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I’ve seen the future and it’s made of chocolate.

February 24, 2006

As you may or may not have noticed, Fat Tuesday is fast approaching. Not being Catholic (nor, indeed, any other sort of Christian), and not living anywhere near New Orleans, I spent most of my life taking no notice whatever of its coming. Since moving to Sweden, however, I haven’t missed a single Mardi Gras … in fact, I generally spend the weeks leading up to it engaged in as much advance celebration as I can. There is a reason for this, of course, and I can sum it up in one word: semlor.

For those who have lived in ignorance lo these many years, let me explain. Semlor (singular: semla)–sweet buns with almond-paste filling and whipped cream–are the traditional Fat Tuesday treat in Sweden, and starting around New Year’s they’re all over the place. All the local bakeries run ads touting their semlor and the newspapers conduct taste tests, publishing the results so that everyone will know which semlor to seek out and which to steer clear of. I’ll let you in on a little secret, though — this year’s best semlor are at my house (for as long as they last, anyway).

In the “Living” section of yesterday’s newspaper was yet another semlor article, this time exploring some variations on the time-honored theme. Among the recipes listed was one that immediately caught my eye: Chocolate-Coffee Semlor, chocolate buns with a chocolate-coffee-almond filling and chocolate whipped cream. Be still, my heart. I know some might say that there’s no sense trying to improve on the original, but I assure you that they’re wrong. The classic is good–excellent, even–but it’s a well-known truth that everything is better with chocolate and coffee. Semlor are no exception, and my entire family agrees. Next to these, the old standby just pales in comparison.

6 thoughts on “I’ve seen the future and it’s made of chocolate.”

  4. You cannot post that pic without a recipe. I care that much for semlor, but I think my arm could be twisted to try the chocolate one. 🙂

  5. Okay, okay. 😀

    Here goes, first in Swedish, then in English:

    Du behöver:
    75 g smör
    2,5 dl mjölk
    25 g jÀst
    2 msk vaniljsocker
    1 krm salt
    1 dl kakao
    6,5 dl vetemjöl eller vetemjöl special
    3/4 dl strösocker
    Ev Àgg till pensling
    Fyllning:
    200 g mandelmassa
    75 g mörk choklad
    1 dl starkt avsvalnat kaffe
    ChokladgrÀdde:
    3 1/2 dl vispgrÀdde
    2 msk kakao
    2 msk florsocker

    Till pudring:
    Kakao

    Gör sÄ hÀr:
    1. SmÀlt smöret, tillsÀtt mjölken och ljumma blandningen.
    2. Smula ner jÀsten i en stor degbunke, hÀll över degvÀtskan och rör tills jÀsten har lösts upp.
    3. MÀt upp och blanda vaniljsocker, salt, kakao och mjöl och rör ner i bunken. TillsÀtt Àven strösocker och arbeta ihop till en ganska kletig deg.
    4. KnÄda degen ordentligt, antingen cirka 5 minuter i hushÄllsassistent eller 10 minuter för hand.
    5. LÄt degen jÀsa övertÀckt pÄ varm plats i minst 45 minuter.
    6. Ta upp degen pÄ mjölat bakbord och dela den i 12 bitar. Rulla bitarna till runda bullar och lÀgg dem pÄ en bakplÄtspappersklÀdd plÄt. LÄt jÀsa övertÀckt pÄ varm plats (exempelvis ovanpÄ spisen) i minst 30 minuter.
    7. SÀtt ugnen pÄ 200 grader.
    8. Pensla eventuellt bullarna med uppvispat Ă€gg och grĂ€dda i mitten av ugnen i 10–12 minuter. LĂ„t svalna.
    9. Riv mandelmassan grovt och hacka chokladen ganska fint.
    10. SkÀr ett lock av bullarna, gröp ur en del av inkrÄmet och blanda med mandelmassan och chokladen. Rör ner kaffet och blanda till en ganska tjock massa. Fyll bullarna med blandningen.
    11. Vispa grÀdden tillsammans med kakao och florsocker och spritsa eller lÀgg en klick pÄ varje bulle. SÀtt tillbaka locket, pudra med kakao och njut!

    Ingredients:
    1/3 cup butter
    1 cup milk
    1 packet (US) yeast or 25 grams fresh yeast
    2 Tbsp. vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
    1 pinch of salt
    œ cup cocoa
    2-3/4 cups flour
    1/3 cup sugar
    egg for glaze (optional)

    Filling:
    200 grams (7 oz.) almond paste
    75 grams (2-3 oz.) dark chocolate
    œ cup strong coffee, cold

    Chocolate cream:
    1œ cups heavy cream
    2 Tbsp. cocoa
    2 Tbsp. confectioner’s sugar

    Melt butter, add milk, and heat to lukewarm for fresh yeast (somewhat hotter for dry). Pour liquid over yeast in a large mixing bowl and stir until yeast dissolves.

    Mix vanilla sugar, salt, cocoa, and flour and stir into liquid mixture (if using liquid vanilla extract, add it to the yeast with the other liquids). Add the sugar and work the mixture into a dough (it will be fairly sticky).

    Knead dough thoroughly, either 5 minute with dough hooks or 10 minutes by hand. Cover dough and let rise in a warm place at least 45 minutes.

    Punch down dough and divide it into 12 pieces. Roll pieces into round buns and lay them on a greased or parchment-covered baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place at least 30 minutes.

    Heat oven to 200°C (425°F).

    If desired, brush lightly-beaten egg over buns and bake in the middle of the oven 10-12 minutes. Let cool.

    Coarsely grate the almond paste and finely chop the chocolate.

    Cut a “lid” off of each of the buns, scoop out some of the inside and mix it with the almond paste and chocolate. Add the coffee and stir it all into a thick mixture. Fill the buns with approximately a couple of tablespoons each of the mixture.

    Whip the cream together with the cocoa and confectioner’s sugar. Pipe or spoon cream on top of the almond-paste mixture in every bun, and put the “lids” back on. Sift cocoa powder over buns, if desired.

    Enjoy! 😀

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