“A pinch of this, and a cup of that,” is enough to make even the most seasoned baker’s confidence crumble. But, in my family, it’s just another day in the kitchen.
My Grandmother came over from Sweden in her early 20’s (circa 1922) and couldn’t speak a bit of English. She got a job as the cook at the Wrigley’s home on Catalina Island (which is now the Inn on Mt. Ada).
~according to their website www.innonmtada.com
…wow, I wonder if she ever cooked for one of our Presidents- she was the Catalina Island version of Downton Abbey’s Mrs. Patmore!It was there that she met my Grandfather, who also came over from Sweden, although they had never met before…
how romantic!
Now, years later, I often wished I would have taken more time to talk to my Grandmother about our shared passion, and write down all those recipes! But what would I have written down?
There was no science, and little measuring… just love, a feeling, a pinch of this and a cup of that. A true baker.
Uppåkra (Swedish Potato Flour Butter Cookies)
2 stick butter (at room temp. I used regular salted, as there is no extra salt added.)
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. potato starch (it is VERY important to buy potato starch flour, not just potato flour… the latter will yield very grainy cookies. I have found it at Whole Foods and even Kroger.)
1-1/2 c. flour
Vanilla (that was it… remember, vague! I used 1 tsp. but play around with it if you’d like.)
Roll out, and bake. (Yes, that was all she wrote. I rolled out like regular sugar cookies, adding a bit of water if needed to make a good dough. I placed cookies on a greased cookie sheet and baked at 350 degrees for about 13 minutes, depending on thickness.)
And the chocolate sprinkles? I think those are something my Aunt added to the recipe later on… they’re good! Add on before you bake them.
Source: dandeliongreensblog.com (defunct blog)