All wrapped up and ready for a new home.
I always fail when I make knäck, it’s either always to soft or to stiff. This time it’s to stiff. Still edible though.
It’s a lot of improvising when I’m baking these days, there’s a bunch of ingredients I have to substitute and some things I cant find. I made Ischoklad (Ice Chocolate) with some coconut oil that smelled a lot more coconut than the coconut fat I’m used to, and peppermint schnapps instead of peppermint oil. Still waiting for these to cool down…
After an hour in the dark with no TV or internet, we got bored and invited the neighbors over for drinks instead.
I just went to Surfas in Culver City, it’s a pretty awesome but overpriced baking and cooking supplies store. I was looking for a few things for my Christmas baking, but couldnt find anything. One of the things I was looking for was the bitter almonds for my marzipan. I went to the nut section, it wasnt there, I went to the extract section and I couldnt find it there either so I asked a guy who was working there. We went back to the nut section but again no luck. The guy went to ask someone else who was working there and was told they don’t carry it.
So I went to Smart & Final, which is another more reasonable priced, kind of more geared towards catering store. The one I went to in Culver City had turned itself from a regular Smart & Final to a Smart & Final Express, and off course I couldnt find any bitter almonds there either.
Once again I was reminded of how much I hate shopping, so I turned back home.
Made a quick google search and found out on about.com that “the sale of unrefined bitter almonds is prohibited in the United States”. Cool, I guess I can stop looking. I’m thinking I should still be able to find bitter almond extract somewhere though. Or should I just not care about it and put some rum in the marzipan instead?
My grandmother always used to make marzipan for Christmas, when she passed away my mother carried on the tradition. When I was at the supermarket today to pick up spices to make gingerbreads I came up with the brilliant idea to make the traditional Christmas marzipan as well! I think I picked up everything I need, except that I forgot the bitter almonds.
To Be Continued…
Roasted pig was on the menu!
And cake!
Our Czech friends made Czech dumplings. I always see these when we go skiing in Austria and always wondered what they were…
My sous-chefs never disappoint!
Cinnamon buns!
We went on a short road trip in the afternoon and drove by the present King of Sweden’s summer residence.
Dinner with the family in the sunset!
