Sweet buns and a dead king
Semla
Minus 20 degrees today! When winter is coldest Swedes take comfort in whipped cream. As soon as the nation has finished digesting their Aladdin chocolate box, semlor start showing up in coffee places and bakeries across the country and they continue seducing innocent strollers until easter.
A good semla consists of a milk bun filled with marzipan and whipped cream. It is the fastest way of getting yourself feeling like Marie Antoinette and friends. An hour of Minuet comes in handy to get back to the old maneuverability. Puhh. No wonder the Swedish king died 1771 after eating 14 of these as a dessert after a full meal.
chocolatemoussecaramelcreamstrawberrysaucehell
In Finland these are called “laskiaispulla” and haven’t killed anyone so far. Recipes can vary but those baking and loving semlor tend to be strongly opinionated. Gateau demonstrates a liberal attitude by putting up a huge sign asking “How should a semla taste?” and giving a quick description of their own recipe. Delicious admittedly, but I appreciate the trend towards “Mini semlor”. A Barbie version really does the job. More champagne, less whipped cream – if I may give my recommendation to the king. It’s all in the mix.
