Life Is a Banquet A Food Lover's Treasury of Recipes, History, Tradition, and Feasts

280 Pages·2014·18.871 MB·English

by  Edward Blom

www.edwardblom.se/in-english
www.twitter.com/edward_blom
www.youtube.com/edwardblom
www.instagram.com/edward_blom
Copyright © 2013 by Edward Blom and Norstedts, Stockholm English translation © 2014 by Skyhorse Publishing
First published by Norstedts, Sweden in 2013 as Allting gott och alldeles för mycket by Edward Blom. Published
by agreement with Norstedts Agency.
Photography by Eva Hildén Smith
Graphic design by Wickholm Design Dept.
Other photographs: p. 17 privately owned, p. 61 the Blom family, p. 71 Gunilla Kinn Blom, p. 82 Björn Markusson, p.
83 Björn Markusson (1), TV3 (2), Ulf Berglund (3), Elias Österberg (4), Pernilla Thelaus/TV3 (5), p. 184 Gunilla
Kinn Blom
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.
Print ISBN: 978-1-62914-700-0
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63220-026-6
Cover design by Owen Corrigan
Skyhorse edition edited by Constance Renfrow and Amy Li
Printed in the United States of America

Contents
A note to readers
My love for food!
Directions
BRÄNNVINSBORD – THE BEST START TO EVERY
MEAL
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Spiced brännvin
Besk
Hirkum pirkum
Banquet aquavit
Favorite gentleman’s delight
Traditional banquet sausage
SOUPS FROM THE PAST AND FROM AFAR
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Mexican cheese and chili soup
Cullen Skink
Eel soup according to Hagdahl
Little Baden snail cream soup
OKTOBERFEST
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An ode to beer
Obazda
Sliced white radishes
Alsatian sausage salad
Haxe with sauerkraut stew
THE BEST OF CHRISTMAS
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Allan Hedberg’s mumma
Feuerzangbowle
Danish leverpostej
Edward’s Yule ribs
Creamy fjällfil with ginger snaps
Edward’s culinary commandments
HAPPY EASTER
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Tord's egg and herring salad
Biblical lamb stew with figs and wine
Edward’s Easter egg liqueur
MY FAMILY RECIPES
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Grandma Karin’s golden fried kroppkakor
Papa James’ beef patties
Grandma Astrid’s fish soufflé
Aunt Frida’s pink potato salad
Mama Ninnie’s avocado mixes
EXPERIMENTS IN THE KITCHEN
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When Edward wanted to serve dog food stew
Edward Blom’s chicken liver Laphroaig
Spaghetti sauce from teenage years
The gastronome’s pork loin
Glögg mussels from Harlem
WHEN THE LITTLE ONES COME TO VISIT
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Pompompom
Purple pommes frites
Edward Blom’s gourmand burgers
FEAST FAVORITES
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Edward’s standard stew
Dijon chicken
From archivist to TV personality
It’s the small, small details that do it
DINNER PARTY FOOD WITH THE BLOM TOUCH
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Variations on salmon loin
Winter warming soup
Edward’s Halv åtta dinner
Advice for a successful dinner party
Cheese tray
Madeira mousse
STUDENT MEMORIES
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Quail Snerike
Entrecôte Tegnér
Cheese fondue
ATTACK OF THE VEGETARIANS
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Spinach stew Mignon
Mashed rutabaga with cheddar
Pasta Fanucci
Edward’s vegetarian “meat soup”
Good things to have at home
TRAVEL MEMORIES
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Inter-rail dinner
Jaz’s chicken curry
Shrimp sandwich—all delicious and just too much!
Pepper shellfish like in Singapore
Mobile-style oysters
Cheese, chili, and bacon oysters
Oysters Rockefeller
Oysters Bienville
EDWARD’S HOME COOKING
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Uncle Edward’s poached salmon
Superb gravy
Edward Blom’s ground beef patties
Lamb stew
Cheese spread
The mystery of the young liquor thief
BEER IN FOOD
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Porter steak
Chili stew
Welsh rarebit
FRENCH FOOD
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Coq au vin
GERMAN FOOD
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Mettbrötchen or Hackepeter
Southern German hare with Spätzle
How schnitzel turned baby Edward into a gourmet
Edward Blom’s Weincreme
Romtopf
Rote Grütze
GOOSE DINNER FROM SKÅNE
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Black soup
Roast goose
FOOD FOR LOVERS
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Gunilla and Edward’s wedding snaps
Love potions and love food
After-love drink
Love buds
Snuggling by the pots and pans
Duck à la Edward Blom
Amorous chocolate mousse with a bite of chili
FOR THOSE WITH SERVANTS