A dessert loaded with Norwegian history: Veiled peasant girls

Level: Easy
Time: 1 h

It is said that this dessert was discovered by Ivar Aasen (who created the second written language in Norway in the middle of the 19th century). He was in love with a peasant girl who continuously declined his proposals to marry him. One day she asked him to come over to taste her sweet stuff and Aasen had his hopes up… only to become very disappointed when discovering that she only meant tasting a dessert. He therefore named this dessert “Veiled peasant girls”, and it later became a common dessert all around Norway.

The dessert is based on 3 layers: a tangy with apple jam, a crunchy with Norwegian rusks and a sweet with whipped cream. The apples are cooked with less sugar than regular jam in order to keep a high level of acidity. The mixture of the acidity, crunchy and creamy/sweet is heavenly… If you find the dessert a bit too sweet and heavy you can give it a french touch and replace the whipped cream by a light, unsugared creme fraiche. That is delicious too!

THE TIPS TO SUCCEED

1: Start with very little sugar when cooking the apples. Add more if needed towards the end of the cooking. You want to keep its acidity

2: Assembly the layers just before serving so you don’t lose the crunchiness

3: This dish can be served completely cold, but it is even better if the apple jam is slightly hot

Let’s get started

Ingredients

The Tangy

• 1 kg Apples
• 100 ml Water
• 30-70 g Sugar It depends on the acidity of your apples
• Lemon (A good squeeze)
• 2 pcs Cinnamon sticks
• ½ pcs Vanilla bean

The Crispy

• 80 g Rusks (it can be replaced by bread crumbs)
• 30 g Almonds
• 1 tbsp Butter
• 1 tbsp Brown Sugar

The Sweet

• 250 ml Whipping cream
• 3 tbsp Sugar

How to do it?

The Tangy

Add the water, sugar, lemon, cinnamon and vanilla (cut open in two) into a pan.

Peel and cut the apples in small pieces and add them to the above mixture. By doing this one apple at the time you avoid them turning brown.

Bring to boil and let simmer for 30-45 minutes until it has gotten a wanted jam texture.

Add more water or sugar if needed.

The Crispy

Crush the rusks and chop the almonds in small pieces.

Mix in a small bowl together with the brown sugar. (If you are using unsweetened rusks or bread crumbs then add additional 1tsp sugar and ½ tsp cinnamon to the mixture.)

Heat your butter in a frying pan and cook your mixture on medium/high heat. Turn all the time until it is crispy and light brown.

Set aside to cool down.

The Sweet

Mix the cold whipping cream and sugar until you get the wanted texture. It should be a creamy, slightly thick texture.

How to serve Veiled peasant girls

Start by adding a couple of spoons of the tangy jam in the bottom of a dessert glass or bowl, then spread a layer of the crispy rusk mixture. End by adding with the sweet whipped cream and drizzling a bit of the crispy on top.