Three Swedish Dishes

I don’t think I have mentioned elsewhere two Swedish dishes that were a regular item on the menu not only at my grandmother’s house and at our house, but also elsewhere in the Swedish community. They were greda-kaka and ost-kaka [see here and here for two different ost-kaka recipes], literally translated they were cream pudding and cheese pudding. Vincent’s Jean has made greda-kaka I know. Greda-kaka is made largely from whole milk, eggs and sugar; rennet is use in the making to curdle the milk. When properly made it is a sweet firm custardly-like pudding, but firmer in consistency than the typical custard. Often time it would be served with thickened grape juice poured over it with a further topping of whipped cream. I always liked greda-kaka particularly in the latter form. Jean has attempted it as I recall but without much success.

Ost-kaka I didn’t like. Its texture is more granular and it doesn’t have the smooth creaminess of greda-kaka. Often the pudding is given a further treatment in which pieces of the original pudding are put in a pan, along with milk and some additional spices sprinkled on top, and the mixture reheated. An additional reason I did not like ost-kaka was that the spice cardamom was used in making it and this is a spice, fairly often used in Swedish cooking that I have never liked.

Another Swedish dish that I really like very much is gryn — literally barley. The ingredients are pearl barley and ground-up pork liver and pork steak. It jells after the initial cooking and then it is sliced and fried. Jean had made it quite successfully using various livers such as lamb or beef liver, but the real flavor comes when pork liver is used. The older of the Strand children liked gryn, I don’t think Verner or Marold did. Jean used the recipe she got from aunt Dagmar when she made it. As I recall she served it to the Rev. Flowers on one occasion and he at least tolerated it. Most people turn up their noses at the smell and taste of it.