofler", " Sommerfrikadeller med yoghurtsauce", " Fiskefrikadeller med urtesauce og myntekartofler", " Hvid osso buco med hyldeblomst og estragon", " Hornfiskegryde", " Stegt kylling med rabarber og estragon", " Torsk på den traditionelle måde", " Boller i selleri og æbler", " Skramsgaderetten", " Sprængt oksespidsbryst med dampede grønsager og peberrodssauce", " Andelår med æbler og brunkål", "Tid til hverdagsmad", "Min kærlighed til grøntsager", " Morkler på ristet brød", " Rodfrugtgryde", " Rødbedekager med peberrodscreme", " Tarteletter med asparges og ærter", " Brændende kærlighed med kålrabi- og gulerodsmos", " Cremet perlebyg med courgetter og champignon", " Spelttærte med spinat, jordskokker og feta", " Spinatboller i tomatsauce", " Rugtærte med broccoli og porre", " Blomkålsgratin med bagte tomater", " Brunkål og fermenteret kål", " Hel bagt selleri og blomkål", " Varm butternut squash med mandler og krydderurter", " Grøn mos med lynstegte rosenkål og æbler", "Lange sommeraftener", " Grillede jomfruhummere med citronmayo og chilicreme", " Hindbær- og ribstærte", "Supper til enhver årstid", " Fiskesuppe", " Jordskok- og porresuppe med jordskokchips", " Kartoffelsuppe med ristede rugflager", " Champignonsuppe", " Tomatsuppe med rug", " Krydret hokkaidosuppe med croutoner", " Kyllingesuppe", " Blomkålssuppe", " Aspargessuppe", "Salater jeg spiser", " Radicchiosalat og blåbær", " Boghvede, squash, tomater og løvstikke", " Jordskokker og belugalinser", " Glaskål, granatæble, valnødder og rugkerner", " Rosenkålssalat", " Rugkerner, rødløg, rødbeder og solbær", " Min families bønnesalat", " Blomkål, rejer og dild", " Stegt spidskål, radiser, bacon og ærter", " Julesalat, pærer og druer", " Råkostsalat", " Klassisk kartoffelsalat", " Steaksalat", " Rosenkål, chili og appelsiner", " Quinoasalat", " Glaskål og agurk", " Tomater med gedeostdressing", "Mit køkken", "Syltning", " Mine favoritter", " Syltede asier", " Syltede rødbeder", " Syltede salatagurker", " Grønsagspickles", " Syltetøj", " Stikkelsbærkompot", " Rødt stikkelsbærsyltetøj", " Jordbær-rabarbersyltetøj", " Kvæder på to måder", " Kvæde-blommesyltetøj", " Kvædepuré", " Geléer og kompot", " Ribsgelé", " Rosengelé", " Tyttebærkompot", " Rabarber på fire måder", " Søde rabarber", " Syrlige rabarber", " Rabarberkompot", " Rabarbersaft", "Vennerne til julefrokost", " Enebærgravad laks", " Tærte med grønkål og pancetta", " Julesalat med rødløg og grapefrugt", " Julesalater", " Jordskokker med æbler og estragon", " Dampede porrer med gedeost og mandler", " Selleri-persillerodsfritter og kålsalat", " Fritter", " Salat med rødkål, grønkål og granatæble", " Min juletræstamme", "Brødene, jeg bager", " Rugbrød", " Søde rugboller", " Lette morgenboller med spelt", " Femkornsbrød", " Flutes", " Enkornbrød", " Spelt-focaccia", " Knækbrød med gedeost", " Skorper", " Surdejsbrød", "Julemiddag i mit hjem", " Langtidsstegt and", " Brunede kartofler og sauce", " Brunede kartofler", " Sauce", " Butternut squash salat", " Julecoleshaw", " Majroer og æbler med timian", " Risalamande med kirsebærsovs", "Noget sødt", " Citronmåne", " Marengslagkage", " Rabarber- og chokoladelagkage", " Rabarbertrifli med rugbrødscrumble", " Kringle", " Kærnemælkskoldskål med kammerjunkere", " Pecan pie med rugbund", " Bagte rabarber og jordbær med parfait og ristede flager", " Valnøddekys", " Islagkage", " Varm chokolade med boller", " Æblelagkage", " Kaffebrød", " Kærnemælksfromage med stikkelsbærkompot og mandelmakroner", " Mandelfrugtkage", " Rosenbrød", " Raw bars", " Birkessnegle", " Mazarinkager", " Vafler med rødt stikkelsbærsyltetøj og cremefraiche", "Indeks", "Tak".

Respekt! Her er hjemmelavede tarteletter lavet af enten hjemmelavet butterdej eller købebutterdej, hvis man vil hoppe over gærdet.

Since marrying into a Norwegian family, I have looked for traditional foods to prepare around the holiday season. "Scandinavian Christmas" does a great job of giving basic recipes for the Christmas season while also providing ideas for Advent, Christmas parties, and the popular Smorgasbord. This cookbook is well thought out and presented in easy-to-follow sections. The pictures are beautiful and give you a sense of being in Scandinavia for a holiday feast. Definitely check this cookbook out for new recipes from another culture or to rediscover family favorites once again.

Ashley C. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

Indeholder "Forord", "Noter til bagning", "Kager og wienerbrød", " Flødeskumskager og lagkager", " Andre kager", " Wienerbrød og andre kager med gærdej", "Sommerkagebord", "Brød og småretter", " Korn og mel", " Surdej og biga", " Rugbrød", " Andre brød", " Boller og rundstykker", " Knækbrød og kiks", " Det salte køkken", " Smørrebrød", "Jul", " Julebagning med børn", "Syltetøj og kompot", "Register".

"Forord" handler om ???
"Noter til bagning" handler om ???
"Kager og wienerbrød" handler om ???
" Flødeskumskager og lagkager" handler om ???
" Andre kager" handler om ???
" Wienerbrød og andre kager med gærdej" handler om ???
"Sommerkagebord" handler om ???
"Brød og småretter" handler om ???
" Korn og mel" handler om ???
" Surdej og biga" handler om ???
" Rugbrød" handler om ???
" Andre brød" handler om ???
" Boller og rundstykker" handler om ???
" Knækbrød og kiks" handler om ???
" Det salte køkken" handler om ???
" Smørrebrød" handler om ???
"Jul" handler om ???
" Julebagning med børn" handler om ???
"Syltetøj og kompot" handler om ???
"Register" handler om ???

???

I am ethically Swedish (by both heritage and choice), and this is a very inspiring book!

However, I think the recipes were not adequately tested. For example, the recipe for pate that calls for 8 oz of pork liver- and 8 POUNDS of pork fat!- is clearly not right. That will not give you a pate. And that huge fail makes me look at the other recipes with suspicion. Especially when a bread recipe calls for "whole wheat rye" flour, when there is not such a thing; a mix of whole wheat and rye? 100% whole-grain rye? Which????

Nonetheless, it does have most of the recipes that seem that they will work. I would recommend caution and knowledge, especially if you re experimenting with something your are not familiar with making.

It is a very pretty and inspirational cookbook, with a good combination of old-style and modern Scandinavian dishes. The photography is excellent.

I look forward to trying some of the more sensible recipes, including the bread (for which I will use whole rye flour).½

This is a beautifully photographed book, with photos that put one right into the spirit for winter celebrations. I tried the brussel sprouts and Clementines recipe for Thanksgiving, with mixed results. I liked the recipe, but then my palate is open to experimentation. I believe that most of the recipes are Danish, and have been modernized by the author so that the average U.S. cook is able to find most of the ingredients without having to order from the Internet. The beautiful winter scenes almost made me want to live in a cold climate...almost....

Indeholder "Forord", "Suppe", " Jordskoksuppe", " Svampesuppe", " Ærte-mynte-suppe med bruschetta", " Spinatsuppe", " Grønkålssuppe", "Grønt", " Rødbededeller med kartoffelsalat i peberrodscreme", " Grønkålstærte", " Perlebyg'otto med svampe", " Sommermos med sauterede grøntsager", " Spidskålssalat", " Blomkålsgratin med grøn salat", " Sommerbiksemad med pocheret æg", " Gulerodsgratin med perlebygsalat", " Brændende kærlighed", " Vinterbiks med spejlæg", " Æggekage med asparges og ramsløg", " Speltsalat med forårsløg, asparges, dild og ærter", " Hvide asparges med brødkrummer og smilende æg", "Fisk", " Stegte sild med savojkål og kartofler", " Fiskegratin", " Salat med røget laks, nye kartofler og dild", " Stegt multefilet med stikkelsbær og perlespelt med spidskål", " Blåmuslinger med knoldselleri og æble", " Stegte rødspætter og stuvet spidskål med ærter og kartofler", " Fiskefrikadeller med ramsløg og bønner", "Kød", " Nordisk coq au vin med grønkålssalat", " Boller i rodfrugter", " Svinekoteletter med æbleeddike og sellerisalat", " Farsbrød med rødkålssalat", " Svinekam med rodfrugter og spelt-spinat", " Lam med grønkåls-kartoffelmos", " Krebinetter med eddikesyltet sommergrønt", " Stegt kylling med agurkesalat og rysteribs med mynte", " Frikadeller med løvstikke og agurkesalat med radiser og mynte", " Rugpasta med bacon og grønkål", " Svinekæber med rå rødbeder og peberrod", " Stegt flæsk med æbler, porrer og rugkerner", " Kylling med bagte rabarber og agurke-radisesalat", " Hakkebøf med persillerødder og spinatsalat med kirsebær", " Vintersandwich med and og rødkål", "Brød", " Rugpizza med brændenælder", " Rugpizza med kartofler og hvid ost", " Rugmelstærte med spinat", " Skærtoft Mølles speltbrød", " Rugboller", "Sødt", " Citronfromage", " Rabarbertrifli", " Birkes-marcipansnegle", " Pæretærte", " Hindbærfragilité", "Register".

Opskrifterne ser lækre ud, men jeg har ikke prøvet nogle af dem endnu.

The Scandinavian Cookbook is a visually and gastronomically beautiful and enticing book. It reaffirms my desire to visit the region! I will treasure the book for years to come.

Not quite what I thought it would be, though some of the recipes and ideas look most interesting. For a book about Nordic eating there seems to have been some use of Mediterranean produce as well. Think I might be better off with 'The Scandinavian Cookbook' instead.

On a re-read, I've found a few more recipes that I'm interested in (low carb), so will give this book a second chance.

This is one of the better looking cookbooks in my collection. The photography is elegant and gorgeous, evoking a rich sense of place and tempting one to make it a personal destination someday. The seasonal approach to organization is interesting, particularly in light of recent movements among cooks to source more local ingredients, while little anecdotes with the recipes give this some extra color and personality. Many of the recipes seem straightforward enough though there are a few with ingredients not common in my local grocery store. I do wish after reading this I knew of a local source of reasonably-priced game as the pheasant and moose recipes sound delicious. Now that we're coming into baking season, particularly looking forward to trying the cardamom buns recipe, and as the weather continues to cool, I have my eye on the potato soup with bacon and chives.

This beautifully photographed book is much more than a set of recipes. It is a expression of the Scandinavian soul--of a how a people so often plunged in darkness celebrate life. The book is divided into months and highlights the truly seasonal way Scandinavians eat (something we Americans are just beginning to appreciate). The recipes themselves tend to be short and, for the most part, simple. A reliance on seafood is evident, as is a love baking and celebrating.

This cookbook isn't just a collection of recipes, but is also a beautiful photo essay of life in Scandinavia. Most of the recipes have a straightforward and simple list of ingredients with clear instructions. However, this being a regional cookbook, there are a handful of items that cooks in America will have some difficulty finding. I especially look forward to trying the meatballs in curry sauce, and the classic Danish butter cookies look amazing. And unlike so many cookbooks today, this one shows pictures for all of the recipes. These food images are interspersed with photos of Scandinavia, and this gives the book the feel of a travelogue.

Full color photographs and seasonal arrangement makes this an attractive, but at first glance, alternate purchase. The recipes look so simple and use mostly common ingredients that my first thought was "ho-hum." However, after cooking a couple of recipes, most notably Lightly Brined Chicken, and Barley Salad, the true value of this lesser known cuisine becomes apparent. The ingredients are common and not exotic, yet the amalgam of the parts compose themselves into different spins on old themes. Delightfully simple and refreshing. Nicely photographed. Thank you Library Thing for adding this to my already overflowing cookbook shelf!

To open the book is to take a step into Scandinavia with its large size and beautiful pictures. Spicy non-fish dishes are our favorites so were worried how much we would find in the book. We were pleasantly surprised with a number of interesting recipes. We loved the meatballs with thyme, green cabbage, and lingonsylt (cranberries in our case). We also tried the marinated salmon and found it delicious. The text with the recipes added and the actual recipes were clear and complete. It's a happy addition to our cookbooks.

The Scandinavian Cookbook
by Trina Hahnemann
Photography by Lars Ranek
ISBN 0-7407-8094-8

Beautiful photographs and simple recipes are the two chief features of the book.

Recipes are arranged to match the seasons; every month is introduced with a short essay, and every recipe also has some context.

The book progresses through the twelve months, with a selection of six or eight recipes for each month. Evocative photographs of nature and food introduce each month, and clear images illustrate each recipe.

Other than the citric acid and 40 elderflower clusters required for Elderflower cordial (page 100), none of the ingredients are too unusual. Rye flower, olive oil, fresh fish, lemon zest, and new potatoes are typical. (Okay, November has pork cheeks in dark ale on one page and pheasant on the next, but the rest of the recipes are very approachable.)

The instructions are clear. They are divided into sections, each beginning with a bolded phrase to help the cook look ahead -- or recall their place.

There are entrees (leaning toward the region's wonderful cold-water fish), deserts, baked goods, and plenty of salads.

A glossary at the back of the book provides additional details of some of the foodstuffs.

I had expected this book to strike me as "beautiful but not for me," but now I think there are several recipes I will try before considering sending it on to family in Minnesota.

Trina Hahnemann's cookbook is visually stunning and a very diverse introduction to Scandinavian cooking as a whole. The book is designed to be a seasonal cookbook, so recipes are presented in a monthly format with attention paid to the shifting weather and moods.

When Trina says in the introduction, "I still strongly believe that you should try to buy as much local produce as you can..." there should have been stress placed on the quality of ingredients as well as seasonality. In cooking through a few of these recipes, one thing became abundantly clear - Scandinavian cooking relies heavily on the base flavor of the ingredients. Seasoning was minimal and relied heavily on salt and pepper and little else. If a dish called for a side condiment or pickled something, this was generally a well-called for spark of flavor.

Of the recipes, we tried in the book:

Caraway Seed Bread: Easily made in an evening with quick-rise yeast (this cuts rise time in half). The superfine sugar is easy to locate in grocery stores. The buttermilk base helped create a dense, sweet loaf and the caraway flavor was prevalent.

Wienerschnitzel with braised potatoes: It's admitted upfront that although this dish originated in Vienna, it's become a classic throughout Europe. This version took no time at all to put together and cooked easily on a weeknight. The seasoning is incredibly light, but when you serve with anchovies, capers and lemons, the flavor comes together.

Captain's Stew: A comfort food that will become a staple. Best described as a mashed potatoes and chuck steak, this does have a healthy dose of black pepper, but is again, lightly seasoned. We served with pickled beets and found the flavor combination to be really good.

Baked Trout with New Potatoes and Smoked-Cheese Cream: The vegetables and trout were perfect. The potatoes called for rygeost or smoked ricotta cheese - neither of which were available locally. We ended up improvising by taking cream cheese and mixing in a bit of liquid smoke after reading up on the consistency. We're not sure how close it was, but the side dish was really good and something we'll make again.

Chicken Liver Pate with Aquavit: Aquavit was not available locally after checking at three different liquor stores. So for a week, I made my own Aquavit using vodka and a spice mixture. The chicken liver pate was still lightly seasoned, which did not work in this dish's favor. The homemade Aquavit flavor was there, but it mostly tasted of chilled chicken liver and a hint of sour cream.

There are other recipes I'd like to try, which definitely holds favor with this book. I have two bits of criticism to offer. The first is that the glossary is incredibly light and concentrates on the wrong ingredients in many cases. While time is spent ingredients like Beer, Beets, Mustard and Salmon, ingredients like rygeost never make the list. The second is that the book is missing is a good substitute/how-to list - for ingredients that may be difficult to find outside of Scandinavia (homemade Aquavit is mentioned in the glossary but no recipe is offered). Substitutions are mentioned occasionally, but are rather hit-or-miss and sometimes make little sense. (Under Creme Fraiche, she says, In the United States, reduced fat sour cream is used instead. - I found this rather odd since I can get Creme Fraiche in the same space as sour cream at any mega-mart nowadays.)½

I was not sure how well I was going to like The Scandinavian Cookbook when I first received it. This is an area of world cuisine I have neglected since I tended to think of it as mostly fish, reindeer, and potatoes with dill and sour cream to flavor it.

I was totally wrong. The recipes cover a wide array of foods. Lots of fish and seafood but a good bit of red meat and poultry as well. The usual array of side dishes with some unusual vegetables I have not cooked with such as Jerusalem artichokes, a root vegetable not related to our familiar artichokes.

I tried the cold buttermilk lemon soup with biscotti although I made it with lime instead since I already had them.
Light and sweet with the biscotti as crunchy yummies. Captain's stew is a boiled beef and potato dish somewhere between a beef hash and mashed potatoes. It was very tasty and even my picky eater liked it. (He's 70.)

The book itself is large with gorgeous full color photos of the food as well as urban and countryside vistas. It is divided into months with traditional recipes for that season. The recipes are printed on the left side of the page with a photo on the right. There is a glossary of ingredients and websites to buy Scandinavian foods. This is a welcome addition to any library.

When I first received this book my thought was "nice book but I don't think I will cook anything from it". Scandinavian cooking is one area I don't have much experience with so it all seemed very foreign to me. The beautiful photographs just kept sucking me in though and before I knew it I was making a list of recipes to try. With so many books on Italian, Mexican and all sorts of Asian cuisines it was nice to see one on Scandinavian cooking. An area certainly lacking in my cookbook collection. I found the arrangement by Month to be very helpful also.

A quick, pre-cooking review:

The photography in this book is incredible--you'll want to leave it out on the coffee table for guests to page through. Gorgeous gorgeous and guaranteed to make you hungry.

Although the organization of recipes by month leaves more room for amazing photos, an arrangement by season would make the book more cohesive.

Some of the ingredients will be a challenge to track down, such as various fish roe (cod and lumpfish), lovage and moose. There is a glossary in the back with definitions and suggestions and website sources; Hahnemann also lists substitution recommendations.

For a book marketed in the US, I don't understand why the yeast recipes call for fresh yeast, something only professional bakers tend to bake with. Hahnemann does list equivalents for instant and active dry in the glossary, and it isn't difficult to substitute, but why not suit the intended audience?

And although some flour quantities are listed in weight, not all are; one person's 3/4 cup of flour is another's full cup. This can sometimes make the difference between a great loaf of bread and a just okay one.

Overall, this is an approachable, beautiful cookbook with simple instructions (hopefully not TOO simple) and, being completely new to Scandinavian cooking, I am looking forward to getting to know the fish counter better and bringing something different and delicious to the table.

The Scandinavian Cookbook is a most welcome diversion from the humdrum of the usual ethnic cookbook. A balance between a coffee-table photo book and a compendium of every Scandinavian recipe known to man, Trina Hahnemann takes you through the seasons with her rich sampler of recipes, drawing you into the pulse of life in a region beautifully seen through the masterful lens of Lars Ranek. Thankfully, there is not a single Lutefisk dish in this book! I found myself eagerly turning pages and reading her narratives as the Scandinavian year flowed from January - through summer - to December. There is a comfortable connect with the author's marking the seasons with dishes made from fresh local ingredients. Wonderful salads, fruit dishes, rye bread, tantalizing fish and meats, and warming winter libations. As a Gravlox fan - The simplicity of the recipe found me rushing to the fishmongers and then waiting 3 days for my salmon to brine -an exquisite balance of dill, spices, salt and sugar in the cure. This was followed by a sumptuous luncheon - as though Scandinavia had leaped from the pages into my kitchen. Hahnemann has erased the images of bland white fish dishes and the epicurean horrors of a bachelor farmer's banquet in northern Minnesota with a colorful, masterpiece that will be appreciated by any cook.

Trina Hahnemann, a native of Denmark is a food writer, chef and author of several cookbooks in her own country. The Scandinavian Cookbook is her first to be written in English and introduces her concept of modern Scandinavian home-cooking which in her own words, "The food should be made out of the best, preferably organic, ingredients and should be prepared with great care and love--without spending the whole day in the kitchen."

Her philosophy on food continues by incorporating local produce and foods as often as possible and using the foods of the season to nourish both the body and the spirit. The seasons are the skeleton on which her cookbook is based with each calendar month receiving it's own chapter beginning with the turning of the year at January and ending with her most sophisticated and festive recipes for the holiday season in December. More than a collection of recipes, this oversized edition features as many full page photographs of the finished dishes, but also of landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes aligned with each month allowing the reader to experience viscerally how deeply her cuisine is affected by her love of the turning of the year.

As to be expected the winter months focus on warming, comfort foods with stews and soups, breads and baked goods. Spring brings herbs and greens and hearty Smorrebred (open-faced sandwiches) along with the seafood such as mussels and salmon. The summer recipes reflect the jubiliance in the brief season of plentiful and delicate fruits, berries with strawberries and red currants being featured. The autumnal recipes focus on game such as pheasant, reindeer and moose along with preserving the last of summer's bounty in preserves and compotes. Her holiday recipes are the most lavish and complex of the entire collection and include everything from centerpieces for lavish holiday meals such as Swedish Ham and Roast Duck to the traditional Glogg and aebleskiver (Swedish donuts).

Trina focuses on crossing the cultural gap and offering a glimpse into the kitchens and cuisine of Norway, Denmark and Sweden with simple, easy recipes which even the a novice in the kitchen shoul be be able to create with success. The more serious chef may be a bit disappointed as the recipes are often quite basic with a few leaving me wondering why one would even include it as a recipe, except to express that food's importance in the culture. Her directions sometimes border on vague such as ” a generous spoonful" or "heat slowly over low heat until just before it boils," both of which leave gaps for someone comfortable in the kitchen to improvise but might intimidate those with less experience. This is a cookbook about culture, flavors and food that nourishes the spirit, the family and the body. So, while you won't find nutrition information or preparation and cooking times, you will begin to get a sense of the flavors inside a Scandinavian kitchen from the commonalities in these recipes. Whilr the lack of precision in the few complex recipes may be a concern for those unfamiliar with the technique, as this is obviously not a book intended to instruct in technique; I'd suggest having an understanding of the underlying skills such as braising, baking or smoking before attempting one of her recipes which calls for it.

The upside is once you're comfortable with her underlying basics, which include the combination of herbs and spices, the vanilla cream which is used in almost every dessert, and the basics of boiling potatoes you should be able to create about 95% of these recipes with ease and use those as a starting place for improvising or adding a Scandinavian flair to your own dishes. And the gorgeous photographs are enough to warrant opening this book on their own merit; it's the first cookbook I've ever seen that has as much value as a coffee table book of artistic photography as well as a collection of real-life, everyday useable recipes.

Trina Hannemann books fits well into the contemporary revisit of tradition family meals and fresh ingredients. Following in the foot steps of the Slow Food movement, Trina leaves her mark with foods from Scandinavia. In her introduction she says that rather than write a traditional cookbook replete with famous Scandinavian dishes, her book will look at food seasonally by month using products readily available at farmer’s markets . There are a few notable exceptions, moose and reindeer aren’t’ readily available, but lingonberries do occasionally appear in ethic and gourmet sections of a supermarket. Trina is a popular TV chef in Denmark and her recipes reflect ease of preparation for the home cook. Most recipes can be completed after work and served to the family coming home. Those that can’t be completed in short order are noted as special and worth the effort. Pastries, savory dishes and desserts are given equal place. The December chapter is the only chapter where the more special items are emphasized. Scandinavian Cooking is a good book to pick up monthly to bring wholesome food and variety to your diet. Lars Ranok’s photos are another good reason to visit this book monthly. Scandinavian food can be easily integrated to the American kitchen.