List of Holiday Recipes
Brita as Iduna with apples, painting by Carl Larsson
These recipes reflect the Scandinavian traditions of my family (with a few exceptions). Christmas Eve was our holiday, which we celebrated with lutefisk and lefse, accompanied with mashed potatoes, creamed peas and carrots, Red Cabbage Coleslaw, and Cranberry-Orange Sauce for the main meal, and Æblekage (Danish Apple Cake) with whipped cream for dessert. I continue that tradition.
We didn’t have a special meal for Christmas Day, but when I moved to Portland OR for my career, I often invited friends who had no family to join me for a special dinner. I often made roast beef or lamb, accompanied with baked sweet potatoes or winter squash, a side of braised greens, such as broccoli or green beans, and more Cranberry-Orange Sauce. For dessert, we enjoyed leftover Æblekage or Plum Pudding for Christmas.
See also 1. Cat’s Christmas Menu and Preparation Schedule; 2. Desserts & Treats
Condiments:
Beverages:
- Eggnog (Alcohol-free)
- Tom and Jerry (Holiday season hot beverage)
- Wassail and Hot Mulled Cider, Traditional Holiday Beverages
Main Course
- Corned Beef, Brined & Braised
- Lutefisk (lye-fish)
- Roast Rack of Reindeer (Venison), Prime Rib, or Lamb
- Salmon, Poached in Court Bouillon
- Slow-Roast, Spice-Rubbed Beef/Buffalo with Red Wine & Mushroom or Cranberry Sauce
- Thanksgiving Roasted Game Hen with Rosemary Apple Stuffing
- Tiny Turkey: Roasted Game Hen with Wild Rice, Cashew & Mushroom Stuffing
- See also:
- Turmeric & Honey-Glazed Roasted Turkey (Mercola) – I plan to try this with a game hem for Thanksgiving 2018
Sides:
- Basic Braised Greens
- Baked Yams or Sweet Potatoes
- Buttered Ginger Beets
- Coleslaw: Basic Red or Green
- Creamed Peas (or Peas & Carrots, or Peas & Pearl Onions)
- Danish Red Slaw (Rødkålssalat)
- Cranberry-Orange Sauce
- Glazed Parsnips with Carrots or Ginger
- Harvard Beets
- Lefse – Potato Flatbread from Scandinavia
- Nuts n Seeds Poultry Stuffing
- Pickled Beets or Turnips
- Potato Dauphinoise (Potatoes Au Gratin)
- Red Cabbage Coleslaw
- Rosemary-Apple Stuffing (for Game Hen or other Bird)
- Turnips au Gratin
- Winter Squash, Baked
Treats & Desserts
- Æblekage (Danish-apple-cake)
- Æbleskiver (Danish pancake balls)
- Almond Cake, Scandinavian
- Almond Rusk, Quick
- Almond Torte, Danish (Mandelkage)
- Cranberry Keeping Cake (Norrlands Kage)
- Cranberry-Orange Bread with Nuts
- English Plum Pudding
- Gingerbread Cake with Mustard
- Gingerbread Cake (Scandinavian)
- Holiday Pumpkin Pie
- Hot Cross Buns (Fastelavnsboller)
- Melomakarona (Phoenikia) (Greek Christmas cookies)
- Mincemeat Filling for Pie, Tart or Cookies
- Plum Pudding for Christmas
- Rice Pudding for Christmas (Julerisengrød)
- Rugelach (Hazelnut, Walnut) (Jewish Hanukkah cookies)
- Sandkager (Danish Shortbread Cookies)
- Sandkager (Almond Sand Cookies)
- Sugar Plums (dried fruit, nuts, and spices treat)
- Wienerbrød (Danish Pastry)
- Yule Log (Bûche de Noël)