Christmas Table at Råda Säteri 2010

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Krister Dahl, executive chef of Råda Säteri.

With the Swedish Olympic Culinary Team Captain, Krister Dahl, presenting his version of a traditional Swedish Christmas Table at Råda Säteri.
J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson © 2010

Previous years we had chosen to have our traditional Swedish Julbord 2007, 2008 and 2009 at Leif Mannerströms Sjömagasinet focusing very much on the produce of the sea, but this year we were looking for something different.

Admittedly it was the persistent recommendation from friends, and our own curiosity of how one of the greatest names we have in the Swedish food competitive world would deal with something as traditional as a Swedish Christmas table, that this year made us make way out to the old mansion of Råda Säteri, just outside of Gothenburg.

The Säteri itself is a large manor that dates back to 1772 while the history of the place as such dates back to Medieval times. Enlivened with expectations, we made our way there through the thick snowfall, that cloaked the lands creating a pristinely white Christmas landscape.
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Second Advent – Visiting Christmas Markets in Gothenburg, Sweden 2010

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Cheryl Marie Cordeiro-Nilsson, Christmas Marketing at Haga, 2010.

Standing in the cobbled streets of the Haga district
Christmas market in Gothenburg, Sweden.
J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson © 2010

During the whole of December many streets and squares in Gothenburg are turned into Christmas markets with numerous small food and handicrafts fairs, where the emphasis is on the old-fashioned, the homemade and the genuine.

The opportunity is also taken by many historical societies to show off their gear.

Since Sweden is a very secular country, traditional Christian nativity scenes are almost conspicuously absent while the emphasis is on memories of times – and Christmases – long gone.
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Jonsered – Swedish knowledge industry now, and then

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Jonsereds herrgård, terrace.

Jonsered Mansion, today owned by the Gothenburg University
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

When we first approached the Jonsered Mansion it was one of those early winter days where the night frost had added a crystal sparkle to everything, like a dusting icing sugar on the grounds.
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The RESER 20th Anniversary Conference Gala Dinner, Gothenburg 2010

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2 Patrik Ström and Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, RESER's local organizing committee 2010.

Dr. Cheryl M. Cordeiro-Nilsson and Associate Professor Patrik Ström (Chairman of the local Organizing Committee for RESER 2010), a last inspection of the Odd Fellows Estate grand hall, prior to dinner.
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

The 30th September to 2 October, 2010 saw the world’s leading researchers in the field of Services Research gather in Gothenburg, Sweden, for their annual conference.

The Chairman of the local Organizing Committee for RESER 2010 was Patrik Ström, Associate Professor, Docent, PhD, Ek.Dr. Staffan Helmfrid Pro Futura Fellow at the School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, whom I had the pleasure to assist in the materializing of this event.
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An evening with the Gothenburg Culinary Team West of Sweden

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Cheryl Marie Cordeiro at Trubaduren with the Gothenburg Culinary Team, 2010.

At dinner, presented by the Gothenburg Culinary Team at the restaurant Trubaduren, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

With the upcoming Culinary World Cup in November 2010, in Luxembourg in mind the Gothenburg Culinary Team invited friends and members of two culinary interest groups to a three course dinner event during this last weekend.

Mingle session, Cheryl Marie Cordeiro and Manager of the Gothenburg Culinary Team, Ronny Spetz.

Ronny Spetz, Team Manager, welcoming guests to the mingle session.

The atmosphere at the mingle session was as usual relaxed and friendly. The autumn air outside with its light drizzle coupled with a chilled white Champagne prior to dinner heightened our expectations of an upcoming display of culinary artistry.

Members of the Swedish Chefs Association, and members of the Western Swedish Academy of Gastronomy, Trubaduren, Gothenburg.

Mingle session before dinner

It was during the mingle session prior to dinner that guests got to meet two managers of the Gothenburg Culinary Team, various board members of their own mother organization that is the Western Swedish Chefs Association (SKF), and members and friends of the Western Swedish Academy of Gastronomy (VGAK). The discussions bounced lightheartedly and passionately between topics about what’s current and coming in the culinary world, and not the least what was to be served for dinner that evening.
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Swedish west coast autumn plums and crab fishing

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Early autumn, we had the pleasure to see as our guests, a group of Singaporean students, who were out to explore our nook of the western Swedish archipelago. Some were to stay in Gothenburg within their exchange program, some were to leave for their stay in Italy.

The group met for lunch, after which we all went out in the garden to have our dessert straight from our trees and bushes. Autumn is the ideal harvest time for most fruits and berries in Sweden and pleasantly enough, we had plenty to offer of red currants and plums. The plums, being big, sweet and juicy, turned out to be something of a favourite!

Red currant picking, Swedish west coast.

Before taking a walk to the beach, some red currant picking in the garden and eaten straight from a branch without being packaged and wrapped in plastic first. A nice alternative to city-living.
Photo © Ryan Chung, J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

Plum picking, Swedish west coast.

Plum picking and enjoying the harvest.

Matt with plums, Cheryl and Ryan in background.

Matt with a handful (or two) of plum picks.

plums

Plums.

Crab fishing, Swedish west coast.

Learning to crab fish.

Near our place is a neat and well protected bathing beach with a solid, rocky pier to break the waves. This beachside haven creates a shelter for small children and accompanying adults, who prefer warm and shallow to deep and cold water.

Along this pier is a favourite crab fish spot for both children and grown-ups alike. All it takes is a string and an opened clam in the end of the string, and most any crab will climb on board and refusing to let go, will follow the string up. Usually the “catch” is just toppled back into the sea at the end of the day since the crabs are considered too small for eating anyway. Somehow it appears as if there’s developed an established agreement on how to run this show. The crabs get to eat ready opened clams, and in return they agree on being lifted in and out of the water during the day by small children. All parties seem to be ok with this arrangement.
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A Swedish late summer BBQ

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singlepit

Swedish west coast late summer BBQ. Kebabs on the grill, cubes of marinated meat with cut up vegetables on skewers.
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

For as long as I can remember, my life has been punctuated with barbeque events as something to look forward to and a weekend thing to do in Singapore. Needless to say, it’s one of those events that I so desperately miss when not in Singapore, especially the East Coast beachside barbeque where friends and family would toss on the grill, a variety of marinated meats and seafood.

In Singapore, barbeques are most often causal events with everyone in standard shorts and tees or alternatively, swimwear and wrapped around beach towels. Paper plates, plastic cups, and plastic forks and knives (if we even bothered using these and not eat with our fingers instead!) are the norm at these events. And of course, paper towels to clean up.

Then in most of my Singaporean experience, there’s always the general chaos of who’s mending the grill pits. In my family, it was more or less ‘to each their own’, so like the steamboat around the table, you look after whatever you’ve put on the grill yourself and there isn’t one grill master to see that things don’t burn. And things eventually always end up burnt, but we’ve all come to expect this and it would hardly be a heartwarming barbeque event without charred food. In fact, it was only when I arrived in Sweden that I realized that barbequed food is not synonymous with burnt food, but there were techniques to apply that would render succulently grilled meats served to the table.

Satay making, Sweden.

Amused in the midst of chit-chat, making Singaporean style satay sticks to go with the warmed and waiting peanut sauce.

The Swedish barbeque is casual by Swedish norms but compared to Singapore, it would come across as slightly more formal, with proper designated seating places for everyone, and the use of porcelain plates, with proper glasses and coffee mugs. Serving the grilled food with red or white wine is not uncommon and there’s generally less movement of people between the grill pits and the dining table. There’s indeed a grill master, and no chaos whatsoever.
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Windy!

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Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, highpoint, Swedish west coast.

Battling the wind!
Photo © J E Nilsson and C M Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, high point, Swedish west coast hp1.

One of our favourite things to do, is to go out taking pictures when the weather turns really dramatic. There was no real storm today as there can sometimes be along the Swedish west coast, but it was certainly WINDY! Us picking the highest available viewpoint of course brought out some extra shows of temperament among the local pagan weather gods.
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Swedish westcoast archipelago

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Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, Swedish westcoast 1

In a moss green maxi halter dress along the Swedish westcoast archipelago.
Photo © JE Nilsson and CM Cordeiro-Nilsson for CMC 2010

I was greeted by a tepid tropical rainstorm when I landed, the weather being unusually warm and playful even as Swedish summers go. It felt surreal that I didn’t need to put on any cardigan on my way home.

Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, Swedish westcoast 2

After the hectic weeks spent in Singapore at the heart of Asia, where everything seemed to move at double speed, being back in Sweden offered an instant breather. For one thing, you can sit and watch the sail boats go by without having a need to know where they’re off to or when they’ll return.
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Swedish Midsummer’s dessert

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Fresh strawberries and ice cream dessert, the ideal midsummers party dessert. No preparation time at all leaves plenty of time for your friends.

Fresh strawberries and ice cream dessert, the ideal Midsummer’s party dessert. No preparation time at all leaves plenty of time for your friends.
Photo © Jan-Erik Nilsson for CMC 2010

The upcoming weekend is the traditional celebration in Sweden of the absolute longest day during the whole year and consequently the shortest night. Originally a pagan tradition, it is still celebrated with dancing around the midsummer’s pole – symbolizing fertilization of the soil – and in anticipation of bountiful harvest.

Nowadays the harvest is not so much the issue as a splendid opportunity to have a barbecue party in the garden and meet friends. With this in mind I would like to share one of the simplest ideas of the whole year as a perfect dessert – plain vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries.

The strawberries however, not travel well and should be had ideally directly from the field.

All things considered this might actually be on of the few occasions where Scandinavia have an advantage over tropical Singapore. They might not have ripe mango, rambutan or lychee but – they do have sun ripened strawberries.