christmas in august

My stay in Gotland, Sweden was to be a more than just a much-needed escape from New York; it was a month-long opportunity to delve into my familial, cultural and, of course, culinary heritage.

For the entirety of August my adoptive Swedish mother, Gunilla (actually my Grandmother's cousin's daughter) sweetly deflected my nagging questions ("How do you make that?", "How do you make that?!") until she organized a day-long course in Swedish Baking: 101. Camera and spatula in hand we mixed, measured and munched our way through the newest additions to our Christmas smörgåsbord. 

Above (from left to right): mummakaka, hasselnötskakor and saffranspannkaka.