A Real Taste of Scandinavia in Portland
The days of the American Swedish smorgasbord restaurant pretty much peaked and waned along with ABBA’s radio airtime. For decades the American idea of Scandinavian cuisine has been little more than a cliché punch line. Fortunately, that’s all changing.
Your friends at Sur Flicka recently had the opportunity to re-visit Broder, an old-world chic Swedish restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Aside from the hip, yet truly genuine atmosphere, what really makes Broder unique are the delicately authentic Scandinavian flavors.
Sure, you’ll find overtly Scandinavian items like swedish meatballs and aebleskivers on the menu, and don’t get us wrong they’re all great. But the real gems are Broder’s breakfasts, especially the Pytt i Panna – a traditional Swedish breakfast hash with a perfect balance of flavor that evokes a real sense of Scandinavia.
So now you’re dying to try it, right? Check out Broder on the web at http://www.broderpdx.com/about
Candles on her head…What?!
In Scandinavia, December 13 means only one thing – the annual Sankta Lucia celebration.
You may have seen the iconic Scandinavian Luciatåg lead by the year’s elected Lucia wearing a crown of candles on her head. You may have watched the Lucia pageant and sung along with 
the classic Lucia songs. What you may not know is that Saint Lucia’s day has a dark history.
Saint Lucia’s day was historically observed on the shortest day of the year. Why the shortest (and darkest) day of the year, you ask?
Well, Lucia, the patron saint of the blind is named after the Latin word for light. That sounds nice so far. But why is Lucia often portrayed in medieval art without eyes? We’ll spare you the gory details. Suffice it to say, as the legend goes Lucia chose to give up her eyes rather than her principles.
Leave it to the Scandinavians to turn a dark and morose historical account into a symbol of hope, unity, and rebirth. It really is all about perspective. Happy holidays and glad jul!
Farfar Would Love this Board
While checking out the local Sunday market, your friends at Sur Flicka were drawn to a wild display of candy colored disks and a rainbow of glossy wood grains from honey yellow, to deep red, to chocolate brown. It was time to investigate.
What we found was Erickson Longboards- a cool collection of incredibly unique vintage styled skateboards made by Bill Erickson, a local Swedish-American craftsman.
Bill crafts high quality longboards from sustainable and reclaimed hardwoods. Each hand-built board is a uniquely created work of art that would look just as good cruising down the street as it would next to your Hans Wegner table.
Take it from Bill, “No lift ticket, roof rack or bulky clothing required. They’ll match your vintage furniture!” Plus you’ll look cool hanging ten.
Check out Erickson Longboards and Bill will set you up with a board that Farfar would be proud of!
…and when you’re done picking out your longboard,pick up one of Sur Flicka’s farfar surfklubb tees to accessorize your ride with – on sale now $18!
A Thai Twist on Scandinavian Cuisine – Part 2
Sur Flicka is serious about doing its part in the fight against Scandinavian cuisine discrimination (you know the old stereotype – lutefisk, boiled meat, bland potatoes…)
As promised, here’s the second in our series of Scandinavian recipes with a Thai twist created by Chef Pranee Halvorsen.
I’m sure your Morfar and Mormor can turn some cod into a mean serving of fiskefrikadeller or fiskbullar, but this spicy salmon fishcake would knock those ladies right out of their socks.
TOD MAN PLA SALMON
Pranee adapted this recipe from her mom’s famous fish cake. This dish is rich with flavors and fragrance. Oven baking makes it lighter than traditional deep-fry method. When the fish cakes are served with cucumber salad and sweet chili sauce, the hot, sweet and sour taste will awaken all one’s senses.
Servings: 10 to 12 persons (Yield: 3 cups to makes 12 patties)
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes
5 shallots, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 tablespoons red curry paste
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1½ pounds salmon
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
¼ to ½ cup coconut cream (the creamy part from the top of coconut milk can)
10 basil leaves or 4 fresh Kaffir lime leaves, chiffonade
7 green beans, sliced
1 cup breadcrumbs or as needed
Peanut oil or corn oil for deep-frying
Preheat the oven to 375° F.
In a food processor, put in shallots, garlic, red curry paste, cilantro, salmon, sugar, light soy sauce, salt, egg and coconut cream. Let it blend for 5 seconds.
Put the fish mixture in a bowl and mix in shredded basil leaves and green beans with a solid wooden spoon until it is blended. Let the mixture stand in refrigerator for 15 minutes or longer. Test by pan-frying a small portion first. If the batter is too soft, stir in some Panko breadcrumbs. Use ice cream scooper to scoop the mixture into a bowl of breadcrumbs, cover the mixture well with breadcrumbs and pat to hamburger-like to make a fish cake patty with a ¼ inch thickness and put on the baking sheet. Repeat the process until the mixture is gone.
Heat the frying pan with 2 tablespoons cooking oil and pan-fry fish cake on each side until golden yellow and set aside on a baking sheet until all are done. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Serve with cucumber salad and sweet chili sauce from recipes below.
NAM JIM TUA PAI
Sweet Chili Sauce
Yield: 1½ cups
Preparation: 10 minutes
3 tablespoons garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup sweet chili sauce
1/3 cup vinegar or more if needed
¼ cup ground peanuts
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper as needed
In a frying pan over medium heat, fry garlic with canola oil until light yellow to golden.
Whisk all ingredients in small bowl to blend. Set aside.
.
© 2010 Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen – used with permission
Pranee teaches Thai cooking classes in the Seattle area. Her website is: I Love Thai cooking.com.
Stay tuned for the next recipe in the series. Hej då!
NEW designs from Sur Flicka
Check out the latest and greatest from Sur Flicka and get 20% Off your next order* of $30 or more. Use discount code SUMMER at check out.
the NORSK tee is here
We’ve received countless requests from our Norwegian fans and we’ve listened. Sur Flicka introduces the new norsk tee. Wear it with pride whether you’re Norwegian, or just a fan of the Viking lifestyle. Shop it! >>>
Check out the new version of the svensk tee >>>
dansk in grey
The dansk tee now available in unisex heather grey >>>
banan at home
Sur Flicka takes it’s designs to the couch >>>
*Discount good through Augut 31, 2o11.
The Swedish Mule!
With the Summer Solstice here, it’s a good time to start planning your midsommar festivities this weekend. If you’re looking for a cool new addition to the traditional snaps and akvavit, sur flicka has a suggestion.
Sur Flicka teamed up with local Swede John Lundin of Bluewater Organic Vodka to bring you the exclusive recipe for this summer’s signature cocktail – the Swedish Mule.
Swedish Mule
1 oz Bluewater Organic Vodka
1 oz fresh lime juice
1/2 oz Elderflower Syrup
3 oz ginger beer
Combine in a cocktail shaker. Shake to mix well, and serve over crushed ice
To learn more about Bluewater, visit their website at www.bluewatervodka.com
Get Ready for Some Brand New Designs!
Sur Flicka will be unveiling two brand new designs at the Seattle Nordic Heritage Museum’s Viking Days on July 16th and 17th. To make room for these new designs, some of our classics will regrettably have to be closed out.
So what does this all mean for you? Be sure to come see us at Viking Days to get some great deals on the discontinued designs and to be the first to see the new stuff.
If you just can’t wait, here’s a hint: You’ve seen Sur Flicka’s Svensk and Dansk designs. As a Norwegian you might have felt a little left out. Well, Norwegians, this just might be your year.
The new designs and the clearance sale will be available on the Sur Flicka website shortly after their debut at Viking Days.
Vi ses i juli!
A Thai Twist on Scandinavian Cuisine
Scandinavian cuisine. We’ve all heard the jokes. It’s supposedly bland, salty, and overwhelmingly gray – in color and taste. Of course you Sur Flicka fans know better.
For some of you newcomers, let’s talk a little about Scandinavian food. No, this time we’re not going to talk about reindeer meat, kötbullar, or herring. This time we’re talking about fusion.
While traditional Scandinavian cuisine is built around a few main types of food including fish, meat, dairy and potatoes, a willingness to incorporate foreign flavors has also been a tradition in Scandinavia. For example, the traditional Swedish dish Kåldolmar (or cabbage rolls) were adopted by King Charles XII from the Ottoman Empire. The exotic spices that give pepparkakor their distinctive flavor came to Sweden from Armenian cuisine in the 1200s.
In this tradtion, Sur Flicka is proud to bring you a series of Scandinavian recipes with a Thai twist created by Chef Pranee Halvorsen (that’s right – it’s a Thai and Danish name).
Recipe #1:
Curried Crab Filo with Thai Lime-Green Chili Jam
Yield: 36 pieces
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 10 minutes
1 cup cream cheese
1 cup chopped fresh or canned pineapple, squeeze out excess liquid to get about ⅔ cup of pineapple
⅓ cup sliced green onions (about 5 green onions)
4 teaspoons Madras curry powder
A dash of Thai chili powder
8-ounces crab meat (about 1 cup), squeezed lightly to drain out excess water
9 (17 by 12-inch) sheets filo dough, thawed if frozen
½ cup cooking oil
3 tablespoons Thai Lime-Green Chili Jam (click here for recipe)
36 cilantro leaves
36 sliced red peppers or red loganberries
Preheat oven to 375°F.
To make the filling, combine cream cheese, pineapple, green onion, Madras curry powder, and chili powder in a medium size bowl; mix well. Gently fold in crabmeat until combined. Yield: about 2 cups filling.
Take one filo sheet from the stack and lay it out on a work surface. Brush well with oil to cover the entire surface. Lay another layer on top and brush with oil again. Add a third layer and brush with oil again.
With the length facing you, place one-third of the cream cheese filling along the edge lengthwise from left to right to make a line of filling 1 inch by 17 inches. Fold the edge forward to make a roll. As you continue to roll, brush the dry surface of filo dough with oil. The finished roll should be about 1 inch in diameter. Using a knife, cut the roll into 12 pieces and place them on a greased baking sheet.
Repeat these steps to make two more rolls, for a total of 36 pieces. Place on the same baking sheet and bake until golden, about 10 minutes.
Transfer to a platter and place a ¼ teaspoon Thai lime-green chili jam on each curried crab filo and garnish with cilantro leaves and sliced red pepper or loganberries.
Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
© 2010 Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen – used with permission
Pranee teaches Thai cooking classes in the Seattle area. Her website is: I Love Thai cooking.com.
Stay tuned for the next recipe in the series. Hej då!
WORD.
Sur Flicka stumbled upon this “word cloud” site when working on something completely unrelated today. Hahaha… you can call it one of those bing moments, I guess. We ended up making this cool word art inspired by Sur Flicka designs. If you haven’t seen this before you can check it out here. Word up, yo.
VODKA – SENSIBLY SWEDISH
Today’s Sur Flicka happy hour includes a chat with our favorite vodka maker. John Lundin, a Seattle-based Swede, recently launched Bluewater Organic Vodka as a merger of his love for sailing and spirits. With a hearty “Skål” we chatted about Sweden’s vodka culture and why this spirit so enduring and endearing.
It’s no secret that Sweden’s passion for vodka helped propel this iconic spirit into the global mainstream, says Lundin. But vodka hasroots that go back centuries. In the 1500s, monks began distilling brännvin – distilled wine infused with herbs, spices and berries – for medicinal purposes. Eventually grain became the base for brännvin
(cheaper and more available than wine), and thespirit soon became a national drink. By the mid-1800s, advancements in distillation techniques meant a higher degree of purity could be reached – and the distillate began resembling our modern day vodka.
Vodka isn’t just Sweden’s creation, as most cold-weathered people of the old-world countries claim kinship to the spirit. The Vodka Belt encompasses the nations from Scandinavia to Russia, including Poland, the Baltic States, Belarus and Ukraine. Each region brings defining characteristics to their vodka, from the grain or potatoes used,distillation and filtration techniques, and the water source.
With Bluewater, Lundin tells us that he pursued the ultimate alchemy of combining the wild, high-alpine water from the remote San Juan Mountains in Colorado with the distilled spirit from 100% organic wheat. Remaining true to old-world techniques, Bluewater receives a finishing distillation in a beautiful copper kettle to enhance character and elevate its smoothness. With no additives, the spirit is as natural as can be.
Vodka isn’t uniquely Swedish, but our favorite Nordic nation has certainly made its mark. With Bluewater Organic Vodka, Lundin continues the Swedish vodka tradition through old world tradition and progressive perfection.
We’re enjoying Bluewater straight over a few rocks – Swedish style. Now we only need some pickled herring…
To learn more about Bluewater, visit their website at www.bluewatervodka.com
Scandinavia in the Desert
Have you ever wondered what kind of connection there is between Scandinavia, Mid Century Modern design, and Palm Springs? Well whether you have or not, we’re about to tell you.
What we now call Mid Century Modern first emerged in the early 1900s through the combination of organic design forms with elements of the Avant Guarde European esthetic movements. Scandinavian architects, designers, and furniture makers were consistently at the forefront of this revolutionary style – a style characterized by functionality, clean simplicity, and a smooth integration with nature.
In the US, Mid Century Modern architecture brought modernism and the Scandinavian esthetic into near universal reach in the American post-war suburb.
One of the best places to experience this truly American interpretation of Scandinavian mid century design is in Palm Springs, California.
In fact, many of the neighborhoods along Palm Canyon Drive have preserved stunning examples of original Scandinavian inspired mid century modern homes. In the shops along Palm Canyon Drive, you can find more museum quality Scandinavian furniture than pretty much anywhere else west of Malmö. And if that still isn’t Scandinavian enough for you, Palm Springs is home of the Cafe Scandia – a true Scandinavian restaurant in the middle of a desert oasis.
Now you know. Palm Springs might as well be Copenhagen.
Check out Sur Flicka’s hus print>>
Not Your Typical First Aid Kit
…it’s the kind where the “stripes” of Detroit (by way of Nashville) and Stockholm collide. What the heck are we talking about? A First Aid Kit track produced by Jack White of The White Stripes. Sur Flicka just picked this up and was blown away by the strong vocals, harmonies and vintage rockabilly-esque sound. We just love pleasant surprises 
Check it out here >>
Sur Flicka in Atomic Ranch
Well, kind of. There’s a Sur Flicka ad in the current Winter edition of Atomic Ranch magazine. The magazine embraces Scandinavian design from the mid-century modern era and today. It’s definitely a Sur Flicka Favorite!
To check out Atomic Ranch, visit www.atomic-ranch.com
Red, White….or Glögg
Glögg and Pepparkakor
Nearly every Scandinavian is familiar with Glögg – the sweet, strong, spicy, holiday favorite. The history of the humble glögg, however, is not quite so well known.
According to the Wine & Spirits Museum in Stockholm, King Gustav I Vasa of Sweden had a particular affinity for a winter drink made from German wine, sugar, honey, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves. Since the King’s drink was served piping hot, it became known as “glödgad vin”, which meant “glowing-hot wine.” At some point after the early 1600s the word was shortened to “glögg”.
Here at Sur Flicka, we don’t mind if you call it Glögg, Gløgg, or Glögi. We just ask that this holiday season you invite your friends and family to share some glögg, pepparkakor, and holiday cheer.
Glad Jul, och Skål!
Now Available: hus limited edition original print
Introducing hus, the first in our series of hand-screened mid century modern prints!
Each design is limited to a run of just 50 numbered prints. If you miss your chance to buy one don’t blame us.
