Shrove Tuesday: Semlor, Scandinavian Cream Buns (Wheat Free)

In keeping with the theme of Shrove Tuesday, here is another delicious offering, this time from the Subarctic realms of Scandinavia: semlor!

Originally, semlor (singular: semla) were eaten on Shrove Tuesday before the start of Lent, but once the Scandinavian countries had the Protestant Reformation, Lent was no longer as important. Nowadays, these cream buns are eaten throughout the year as a sweet treat. Traditionally, semlor are eaten in bowls of warm milk, like a pudding, but I'm not sure how often they are eaten like that anymore.

In Sweden, semlor are filled with whipped cream and almond paste made into a creamy filling by mixing with milk. In Finland, they are called laskiaispulla, and are made with raspberry or strawberry jam instead of almond paste filling. However, both are sold all over Scandinavia, and are differentiated by their appearance: almond semlor have almonds on top, and jam semlor are simply dusted with some icing sugar.

The bread dough is also subtly perfumed with some ground cardamom, which is a spice which I don't think is used anywhere near enough. However, if you don't like cardamom, you could use cinnamon, or just leave it un-spiced entirely.

I made both, but I preferred the jammy ones: I found the almond paste ones too heavy and cloying. But, make both and

INGREDIMENTS
Makes 16 or 20 buns, depending on size

• One batch of sweet bread dough, seen here, with 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom added
• 1 medium egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon (15 millilitres) of milk, or water
• 17½ fluid ounces (500 millilitres) whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons (30 millilitres) icing sugar
• Optional: 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) vanilla essence

For Finnish style buns

• 5 or 6 ounces (140 or 170 grammes) raspberry or strawberry jam
• Icing sugar, for dusting

For Swedish style buns

• 5 ounces (140 grammes) marzipan*
• Milk, for mixing*
• Flaked almonds, for decorating
• Optional: warm milk, for serving

HOW-TO

• Prepare the dough according to this recipe, adding the cardamom, and once it has risen the first time, divide into 16 or 20 balls, roughly 2 ounces or 1½ ounces (55 or 45 grammes) each. Make sure the tops are nice and smooth and taught.
• Lightly dust two large flat baking tray, and place the dough balls--8 or 10 on each tray--in a 3-2-3(-2) pattern, about two inches (5 centimetres) apart to allow them to double in size without touching each other.
• Allow to rise in a warm place, loosely covered with some oiled cling film or a slightly damp clean tea towel, for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in size.
• In the meantime, preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mk.4). Arrange the oven so two shelves are close to the centre of the oven.
• Once the buns have risen, brush each bun gently with the egg beaten with milk or water. If you want some Swedish style buns, sprinkle the top of each one with some flaked almonds for decoration.
• Place the trays in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and risen nicely.
• When they are baked, remove from the oven and transfer each bun to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.
• To fill the buns, whatever style you choose, whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla, if using, to firm peaks.

To complete Swedish style buns,

• Mix the marzipan with milk, a tablespoon (15 millilitres) at a time until a smooth paste is achieved. Be gradual with the milk as a little goes a long way and you don't want it too thin: it should be creamy. A fork is the best tool for this job.*
• Cut the top off each bun, about an inch (2½ centimetres) from the top. Fill the bun with some almond paste, about a rounded teaspoon (7 millilitres), and a dollop of cream. You could put the cream in a piping bag fitted with a star shaped nozzle, if you prefer.
• Place the top back on the bun, and serve either on a plate with a cup of tea or coffee, or for an authentic experience, serve in a shallow bowl of warm milk.

To complete Finnish style buns,

• Cut the tops off the buns as before, but fill each bun with a rounded teaspoon (7 millilitres) or so of jam, and then some cream, replacing the top as before.
• Serve individually on plates, dusted with icing sugar. Enjoy with tea or coffee.

These are best consumed immediately after preparing, or on the day they're made. The next day, they are alright, but by day three are best used for bird food.

* UPDATE (27/02/17): Instead of using pre-made marzipan, you can make your own almond paste filling. In a mixing bowl, mix together 3 ounces (85 grammes) ground almonds with 3 ounces (85 grammes) icing sugar and a pinch of salt, and add a few drops of almond essence. Add milk or water gradually, about a tablespoon (15 millilitres) at a time until it becomes creamy, as shown above.

Shrove Tuesday: "Crepelloni", Italitan Style Spinach and Cheese Rolls with Tomato Sauce (Vegetarian Friendly)

This is the last weekend before Lent, and that means only one thing: Shrove Tuesday is just around the corner! So to mark the occasion, I will be sharing a variety of recipes to try out this year. Starting with this one: Italian style 'Crepelloni'!

Here in Ireland, we celebrate Shrove Tuesday with pancakes, as such it's mostly called Pancake Tuesday. We generally speaking eat crêpe style pancakes, not American style thick pancakes (drop scones), and they work for sweet or savoury toppings. They are particularly nice with lemon juice and sugar, which is traditional in Ireland and Great Britain, for sure.

According to my mother, and her mother, and probably her mother too, to make pancakes you use quarter of a pound of flour, half a (UK) pint of milk, and an egg (which is 115 grammes, 285 millilitres, and an egg). So, that is how I've always made them for my whole life, and they've never done me wrong.

However, I thought I'd do something a little different this year, which is inspired greatly by the work of Delia Smith. On one of her cookery programmes from 20 odd years ago, Delia made some Italian cannelloni using pancakes rather than traditional tube pasta (in more recent books and programmes, she uses cooked lasagne sheets), and it works really well. When I tried to find a reference for the book or programme, I couldn't find the original publication, but I did find that a few other people have tried this and written about it. The only reference I could find is a 21 year old newspaper article from the British Independent.

There are so many things you could put in these, but this time I went for something vegetarian. Spinach and soft cheese filling with tomato sauce is one of my all time favourite Italian combinations, and good for veggie boys and girls, it contains no meat whatsoever.

This means you can have pancakes for breakfast and dinner on Shrove Tuesday!

INGREDIMENTS
Makes 6 cannelloni

• 4 ounces (155 grammes) white spelt flour
• ½ UK pint (1¼ cups, 285 millilitres) milk, or milk alternative
• 1 egg, medium or large
• Butter, or margarine, for frying

For the filling and sauce,

• 6 ounces (170 grammes) spinach, cooked and finely cut
• 8 ounces (225 grammes) soft low fat cheese, such as ricotta, cottage cheese, or quark
• 1 medium egg
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) grated mozzarella
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 8 or so ounces (225 grammes) tomato pasta sauce of your liking
• Grated mozzarella and cheddar cheese, for topping
• Butter, or margarine, for greasing

HOW-TO

First, make the crepes,

• In a mixing bowl, sieve the flour and make a well in the centre. Add the egg, and then mix in the milk a little at a time using a wire whisk until all the milk is added, making sure to mix well after each addition to get rid of any lumps.
• Allow to the batter to sit on the work surface for about half an hour to relax.
• When you want to fry them, heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add about quarter of a teaspoon of butter, or margarine, and swirl it around the pan until it has melted.
• Add about a third of a cup (85 millilitres) of batter to the pan and swirl it around the cover the base of the pan. Cook for about 45 seconds to a minute, until the top is dry and set, and underneath is lightly browned
• Flip the pancake, and cook for a further 45 seconds to a minute, until it has browned also.
• Continue cooking the pancakes until you have used all the batter. You should get about 6 or 7 large pancakes.

To complete the dish,

• Grease a 6x8 inch (15x20 centimetre) baking dish lightly, and preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, Gas Mk.6).
• In a mixing bowl, mix all the spinach, soft cheese, egg, and grated mozzarella until smooth and well mixed. Season to taste with salt and pepper (you can skip this if you have a problem with eating raw egg).
• Take a pancake, place a sixth of the filling in the middle. Fold in the sides a little, then roll the pancake around the filling to make a parcel.
• Repeat this with six pancakes in total, then place the rolls in the dish. Pour as much sauce as you like on top of the the rolls, then top off with the cheeses to your liking.
• Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the level of crispiness you want on top, then serve hot in warmed pasta bowls, or plates.

THIS TIME IN 2016: No blog

THIS TIME IN 2015: Doing Filming for Community Documentary: Be Back When Work Is Less Mental

THIS TIME IN 2014: No blog