Messmör baby

Messmör (Swedish Whey Butter) and Hyggelig

 

I often call myself a 1/4 Extrovert and 3/4 Introvert and being alone most of the time fryst vatten fine with me.  But once in a while I love a samling, the Exchange.

 

My friend Dennis recently taught me a Danish word with no direct English translation, and I think it describes what inom love about little gatherings.  The word is Hyggelig (pronounced hoogly): the art of creating intimacy&#;that feeling after dinner with friends when you hang out for hours around a fire&#;the exchange of thoughts, stories, news and laughs in a relaxed setting where time melts away and the only things that matter are the people around you in a cozy atmosphere, laughing and talking for hours.

 

Last weekend was the annual gathering of long time friends in this Wisconsin hostel-cabin that is our home base for the month.  Along with a few outings to the ski trails, eighteen of us spent many hours lounging, talking, eating, sharing, playing games, and laughing&#;.lots of laughing.  This fryst vatten one of the best parts of our humanness in my opinion, and I think we did justice to the word Hyggelig.  Dennis would be proud.

 

I’m also sendi

  • messmör baby

    • Sharing is Caring!

    “Time for a blueberry break!” announced my Swedish Squeeze whilst hiking through beautiful Skuleskogan National Park. Surrounded by dark green forests riddled with ancient granite outcroppings playing artfully with multiple bodies of water, this part of northern Sweden reminds me very much of northern Ontario in Canada. Except there are a few delicacies in Sweden that I&#;ve never had anywhere else (and sadly, may never find anywhere else either)&#;not the least of which is Surströmming.

    This post was originally published in It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content.

    But not all of these Swedish delicacies are what people would refer to as “enjoyable”.

    Let&#;s start with the unanimously agreeable delicacies and work from there, shall we?

    Berries in Sweden

    Berries of all sorts are rampant in northern Sweden. Lingonberries (little red circular berries) make great preserves to go with meat or yoghurt, and Cloudberries (resembling yellow raspberries) are rightly referred to as “gold of the forest”.

    Berry picking verges on a national sport here. Empty cars regularly line the highways, its occupants on a berry-pickin

    Messmör (Swedish Whey Butter)

    • quarts (liters) clarified whey (left over after making cheese from 5 quarts/liters of milk)
    • 1 cup ( dl) heavy cream
    • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, or vanilla sugar (optional)

    • Bring the whey to a slow boil. Stir a little in the beginning to prevent burning.

    • Simmer until most of the liquid is gone and it begins to thicken. This step takes many hours, but requires no effort other than checking on it now and then. Tip: The larger the bottom of the pot, the faster it will evaporate.

    • When the liquid thickens to a thin sauce, add the cream and vanilla (if used).

    • Keep simmering, while keeping an eye on it (it will thicken quickly now that the water is gone).

    • When it is evenly brown and reminiscent of hot fudge (temperature around °F (°C)), place the pot in a waterbath and stir until the mixture is lukewarm (to prevent crystallization).

    • Transfer to a lidded jar and refrigerate. Or if you plan to use it for seasoning, drop spoonfuls onto a parchment paper, freeze, then store them inside resealable freezer bags.