Oprah Winfrey once said, "I love bread!" I love bread, too, and I really love this Pear, Sage and Hazelnut Bread boasting Nordic flair.
"Nordic cuisine is grounded and earthy," said Simon Bajada, an Australian-born chef who lives in Sweden and is author of "Nordic Light: Lighter, Everyday Eating From a Scandinavian Kitchen."
It uses ingredients that are part of the landscape and are prepared using traditional techniques, which are reflected in the flavors. The Nordic cuisine is rich in seafood, grains, berries, seasonal vegetables and lean meats showcasing a rather healthy diet.
Scandinavians are big on bread and not just the common white and sourdough varieties. Icelandic flatbreads date back to A.D. 874 and toast well the day after making, crispbreads are deeply red with beets or loaded with seeds, crunchy wafer crisps work beautifully in salads or topped over soups to replace the boring croutons, flourless savory buns are great with coffee, while pull-apart breads can feature beloved Mediterranean flavors such as fig and fennel.
But the popular Danish rye bread stands out from the pack. Also sold in the other Nordic countries, it is a waxy bread, said Bajada, dense and packed with seeds and similar to pumpernickel bread.
As accompaniments to other foods, "Nordic breads give a lot of diversity in terms of flavors to what you're eating," Bajada said in a recent telephone interview from Australia, where he was vacationing. More important, there's a sweetness because molasses or golden syrup is often incorporated in the preparation.
This Pear, Sage and Hazelnut Bread is a "crossover between sweet and savory," Bajada said. Inspired by the classic marriage of sage and brown butter with a sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts that counterbalance the plump pears, this is a head-turner. Dense and flavorful, sturdy and satiating, it is tinged with a warm aroma of nutmeg and ginger.
It's also versatile and easy to prepare, similar to a banana bread but with unique flavors. It can be savored for breakfast as the main component, laced with a slice of cheese or slathered with butter for lunch, served warm alongside coffee for an elegant dessert, or enjoyed at room temperature as a midday snack. And, as an added bonus, it toasts nicely the next day.
