Treat yourself with Finnish dishes this Easter – Recipes from Consul General’s Chef in New York

Easter Holidays in Finland bring out the chef in some of us. Here’s a delicious compilation of the Consul General of Finland’s Chef Anne Siuvatti’s recipes to treat your tastebuds.

Anne Siuvatti at the Consulate
Anne Siuvatti

Easter Holidays in Finland bring out the chef in some of us. Here’s a delicious compilation of the Consul General of Finland’s Chef Anne Siuvatti’s recipes to treat your tastebuds.

Each recipe serves about 4 people. 

Main Courses

Herb-roasted Leg of Lamb

Leg of Lamb
6-7 lb boneless leg of lamb
Fresh herbs
Tarragon
Thyme
Rosemary
Garlic
Salt and pepper
Butter (room temperature)
Dijon mustard
Bread crumbs

Trim and pound the lamb down to 3/4 of its thickness. Make a paste with herbs, butter, and garlic. Put half of the paste inside the lamb. Roll and tie. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Heat the frying pan and roast the lamb roll till the color is nice and brown.

Set the lamb into an oven-safe dish, and by using a meat thermometer, cook lamb to 120F. After that, cover the top of the lamb roll with mustard, the rest of the herb paste, and bread crumbs. Continue to cook until the lamb's temperature has reached 156F. Let the lamb roll rest for about 15 minutes before slicing for serving.

Salmon with sesame and orange-ginger relish

2 1/2 lb salmon fillet

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

21/2 tbs soy sauce

3 cut orange slices

1/2 cup strips red pepper

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

2 2/1 tbs chopped fresh cilantro

2 tsp peeled and grated fresh ginger

2 tsp grated orange peel

1 tsp sesame oil

1/4 salt

1/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper

Vegetable oil and sesame seeds

Whisk white wine, orange juice, and soy sauce together and pour into a baking dish. Set salmon on top of the orange juice mix skin side up. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before cooking—preheat the oven to 450F. Brush the fish lightly with oil before baking. Bake for 20 minutes. While the fish is cooking, combine the rest of the ingredients. Spread them over the cooked salmon, and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. 

Desserts

Mämmi /Easter dessert made from rye flour and malt powder

4 cups water
1 1/2 cup rye flour
1 1/3 cup malt powder
2 tbs syrup
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp bitter orange peel

Heat water but do not let it boil. Add malt powder, sugar, syrup, bitter orange peel, and rye flour. Mix well.

Use an ovenproof dish to mix all ingredients and add a little rye flour on top. Preheat the oven to the lowest possible temperature and bake the dough for 2 hours. Then mix the dough again in the same dish, add more syrup if needed and continue to cook for two more hours. After baking for four hours, increase the temperature to 390 F for 30 minutes. Then lower the oven temperature to 300 F and continue to cook for 1 1/2 hours. After baking, cool down the dish and refrigerate the dessert for 3 days before serving. Serve with sugar and whipped cream. 

Quark pie from Karelia, eastern Finland

Dough

1 cup of milk

1 oz of yeast or one envelope of dry yeast

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tbs cardamom powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 1/2 cup of flour

7 tbs melted butter, room temperature

Filling

1 1/2 lb quark or sour cream

3/4 cup heavy cream

3 eggs

1 cup of sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 1/2 tbs vanilla

1 tbs corn stars

1 tsp grated lemon

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup of raisins

Heat the milk a little and add yeast.

Combine sugar, egg, cardamom powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add melted butter and flour a little by little. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let rise double. After the dough has doubled in size, roll the dough into a shape of a baking sheet. Move the dough to a baking sheet that is covered with parchment paper. Cover the sheet again with a kitchen towel and let sit for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 380 F. 

Make filling; mix all ingredients except raisins. Sprinkle evenly on top of the dough, and then sprinkle the raisins separately on top of the filling. Gently brush the sides of the dough with egg-mix before baking for 30 minutes. 

Happy Easter, enjoy!