Finnish glögi rarely has citrus peel as a flavor component like its Central European cousins, but cinnamon, cardamom and cloves are essential. I added a few spices that aren’t all that traditional – dried mint, pink peppercorns, and star aniseed – just because I personally love them, and they did add a certain freshness to the flavor. I also cut down on the amount of cloves, since often there’s a whole tablespoonful of them in a similar recipe, and I think their taste can get wildly overpowering. I would use the recipe below as a starting point and tweak it to your own tastes.

The kind of juice that is used as a base also has an important role – we use a red currant juice concentrate that Heikki’s mother has made from her own berries, and it lends quite an authentic color and flavor to the drink. Grape juice or even lingonberry or cranberry would surely be worth trying out. This spice infusion would probably be lovely added to some warmed up apple juice, or black currant juice for the sneezy days, and I can see it spicing up my cup of tea even. Finns often add some almonds and raisins in their glögi mug, but I prefer mine without.

This is what I used:

• 5 slices of fresh ginger
• 4 cloves
• 1 teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon (or 1 stick)
• 2 teaspoons pink peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon dried mint
• 1 star aniseed
• a pinch of allspice
• 3 dl water

I placed all the above in a small cooking pot, brought to a brisk boil, and lowered the heat so that the mixture was barely bubbling. Now I covered the pan and let the spice mixture simmer for half an hour, and then sieved it through a cheese cloth into a small jug.

To make a cup of glögi, I use about 3 tablespoons of the spice infusion, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of red currant juice Heikki’s mom has made, and 1 and 1/2 dl of hot water. It all depends on how sugary the juice is. This recipe yields about 2 dl of the spicy mixture, which I would say is enough for about five glögi portions. I store what’s left over in a small bottle in the fridge. An alcoholic version could be made with half red wine and half fruit juice, or by adding a little bit of vodka (or another spirit of choice) in the glögi mug.

This cake was our dessert on Christmas eve, along with a refreshing citrus fuit salad. The fragrance that came from the oven during baking was intoxicating, and the cake itself didn’t let us down; it was sweet and moist and delicious, with just enough spice and a decadent accent of cognac from the icing.

We had fresh dates for the cake, but they looked and tasted a lot like the regular dried dates. Maybe they weren’t quite as sweet, and probably a little moister, but I think the dried variety would work very well in this cake.

For the cake, I used:

• 300 g cranberry soy yogurt
• 100 g plain soy yogurt
• 1,5 dl dark syrup
• 100 g plum jam
• 2 dl vegan margarine, liquid or melted
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 4 teaspoons vanilla sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 4 dl wheat flour
• 150 g fresh dates, chopped

Icing:

• 1 tablespoon cognac
• 1 dl confectioner’s sugar

Decoration:

• a couple of fresh dates
• a pink peppercorn
• some cinnamon

To make the cake batter, I just mixed the liquid ingredients (soy yogurts through margarine) in one bowl, and the dry ingredients (cinnamon through wheat flour) in another. I combined the two, mixed just enough to create a smooth batter, and then folded in the chopped dates. Now, I poured the batter in a greased and floured, round cake pan, and baked the cake in 200 degress Celsius for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake came out clean.

I let the cake cool down for a few hours after baking, and then decorated it. I mixed the icing ingredients with a fork, and drizzled the icing over the cake. Then I chopped a few dates, and decorated the cake with them, forming a flower in the center with a pink pepper corn surrounded by date petals.

This is the only picture we have of the soup, and the actual food is hardly visible. What can be seen is that we cooked it on the wood stove at the cottage, next to the rutabaga cubes that we fried at the same time. Aesthetically, this dish really is just dark brown, thick, and mushy, so I actually think the photo still reveals more than a picture of a bowl would have been capable of.

We served this soup as a starter for the Christmas dinner, and it came out pretty much like the one our hospitable hosts Noris and Israel cooked for us in Habana; thick and filled with the deep flavor of black beans, with an added smokiness from smoked red paprika.

This is what we used for the soup:

• 1 big onion, cubed
• 10 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 l water
• 1 l black beans, soaked overnight (400 g dry beans)
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 red bell pepper, cubed
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ teaspoon dried crushed chili
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1-2 teaspoons salt
• lemon wedges and fresh cilantro to serve

First, we rinsed the beans and let them soak overnight, covered with plenty of cold water. Then we fried the onions and garlic in the olive oil until they were translucent, being careful not to burn them. On medium heat, this should take about 7 minutes. Then we added the red bell pepper to the soup pot, fried it for a few minutes, and added the rest of the ingredients, except for salt. It’s best to let the beans soften before adding salt, because it can make their skins a little chewy.

Now, we brought the soup to a brisk boil, let it bubble for some 15 minutes, and then lowered the heat to let it simmer gently for about 3 hours. After about an hour or so, I added the salt. Since we cooked it a day ahead, we refrigerated the soup and reheated it the next day before dinner. The taste of the soup benefits from the long simmering time and gets even better when reheated. Nevertheless, if the cook is really hungry, the soup should be ready to eat after an hour and a half of simmering.

We served the soup with lemon wedges so that everyone could squeeze fresh lemon juice in their soup. There was also a bowl full of chopped cilantro on the table, so that each diner could sprinkle their bowls with as much of it as they liked.

There were four of us at the Christmas dinner, and this recipe left us with a lot of leftover soup for the remaining holidays.

The photo was taken after we’d coated the already-once-baked roast with mustard, crushed melon seeds, breadcrumbs, and pink peppercorns. It went in the oven after coating, but we forgot to take a picture when it was all done – it looked pretty much like this, except the breadcrumbs had browned a little. There’s no inside shot either, but the roast had a delicate and pleasant texture: tender and juicy, and not chewy like regular seitan.

We chose the seasonings to fit our own tastes, but the proportions for this recipe are from a seitan ham recipe at the Finnish animal rights discussion forum.

Dry ingredients:

• 3 dl gluten flour
• ½ dl chick pea flour (gram)
• ½ dl nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried rosemary

Wet ingredients:

• 150 g marinated tofu
• 1 and ½ dl tofu marinade
• 1 dl water
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed

First, we mixed the dry and the wet ingredients in separate bowls, then poured them together, and kneaded the dough for about 10 minutes. Now, I formed the dough in a cylindrical shape, and then wrapped it tightly in multiple layers of aluminum foil. Then we baked the roast in 150 degrees Celsius for one and a half hours, and refrigerated it overnight without removing the foil.

Pictured here; the roast dough wrapped in foil, and the next day before coating.

On Christmas eve, before dinner, we spread Dijon mustard seasoned with garlic and red bell pepper over the roast, sprinkled it with crushed melon seeds and breadcrumbs, and decorated with pink peppercorns. Then we baked it in about 175 degrees for half an hour or so, until it had gotten some color.

Here’s what we used:

• 500 g firm tofu
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 3 and ½ dl vegetable stock
• 1 and ½ dl red wine
• ½ dl soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon green peppercorns, ground
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, ground
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon rosemary

First, Heikki sliced the tofu in thin slices, about 1/2 cm thick, wrapped the slices in paper towels, and pressed them lightly. We mixed all the marinade ingredients, and poured them in the glass jar. Then we plunged the tofu in the jar, and let it marinate overnight in the fridge. This could, however, be marinated up to five days at least, since all the tofu slices are completely covered with the marinade.

I read many Finnish recipes for these confections, and most of them recommended boiling agar for 30-45 minutes, even when using the powdered kind. This seems contrary to the Asian style agar recipes that recommend only a minute or two of boiling. In Finland, agar is only sold in pharmacies and Asian groceries, and I’ve never bought it from the pharmacy – maybe their powder is coarser than the Asian one.

Anyway, these easy and quick recipes are designed for the Asian type agar powder, which is also considerably more economical than the one sold in pharmacies. Some advance planning is still required, since the confections need to dry up in room temperature for at least a few days before wrapping.

Lingonberry Confections:

Lingonberries are small, deep red in color, aromatic, and a little tarter in flavor than cranberries, and as such are perfect for marmalade.

• 1/2 dl lingonberry juice
• 200 g frozen lingonberries
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 dl water
• 2 and 1/2 dl granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon agar agar powder
• extra fine granulated sugar for coating

First, I cooked the frozen lingonberries in the berry juice until they were soft, which took about 5 minutes. Then I placed a fine sieve over a mixing bowl, poured the lingonberries in the sieve, and pressed them with a tablespoon to get all the juice in the bowl.

Then I heated the sugar and water on medium heat until they were bubbling and the sugar granules had dissolved. Now, I sprinkled the agar over the sugary mixture and whisked, letting it bubble, until all the agar had dissoved, and the mixture started to thicken. After about a minute and a half, I took the pan off heat, and let it cool down a few seconds.

Now, I poured the agar mixture in the lingonberry bowl, and whisked until everything was combined. Then I poured the mixture in a bread pan covered with plastic wrap, trying to level the surface as well as I could. Now, I let the marmalade cool down in the room temperature until it was settled, and then refrigerated it for 15 minutes to make sure it would settle. I covered two cutting boards with baking parchment, and then turned the marmalade dish upside down over one of the cutting boards, so that the block dropped.

I cut the marmalade in pieces with a sharp knife, and separated the pieces from each other. Now, the marmalade has to dry up before it’s coated with fine sugar, because otherwise the sugar will get soggy from the moisture.

I dried my marmalade confections for about two days, flipping them over a few times to let each side dry up. The second cutting board was needed for the flipping; I just placed it over the confections, turned the whole thing upside down, and removed the first clipping board and the parchment paper carefully. The marmalade is dry enough when it feels sticky, not moist, when touched with a fingertip. The time required for drying depends on the amount of sugar used in the recipe.

After two days, we coated the marmalade confections with fine granulated sugar. Then we let them dry up in room temperature a few more days just to make sure the sugar wouldn’t melt, and then packed them in small zip lock bags.

Sea buckthorn and lingonberry confections dry up, and then get coated with sugar.

Blueberry Confections:

I just recently learnt that Finnish blueberries aren’t actually blueberries, and they should instead be called bilberries. They are smaller and darker in color than North American blueberries, and are also more acidic and aromatic. The two berries are still almost identical, so I think it’s just easiest for everyone to call them both blueberries.

• 1/2 dl cranberry juice
• 200 g frozen blueberries
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 dl granulated sugar
• 1 dl water
• 1 tablespoon agar agar powder

I made the blueberry confections almost exactly like the lingonberry marmalade, with only three minor alterations. I didn’t add sherry when I boiled the berries, and reduced the amount of sugar while adding some lemon juice, because blueberries are sweeter and not as acidic as lingonberries.

Sea Buckthorn Berry Confections:

Sea buckthorn berries are also pretty tart, but are mostly available in sugary jam form – I can’t remember ever eating a fresh sea buckthorn berry.

• 160 g sea buckthorn berry jam
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
• 1 dl water
• 1/2 dl granulated sugar
• 1 dl confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tablespoon agar agar powder

Since I used store bought sea buckthorn jam, I just prepared the water-sugar-agar -mixture like in the previous recipes, and then added the jam, lemon juice, and vanilla sugar in the agar agar pan.

Sea buckthorn marmalade block before and after cutting.

Pear Confections:

• 1 can (400 g) of pears in juice
• 1 and 1/2 dl of the pear juice from the can
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• a pinch of green food coloring
• 3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 and 1/2 dl granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon agar agar powder

First, I cooked the pear sauce. I drained the pears, and saved the pear juice. Then I cut the pears in small pieces and placed them in a small sauce pan, measured 1/2 dl of the pear juice, and added that to the pan with the sherry. Now, I simmered the pears for about 15 minutes, until they were all mushy, and then puréed them with a hand held mixer. Then I poured the pear sauce in a mixing bowl to cool a little. Then I added 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice and the food coloring in the pear sauce bowl and mixed to combine. Food coloring is completely optional of course, but without it the marmalade will have a light grey color.

Now, I measured 1 dl of the pear juice from the can to the cooking pot, added the sugar, and then brought the mixture to boil. I whisked the mixture while it was simmering to avoid the burning of any of the sugar granules, and let it bubble up until all the sugar had dissolved. Now, I sprinkled the agar over the sugary mixture and whisked it, letting it bubble, until all the agar had dissolved, and the mixture started to thicken. After about a minute, I took the pan off heat, and let it cool down a few seconds.

I poured the agar mixture in the pear sauce bowl, and whisked until everything was combined. Now, I tasted the mixture to adjust the lemon-sugar balance, adding 1 more teaspoon of lemon juice. More or less might be needed, depending on the acidity of the pears themselves. Now, I proceeded as with the berry confections.

Mango Confections:

• 2 dl mango pulp (unsweetened, from the Asian grocery)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla sugar
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• (a pinch of yellow food coloring)
• 2 dl granulated sugar
• 1 dl water
• 1 tablespoon agar agar powder

I made these mango confections exactly like the pear marmalade, but since I used storebought mango purée, the fruit didn’t need to be boiled. I just mixed the mango, vanilla sugar, lime juice, and yellow food coloring in a mixing bowl, and poured the agar mixture in the bowl. I also used water instead of pear juice for the agar- sugar solution.

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10 THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN MAKING PERFECT MARMALADE CONFECTIONS:

1. Planning ahead is required: the marmalade confections need to dry up for one to three days before packing – first without the sugar coating, and preferably also after coating.
2. These recipes are designated for agar agar in powdered form. Agar flakes and sticks have different properties, and thus need different recipes.
3. Use the finest granulated sugar available for coating (not confectioner’s sugar though), this makes the confections more pleasant to eat.
4. Any fruit or berry can be used to make these confections, but the proportions should be approximately 2 dl of fruit for 1 tablespoon agar, 1 dl water, and 2 dl sugar. Adjust the amount of sugar according to the acidity of the fruit or berry.
5. When making gifts, it’s best to choose a few differently colored fruits or berries; a yellow fruit and a red berry for example. Similar colors with different flavors should never be packed in the same package.
6. Thick fruit purées make the most aromatic confetions, but using fruit juice results in a pretty transparent appeareance. When using juice, it should be as strong and flavorful as possible.
7. It’s best to check the acidity of the agar mixture before it’s thickened. Even one teaspoon of lemon or lime juice deepens the flavors.
8. After pouring the marmalade mixture in a rectangular dish to thicken, do not move the dish during the thickening process, until the mixture had cooled down to room temperature. Agar sets at 32-40 degrees Celsius.
9. The marmalade confections get very tacky when they dry up, and need to be separated from each other at all times to avoid them sticking to each other. After drying, they get insulated by the sugar coating.
10. Marmalade confections are good for you, and home-made gifts are good for the whole universe.

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Obviously, coconut milk is not the most healthy ingredient, and it pretty much is the only source of saturated fats for vegans. On the other hand, non-vegans eat saturated fats all the time, and one batch of these delicious cookies won’t change that. What it could change is the attitude toward vegan baking as difficult and dubious, we hope. And, most importantly, home-made gifts are the best even without any health-related or ideological motivations!

Cookie mix ingredients:

• 2 dl wheat flour
• 1 and 1/2 dl spelt flour
• 1 dl granulated sugar
• 1/2 dl raw cane sugar
• 1 tablespoon & 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons egg replacer powder (we have NoEgg brand)
• 1 dl nuts (we had cashews and walnuts), chopped
• 100 g dark vegan chocolate, chopped

Also needed:

• 2 dl coconut cream (1 small can)

First, we chopped the nuts and chocolate. Then we combined the cookie mix ingredients in a small bowl, and then poured them in zip lock bags. We mixed just one batch at a time to make sure that the proportions would be right. Then we stapled a label with instructions on how to make the cookies on the cookie mix bag, and gift-wrapped it with a can of coconut cream.

Instructions on how to make the cookies:

1. Preheat the oven in 190 degrees Celsius and cover two baking sheets with baking parchment.
2. Pour the cookie mix ingredients in a bowl.
3. Open the coconut cream can and stir with a teaspoon until smooth.
4. Pour the coconut cream in the bowl with the cookie mix and mix with a wooden fork. Only mix just enough to incorporate everything, don’t overmix.
5. Use a little more than a tablespoon of the dough per cookie. You can round the cookies at the edges, but there’s no need to flatten them before baking. There should be about 9 cookies on each cookie sheet.
6. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time, in 190 degrees Celsius, for about 12 minutes. These cookies shouldn’t get browned on top, only slightly on edges and in the bottom – this way they’ll be more yummy.
7. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and place the cookies to cool on baking parchment or a cooling rack, with the help of a cheese-cutter, a cake server, or a thin spatula. The cookies will be soft straight out of the oven, but their surface gets crispy when cooled.
8. Enjoy!
9. If you have leftover cookies, store them in an air tight plastic bag (in the cookie mix bag, for example).

One of our unsuspecting testers enjoys her tea with cookies.

This salad is especially loved by dancing Christmas elves, the little guys that moved to live with us in the beginning of December. The salad has a nice crunchy texture from cabbage and toasted sunflower seeds, and tofu “cheese” binds everything together wonderfully. This recipe was veganized from a little Swedish cookbook I borrowed from the library, Vegetarisk julmat by Lena Brorsson Alminger.

Here’s what I used:

• 1 dl grated or finely sliced red cabbage
• 1 dl our (or other) tofu “cheese”
• 50 g sunflower seeds, toasted
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, ground
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• salt and frechly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

After toasting the seeds on a dry frying pan over high heat, I mixed everything together while the seeds were still hot. This salad is really tasty at room temperature, and other ingredients will cool the toasted seeds just enough.

If the cabbage is a little bit on the dry side, it could be either grated very finely, or placed in a bowl and beaten with the bottom of a drinking glass, or an empty bottle, until it softens up.