Scrocchietti and foodie dreams in Vaxholm

Directly upon arrival at Vaxholm one is greeted by the sight of Vaxholm Hotel, a traditional hotel full of the charm of the world gone by. The terrace at their restaurant is a delightful place for a lunch. 

For us the proverbial icing on the cake that was Vaxholm was Skafferi, recently opened right by the harbour.

It is a little deli run by a former banker of God only knows how many exotic origins that sells exactly the kind of delightful little things that make yours truly squeal with delight. Italian delicacies, charcuterie (the truffle salami is to. Die. For), a couple of daily lunch specials and wine. 

And across the street there's a tiny terrace, where you can stage an impromptu picnic with all the goodies from the deli. And enjoy the sun. And the view of the castle just across the small river. If this sounds ridiculously perfect, try to hang in there. Because that's exactly what it is.

I can tell you- after 3 bottles of perfectly chilled rosé that castle looks nothing like those brain-busting German 3000- piece puzzles. It actually looks... rather charming.

The owner at Skafferi is an absolute star. "Well, one day I just got thinking why the hell I'm doing a job I hate when all I want to do is cook. So, I opened this." For that we thank him- we will be back.

It's so wonderful coming across people like that; people with such passion for food they are willing to take that leap into the unknown. I can only wish him all the best (with only the faintest notion of envy...)

One of the things I stocked up on were scrocchiettes, rosemary- sea salt crackers that I tried to reproduce at home (I've got to make most of that rosemary one way or another...) I used the recipe for grissinis as base.







Makes about 30

2 dl warm water
2 tsp dry yeast
1 tbsp syrup or honey
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
4 dl all purpose flour
2 tbsp chopped rosemary

for brushing: 1 egg ja 1 tbsp oil




Mix yeast with water. Add syrup and let sit for appr. 5 minutes. Then add oil and 1 dl of flour. Mix and add salt and the remaining flour. Work into a smooth, elastic dough. Pour excess flour out of the bowl, oil it lightly and leave the dough to rise.

Let the dough rise until doubled in size in a covered bowl, in a warm and draft-free place. Divide the dough in 3 and each one of those into a thin sheet. Cut the sheet into strips of appr. 5 cms wide and then them into a square-shaped crackers. If you prefer a less rustic look, you can use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into shapes of your choice. 

In order to avoid the dough from rising too much, roll each portion as the previous batch is about to come out of the oven. Prick the crackers with a toothpick and brush with egg and oil- wash. Sprinkle some fleur de sel on top.

Bake in 200° for 15- 20 minutes until crisp and golden. Let them cool on a wire rack.

The small pleasures in life. Inevitably made of carbs and alcohol.

Swedish summer paradise

An Australian friend of mine was about to visit Sweden for the first time a little while ago and turned to me for advice and recommendations. 

The Gentleman used to live is Stockholm at one point, so that's another place we have many wonderful memories from. Last summer we holidayed there in the late August sun and it sure felt like being in a foreign country!

Considering how much time we've spent in Stockholm, it's downright silly that we've never taken the boat to Grinda. Or Vaxholm. 




But, better late than never so this time we finally did. 






Grinda Wärdshus and their lunch are well worth the boat trip and even the hike through the woods. But Vaxholm, boys and girls, Vaxholm. Oj då and herregud, it was adorable!

It's exactly the sort of Swedish summer paradise that it makes you want to tie a wreath of flowers into your hair and dance polka around the may pole.