Mämmi

Yesterday's culinary adventure involved mämmi. Think of Guinness Stout in a pudding consistency and with no alcohol. Finnish lore has it that mämmi goes back to the 17th century, maybe Germany, but probably brought to Finland by Swedish Catholics. Germany and Sweden have let go of it, but Finns have held onto it, and while it can be enjoyed anytime of the year it is especially linked to Lent and Easter. We bought it pre-made, so I looked up the recipe on the web. It's a very long and complicated process, taking many hours ... slowly incorporating rye flour, malt and water in stages allowing it to sit and *sweeten* inbetween stages. Then it's seasoned with grated orange rind and a bit of molasses, whipped and baked. Mämmi is served cold with sugar and whole cream. It's not something I'd want to make a regular diet of, but is good once in a while.

Today was indeed sunny, at least where you could get high enough in the hills to see the sun, since it's very low in the sky this time of year. This afternoon, Barbara dropped me off at Drew's after-school program and the two of us walked home. It's about 20 degrees F, which made for a brisk walk ... about half an hour from school to the house. I got some good photos of the frost-laden trees. I also got some photos of a snowbow ... like a rainbow only different , with the sun reflecting through the frozen fog.