It is the season for all things traditional.

Growing up we always had lussekatter and glögg for the holidays.

There is nothing like coming in from a frosty cold day having fun in the snow and sitting down to a fika (swedish coffee break/snack) of glögg and saffron buns. Delightful! It warms me all the way to my soul!

Warning – this recipe is strong – only for adults and people who are not driving anywhere anytime soon. 1 portion = 1/4c.

Glögg recipe:

3 bottles of red wine

3/4 c. vodka (soak 3 T of mulling spices in this four days before you make the glögg)

1/2 c. to 3/4 c. sugar melted in a saucepan with 1/4 c. water

chopped raw almonds and raisins

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 c. sherry or port (optional)

Pour the wine (listen to the gluck-gluck-gluck of the wine being poured from the bottle – pretty sure this is how glögg got its name) and the melted sugar into a big pot over low heat. Strain the spices from the vodka, add the vodka to the pot. Finally add the optional sherry/port and the cinnamon stick.

Serve when the steam dances lightly of the surface of the glögg. Spoon about a teaspoon of the chopped almond/raisin mixture into the hot glögg.

For a saffron bun recipe that seems authentic (I reviewed the amounts and ingredients) http://tinyurl.com/yghwk93

notes for the buns: let them cool under a tea towel after you take them from the oven AND don’t be afraid of the metric measurements – just look on the other side of your pyrex measuring cup for mL and you can buy a very inexpensive and useful household scale for baking – it is much more accurate than using a measuring cup anyhow!