Koldskål

Ingredients

Koldskål

• 1 litrecultured buttermilk
• 3egg yolks
• 80 gsugar
• 1vanilla pod
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 200 mlplain yoghurt or skyr, optional

Kammerjunker

• 200 gplain flour
• 100 gbutter
• 60 gsugar
• 1egg
• 1 tspbaking powder
• 1 tspground cardamom

To serve

• fresh strawberries

Directions

1. Make the kammerjunker first, because they must be completely cold and dry.
2. Rub the butter into the flour, sugar, baking powder and cardamom, then bind with the egg into a firm dough.
3. Roll into small balls the size of a hazelnut and set them on a tray.
4. Bake at 180°C (355°F) for 12 minutes, until pale gold.
5. Now the second bake, which is the whole point of them. Cut or break each one in half, lay them cut side up, and return them to a 150°C (300°F) oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
6. Twice-baked, like a biscotti. That second low bake dries them right through so they stay crunchy in the buttermilk instead of dissolving on contact.
7. Cool them completely and store them in a tin.
8. For the koldskål, split the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into the egg yolks with the sugar.
9. Whisk the yolks, sugar and vanilla hard for several minutes until pale, thick and completely smooth.
10. Beat the yolks properly. Under-whisked, the sugar stays gritty and the mixture never thickens, and this is the only real work in the dish.
11. The yolks are raw, so use fresh eggs from a source you trust, and anyone pregnant or vulnerable should use pasteurised eggs.
12. Whisk in the buttermilk slowly, a little at a time.
13. Add it gradually. Poured in all at once the yolk mixture splits into lumps that will not come back together.
14. Add the lemon juice and zest and the yoghurt if using.
15. Chill for at least 2 hours, and it improves overnight.
16. Serve very cold in bowls, with kammerjunker scattered on top and strawberries alongside.
17. Add the biscuits only at the table, because they soften within a few minutes.
18. It is drunk as much as eaten and it is summer food, sold in every Danish supermarket from about May.

Technique

• It is a meal in itself on a hot day rather than a dessert, and Danes eat it for lunch.
• Ready-made koldskål and kammerjunker are supermarket staples and nobody is judged for buying them.
• The buttermilk must be cultured, not sweet, or it lacks the sourness entirely.

Substitutions

• Pasteurised egg yolks, or omit the yolks and use more yoghurt.
• Shop-bought kammerjunker or any hard dry biscuit.

Variations

• With skyr blended in, for a thicker version.
• With rhubarb or raspberries instead of strawberries.
• Made without eggs at all, which is the modern quick version.

History

Cold buttermilk soup with vanilla and lemon, eaten through the summer with small kammerjunker biscuits crumbled on top.

Frequently asked questions

What is Koldskål?

Koldskål is a dessert from Denmark: cold sweet buttermilk with vanilla, poured over crunchy kammerjunker. Cold buttermilk soup with vanilla and lemon, eaten through the summer with small kammerjunker biscuits crumbled on top.

How long does Koldskål take to make?

Koldskål takes 15 min plus 2 hr chilling of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Koldskål?

Yes, within limits. Pasteurised egg yolks, or omit the yolks and use more yoghurt. Shop-bought kammerjunker or any hard dry biscuit.

What is the most important thing to get right in Koldskål?

Make the kammerjunker first, because they must be completely cold and dry.