A Region of Extremes: Nordic Culinary Traditions – Louisiana Eats – It’s New Orleans

On this week s show, we voyage to the Land of the Midnight Sun and explore Nordic culinary traditions. To begin our journey, we visit with Chef Magnus Nilsson, the genius behind F viken, a world renowned restaurant in a far flung farming region of Sweden. Magnus has taken on the whole of Scandinavia and beyond in his newly released Nordic Cookbook, an enormous tome that illustrates the way Nordic food traditions emerged from the cold, harsh climate of Northern Europe. We then hear from culinary academic and nordophile Darra Goldstein, for whom the icy climes of the Nordic region represent warmth and comfort. Darra s close ties to Norse culture inspired her to write about the diverse food that comes from what she calls “a region of extremes” in her latest book, Fire and Ice Classic Nordic Cooking. Next, we discuss Sweden s most celebrated export, Absolut Vodka. Carefully hand crafted and distilled using a secret 100 year old recipe, Absolut Vodka is much more than what appears in those sleek blue bottles. We speak with Absolut s Miranda Dickson and Jonas Tahlin, who demystify the Absolut Vodka legacy. Finally, we check in with Michael Bossetta, an old friend and New Orleans expatriate living in Copenhagen. Like any good New Orleans boy, Michael recently brought his friends home for a visit. Michael and his pack of Great Danes stop by our studio and tell us all about bar life in Copenhagen. The Deep South meets the Far North on this week s Louisiana Eats Rakor me krondill Shrimp In The Style Of CrayfishFrom Fire and Ice Classic Nordic Cooking by Darra GoldsteinServes 4 3 lbs. jumbo unpeeled shrimp 10 15 count 6 cups cold water 3 cups stout or one 22 ounce bottle 4 tablespoons salt 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons dill seed 8 large flowering crowns of dill Bring the cold water, beer, salt, sugar and dill seed to a boil in a large stockpot. Drop the shrimp into the boiling brine and immediately turn off the heat. Toss in the flowering crowns of dill, stirring to submerge them, then cover the pot. Let the shrimp sit in the brine at room temperature for 6 8 hours. To serve, remove the shrimp from the brine and mound on a large platter.