December 2003: I learn the art of making lussekatter (saffron pastries) from Swedes. It's part of the celebration of Luciadagen, which becomes my favorite Swedish holiday. I think to myself, "Self! Wouldn't it be fun to make this a tradition at home?"December 2004 and 2005: I spend hours in the kitchen trying to replicate the joyful baking moments of yesteryear. I end up with mediocre imitations of the lussekatter. I'm never quite sure what to do with them once they're baked, because they're um... sort of an acquired taste situation. I discover that saffron is really expensive in this country. Still, I feel all warm and happy inside because, come on, it's Lucia Day.
December 2006: Utter failure. Shay wonders if we accidentally dumped concrete mix into the dough at some point? We keep the buns long enough to photograph them and send pictures to Swedish friends so that they can laugh with us. Then we dump most of them hastily into the trash. The rest we use throughout the year as paperweights, doorstops, and projectile missiles.
December 2007: After years of trial and error, I finally get it right. I revel in the beauty of my lussekatter and am actually brave enough to deliver them to friends, in the true spirit of Lucia.
December 2008: I manage to keep tradition alive with the help of Pillsbury. The cheap imitations taste nothing like lussekatter, but you do get to smother them with sugary icing. Also preparation took me five minutes.Happy Lucia Day to you! Thanks Pillsbury!
6 comments:
I'll pick you up some saffron nxt time I go to Spain. You're right-it's insanely expensive here. I'm curious about those yummy looking goodies and how saffron plays a role in the flavor. Kevin has some...and I don't think he uses it. Maybe you could use a pinch or two..
YUM! I have no idea what saffron tastes like. But I thought I'd put that out there.
Yeah, what the heck is saffron? It sounds like something that should NOT be consumed.
Thats an awesome process! I enjoy the story. Merry Christmas to you and enjoy the baking.
Saffron is so ridiculously expensive! Congrats on keeping the tradition alive :) I think your 2008 way sounds really yummy right now and way easier.
Saffron is expensive because it is actually the dried stigma (tiny threadlike strands) of the Crocus Sativus Linneaus, a member of the iris family.Since the stigmas are hand-plucked from the individual flowers, saffron's high cost becomes more understandable. It is thought that saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. In Spain, they have saffron plucking competitions!!!
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