The best recipes for frosty days: coconut salmon soup, sweet maritozzi buns and spicy cocoa

Try seasoning traditional Nordic salmon soup with Thai spices, baking sweet Italian maritozzi buns instead of Finnish Shrovetide buns and boosting hot cocoa with cardamom and chili flakes. We guarantee you’ll like these winter delicacies with a twist!

Stelton EM77 vacuum jug in rust
Sweet maritozzi buns and hot cocoa are perfect treats after a day in the snow. The EM77 vacuum jug is by Stelton, Bernadotte mugs by Georg Jensen, 010 tray by Vaarnii, and small Flow plate and Ary Mini vase by ferm LIVING.

FOOD IS ONE of the easiest ways of exploring new cultures and having new experiences. In these recipes, traditional Finnish winter delicacies are influenced by Italian and Thai food.

The tasty coconut salmon soup is based on tom kha gai, which is a classic Thai soup containing chicken and coconut. The rich, lemony flavors in the soup base also go particularly well with fish, but you can replace the protein with shrimp, or tofu if you want to prepare a vegan version (in that case, replace the fish sauce with soy sauce).

Serax Fish&Fish serving dish
Coconut milk, lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves give the traditional Finnish salmon soup new exciting flavors. The green Fish&Fish serving dish is made by Belgian Serax.
Vaarnii 010 pine tray
The delicious coconut salmon soup is served with jasmin rice. The Raise carafe is from Muuto, Lempi glass and Raami plate from Iittala and the Earth bowl from Vaidava Ceramics.

Galangal and kaffir lime leaves give the broth a wonderful citrus flavor.

The best place to look for galangal, kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass is an ethnic grocery store, where they are available either fresh or frozen. You can use galangal and kaffir lime leaves as very large pieces or whole leaves, as they are only meant to give the broth a strong citrus flavor and be left on the plate, not eaten. Unless the root and leaves are used as a paste, they are quite unpleasant to eat.

ferm LIVING Flow bowl and sweet maritozzi buns
The orange-flavored maritozzi buns get a sprinkling of powdered sugar. The small bowl is from ferm LIVING's Flow collection.
Craftworks Finland Primordial Animal
The filling of these maritozzi buns includes double cream, mascarpone cheese and grated orange zest. On the table, an adorable Primordial Animal by Craftworks Finland and a Touch cappuccino cup by Tonfisk Design.

When Finns enjoy Shrovetide buns in early spring, Italians eat sweet maritozzi buns, which smell like orange and are filled with whipped cream, in Rome around Easter. There are several variations of the dough, which may include citrus zest, raisins, candied pieces of fruit and pine nuts. In this version, the cream filling is flavored with orange zest, and the recipe also includes thick, Italian mascarpone cream cheese.

Fresh buns and hot cocoa make the perfect pair in frosty February weather. If you want something new from your hot cocoa, try making it in vegetable milk: coconut milk, dark cocoa powder and spices go particularly well together. It is, however, advisable to skip the coconut milk sold in cans this time, or otherwise the drink will be thick and greasy.

Discover the recipes:

Iittala deep Raami plate
Chili and cherry tomatoes give the salmon coconut soup a delightful dose of color.

Coconut salmon soup

Ingredients (4–5 servings):
500 ml water
6–7 kaffir lime leaves (frozen)
2–3 stalks of lemongrass
5 cm piece of galangal or ginger
150 g shiitake mushrooms or button mushrooms
150 g cherry tomatoes
1 carton (400 g) coconut milk
500 g salmon
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp cane sugar
Juice of 1–2 limes
1–2 chili peppers
Cooked rice and fresh cilantro for serving

Do as follows:
The soup is quick to make, so it is advisable to prepare the ingredients in advance. Halve the cherry tomatoes and slice the mushrooms. Peel the galangal and cut it into a few large pieces. Cut the lemongrass stalks in half lengthwise and only use about a 5cm piece of the soft lower part of the stalks, as the top ends are too woody to eat. Remove the skin of the salmon and cut the salmon into large chunks (small chunks break down in the broth).

Bring the water to a boil in a pot and add the lime leaves, galangal pieces and chopped lemongrass. Let simmer for 10 minutes so that the ingredients can flavor the broth. Add the chopped tomatoes, sliced mushrooms and coconut milk and finally, the fish and spices. Season the soup with lime juice, taste to see if it needs any salt, and serve it with jasmine rice, chopped chili peppers and fresh cilantro.

The Organic Company Apron with pocket and maritozzi buns
A plate of freshly-baked maritozzi buns makse one's mouth water. The green apron is by The Organic Company.

Maritozzi buns

Ingredients (10–12 pcs):
1 packet of dry yeast
250 ml lukewarm water
390 g wheat flour
85 g sugar
1 lemon (zest)
1 orange (zest)
(60 g raisins)
50 ml olive oil
1 egg

Filling:
200 g mascarpone
400 ml double cream
55 g powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 orange (grated zest)

Do as follows:
Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water and add the sugar, flour and grated citrus zest. Mix, and add the olive oil, raisins (if used) and egg. Knead the dough for about 10–15 minutes until it is smooth and easy to remove from the bowl or hands. Let the dough double under a tea towel.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and shape into a roll. Cut the roll into half as many times as it takes to form 10–12 pieces of dough. Roll the pieces under your palm until they are round and smooth, and put them on baking sheets covered with baking paper. Let the buns rise under a tea towel for about an hour and bake them at 200 °C for 15 minutes or until they have risen and become golden brown.

Let the buns cool before filling them. Whisk the mascarpone into a soft foam and add the cream. Whip into a thick foam and season with powdered sugar, vanilla and grated orange zest. Slice each bun across the top without cutting the base and pipe the filling in or add it with a silicone spatula. Close the buns by pressing and wipe excess filling off with a silicone spatula. Decorate the buns with powdered sugar (if you wish) and serve immediately.

Georg Jensen Bernadotte thermo mug with spicy coconut cocoa
Hot cocoa made in coconut milk and seasoned with cardamom and chili flakes warms you up nicely on a cold winter's day.

Spicy coconut cocoa

Ingredients (4–5 servings):
1 l coconut milk (e.g., Alpro)
40 g dark cocoa powder
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp vanilla extract
Chili flakes or cayenne pepper (to taste)
Whipped cream and chili flakes for serving

Do as follows:
Add the coconut milk, cocoa powder, sugar and spices to a saucepan. Heat the mixture over low heat until it steams, stirring occasionally. Check the taste and add sugar, if necessary. Pour the cocoa into mugs and add whipped cream and chili flakes on top. Serve immediately.

Set the table

ferm LIVING
Hale tea towel
Stelton
EM 77 vacuum jug
Georg Jensen
Bernadotte thermo mug
ferm LIVING
Ary Mini vase
Vaarnii
010 tray
The Organic Company
Apron with pocket
Tonfisk Design
Touch capuccino cup
Serax
Fish&Fish serving dish
Arni Aromaa
Primordial Animal
ferm LIVING
Resting Spoon set
Vaidava Ceramics
Earth bowl
Iittala
Lempi glass
Suvi Kesäläinen

Design Stories contributor Suvi Kesäläinen is a photographer, who loves to create dishes that are not only delicious but also fast and easy to make. She’s passionate about the best seasonal ingredients, local food and intriguing culinary trends.


See also:

New tableware at Finnish Design Shop >

Text and photos: Suvi Kesäläinen

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