A natural reaction to hot weather for me, is to start craving Koldskål. In Denmark, as a kid I could easily go through a litre a day, no problem. I didn’t mind if it was shop bought, or home made, I just had to have it during the warm summer months. Saying that, homemade is always going to triumph over shop bought. And since a lot of you don’t live in Denmark, homemade is the only option anyway!

Koldskål, literally translates as Cold Bowl. It is made with buttermilk and a milder version of yoghurt, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and lemon. I have never thought of comparing it to an Indian Lassi, but I guess that is a far comparison if totally lost trying to explain it to a foreigner. It is served in a bowl, and eaten with a spoon, and enjoyed with little biscuits called Kammerjunker, and I’m not even going to try and explain that word! Well, OK then, its a title for a sort of foot solider within the Royal Danish Court from the 1500 hundreds.. Happy?
Just don’t ask how the little soldiers got into the cold bowl…

In Denmark (where they think of everything) you can readily buy pasteurized egg yolks and whites, for raw consumption, clever right?

But as Britain hasn’t caught on (to a lot of things)  I have omitted the raw egg in the recipe, as its ‘safer’, but it tastes pretty much the same.

In Denmark, Koldskål is served as a light meal in itself, oppose to a desert. I like to eat it as a afternoon snack in the garden.

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Serves 6

Koldskål

3 tablespoons sugar
½ vanilla pod, corns of
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 lemon slices
½ litre  organic Buttermilk
½ litre organic pouring yoghurt, or regular full fat yoghurt

Kammerjunker

250 g plain flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
75 grams caster sugar
75 grams cold butter
1 large egg
50 ml. whipping cream

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Preheat the oven to 200 °c / 400 °f / gas 6.

Sift flour and baking soda together into a food processor, add the sugar and vanilla sugar, then add the cold butter and blitz.  Add the cream and egg and wizz again until the mixture forms a soft dough.

Turn out, and roll out onto a floured surface until the dough is 2.5cm thick. Cut out little circles using a 3cm round cutter. Place on a greased baking tray, and bake for 7 min.

The kammerjunker should rise in the oven. Once cooked, remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, cut in half, creating a top and a bottom, then bake again at 200 °c for a further 6 min.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

For the Koldskål.

Slit the half vanilla pod open along its length, then scrape out the small, sticky seeds using the tip of a small, sharp knife.

Next, add the buttermilk and yoghurt to a large bowl together with the sugar and vanilla corns. Whisk vigorously until the mixture becomes airy. Now add the lemon juice and lemon slices, stir and pop in the fridge for 30 min, or until needed.

Serve with Kammerjunker and/or strawberries.