I’m starting this post from the lime green sofa in Svetlana’s stylish, well organized, little Copenhagen apartment. There are bookshelves full of travel guides and Michael Pollan on my right, a record player with Ella Fitzgerald on my left, excellent coffee in the kitchen, and plenty of space for my yoga mat at the foot of the lime green sofa. I’m feeling very much at home.
My flight into Copenhagen was easy and uneventful. It just involved a two-hour bus ride to the airport (wherein I got lost several times whilst dragging my suitcase through the pissing rain and experienced the very cliché situation of a conductor asking me, “Are you lost?” me saying, “Terribly,” and the conductor flashing a ka-ching smile and uttering a, “Not for long – where do ye want to go?”). Upon finally arriving at the airport, I checked in, and passed through security (having to part with a pair of forgotten knitting scissors that set off the alarm), and found my gate in record time, only to discover that my flight had been delayed twenty minutes and the gate had been changed. But a very nice Irish woman went to figure things out and gave me “sweeties” in the meantime (Cadbury chocolate drops), so I have no complaints.
Nina picked me up at the airport and we boarded the train that would take us out of the airport and into the center of Copenhagen. We then boarded a bus that would drop us just outside Svetlana’s apartment. I think it was the first time I’d ever been on a plane, a train, and a bus in one day – and it was only from Dublin to Copenhagen. So even though I’d traveled a relatively short distance, I was still completely knackered by the time Nina unlocked Svetlana’s apartment door and we threw my bags down on the floor. After explaining a few apartment essentials, setting up the bedding, giving me 500 kroner for food, and writing down Svetlana’s address (for me to keep about my person like a dog tag), Nina retired to her apartment.
And I promptly plopped myself down on the lime green (or avocado) sofa with an expression of utter exhaustion, complete happiness, and mild bewilderment – wondering how in the world I’ve managed to end up in such a beautiful place with such lovely people for the holidays.
Feeling a bit embarrassed about how poorly I travel (I looked like a hooligan when I arrived), I decided to wash all my clothes and take a bath first thing in the morning. This was a remarkably silly thing to do however, because as there are no dryers in Europe, I had to wait for the rest of the day for my clothes to be dry enough to wear (of course I washed all my warm clothes at once. Duh.) So I was grounded for the rest of the day as I waited for my clothes to dry on the line near the heater. I spent the afternoon practicing French and knitting a hat for Nina.
After Nina finished work at the hospital, she contacted me via Facebook and arranged to meet up for some grocery shopping and Christmas party cooking. We finished the shopping as planned, but on the way out of Irma, she made the spontaneous decision to forgo the chocolate cake and meet a few of her friends for Christmas balls assembly.
Christmas balls have a name in Danish, but I really can’t remember it. I chopped a lot of figs and apricots, and chocolate weaseled its way into just about everything (which no one resented). And there was marzipan. An abundance of marzipan.
I made a carrot cake for Nina’s Christmas party the next morning. As a few people have asked for the recipe I used, I’ll add it here:
Ultimate Carrot Cake
adapted from The Essential Baker via Zoe Bakes
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
(I used a tablespoon of freshly grated ginger)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 extra large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
(I used melted butter)
1/2 cup buttermilk
(I just used milk)
2/3 cups firmly packed brown sugar
(I used ½ cup honey)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 pound finely grated carrots
1 cup toasted chopped pecans
1 cup golden raisins
1 batch Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by lightly coating with oil and lining with parchment paper.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt and nutmeg together in a bowl. Set aside.
Mix the eggs, sugar, oil, buttermilk, brown sugar, vanilla, and pineapple together in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until fully incorporated. Stir in the carrots, pecans and raisins just until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake on the center rack for about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
Cool cakes in their pans for at least 30 minutes before attempting to remove them. Then, removed from the pans and peel off the parchment paper. Continue to cool the cakes completely before frosting.
To assemble the cake, place the bottom layer on a cardboard round or other flat surface and put on a cake turntable. Scoop about 1 1/2 cups of the cream cheese icing onto the top of the bottom cake layer. Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting evenly over the surface. Carefully place the second layer on top. Scoop another 1 1/2 cups or so of the frosting on the top of the cake and spread evenly, easing the frosting down the sides. Spread the icing around the sides of the cake, adding more as needed. Lift the cake off the turn table and place on a cake stand or platter and chill a bit to firm up the frosting before slicing.
SGCC’S Favorite Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange extract (I just used orange zest and a bit more grated ginger)
3-4 cups confectioners’ sugar to taste
Directions:
Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add extracts and beat just until incorporated. Beat in sugar, one cup at a time, until frosting has the flavor and consistency you want. You may not need to add all of the sugar.
Here’s my version:
I did end up dropping the cake lid several times on the way to Nina’s apartment, so it looked nothing like this upon arrival, but at least I have the picture. After putting the tousled looking cake in the fridge, I helped decorate the house and prepare several delicious canapés. The guests arrived a bit late, so everything was on the table and ready to go by the time the doorbell started to ring. Nina has a lovely group of friends, but I had a difficult time understanding most of the conversation. I was the only non-Danish speaker there, so most of the conversation was in Danish. Which makes sense. I just wish I had a better ear for that language – I can’t even tell where a word starts and stops. It all blends together for me, and I can’t pick out an iota of meaning besides the occasional “Tak” – which means “thank-you.” I think. Alex once showed me how things are spelled in Danish, and I think my brain froze. It still hasn’t defrosted.
The next day I met with Monika (a friend of the Maenchen family) for coffee and a walk. She showed me around the food market, took me to a bookstore, and introduced me to the best coffee in Copenhagen. It was extremely good coffee.
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| Best coffee in Copenhagen -- Coffee Collective |
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| This is a very popular Christmas drink -- it's warm, spiced wine with raisins and almonds. I like it because you get to use a spoon. :) |
After dropping me back at Svetlana’s, Monika went out to do some of her own Christmas shopping. In Denmark, all the stores shut down for three days this time of year – the 24th, the 25th, and the 26th. So people have to be very well prepared, as there are no last minute shopping runs in this country.
After making myself a late lunch in Svetlana’s well-equipped kitchen, I meandered over to Nina’s apartment. Now that I know where I’m going, it’s an extremely pleasant 15-minute walk. Nina bought me a Tom Robbins book I’ve been dying to finish for the past 4 months, two pairs of ballet flats, and a ticket to see 50/50 (which isn’t a movie to get one into the Christmas spirit, but is an excellent film). Copenhagen is beautifully decorated this time of year, so just walking down the clean, stylish, festooned streets was a pleasure.
Christmas in Denmark takes place on the 24th as opposed to the American tradition of the 25th -- so Nina and I took the train (and the bus) to get to Nina's grandmother's apartment outside of Copenhagen at about 1:00 yesterday afternoon. Nina's father and grandmother were cooking duck and pork in the kitchen, and the living room table was nearly invisible, buried beneath all the chocolate, licorice, fruit, nuts, and cake (I ate so much. My god).
Nina put on the TV, and we watched several different Christmas shows as we waited for the meat to finish cooking. I felt a bit awkward sitting down and doing nothing as Nina's family worked in the kitchen, but I was assured that there was nothing I could do to help, so I sat back and relaxed. And gnawed away at chewy, salty licorice (a very odd tasting, common candy here).
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| Nina's grandmother finally sat down. I think this was when the ghost of Christmas present was appearing to Ebenezer. |
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| Christmas crackle. This is a big part of Christmas dinner in Denmark. Nina says that it comes up quite frequently in post Christmas conversation. "How was your Christmas?" "It was good, but my crackle wasn't quite right. Oh well." |
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| The Christmas almond! One whole almond is hidden in a bowl of cream with a fruit preserve on top. Whoever finds the almond gets a present. I totally found the almond. And it totally WASN'T rigged. |
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