foodwineclick

Fäviken is located in Northern Sweden, where it doesn’t really get dark in July.

Just For Fun!
Ever since Netflix Chef’s Table season 1, we’ve been Magnus Nilsson fans. We decided when we visit Sweden, we’d go to Magnus’ restaurant. This summer, the stars aligned and we scored a reservation at Fäviken., so we worked our Sweden trip around our dinner. We loved rural northern Sweden as it reminded us so much of Minnesota’s north shore, right down to the horseflies!

(click on any photo for a full-size slide show, hit escape to return to the post)

Julie was comparing notes with Magnus on her favorite Swedish cookies, known as “rusks” at our house

Rustic but beautiful and so fitting for the place

A total of 27 courses for the evening, this was one of the pre-dinner bites

An ash cooked egg

Whole halibut before being prepared as a dish

A signature dish, scallop cooked over burning juniper branches

The Nordic Cookbook
Magnus has written and photographed several books, one of which being “The Nordic Cook Book“. Magnus explores Nordic cuisine including all of Scandinavia. The recipes inside are traditional and not at all like the specialty dishes created at Fäviken, which is good as I would hesitate to take on anything from the restaurant! He does include lots of text to provide interesting background on many of the dishes. When leafing through the book, I was struck by “Flygande Jakob”, both for the ingredients and for his boyhood enthusiasm for the dish.  I knew I had to give it a try!

Italian dressing mix, Heinz Chili Sauce, peanuts and bananas? What kind of crazy is this?

Flygande Jakob (Flying Jacob) was one of Magnus’ boyhood favorites

Bacon

Cooked chicken with Italian dressing mix sprinkled on top

Bananas????

Whipped cream with Heinz Chili Sauce.

This dish would be perfectly at home at a Minnesota Lutheran Church supper!

Bake, then top with the bacon bits and peanuts

Laugh if you will, it is delicious!

Not Swedish at all, iOTA Cellars Chardonnay from our friends, the Pelos and Sandbergs in Oregon

iOTA Cellars Pelos Sandberg Vineyard Eola-Amity Hills Oregon Chardonnay 2016 ($35 direct from winery) 12.7% abv
Eye: Clear (just the slightest haze) medium lemon yellow.
Nose: Clean, medium+ intensity. Fresh, bright ripe lemons, lemon curd, just a touch of vanilla far in the background. White flowers, wet stones.
Mouth: Dry, medium+ intensity flavor. Medium+ acidity, medium body, medium alcohol. Medium texture. This is definitely far away from the oaky/buttery Chardonnay camp (thank goodness). Lemons, lemon curd and a touch of something herbal and green, perhaps a touch of tarragon. Reminds me of Chablis, but with a touch more body and texture. Super nice with the Swedish comfort dish: Flygande Jakob.

Firm texture from the chicken, sweetness from the bananas, and salty crunch from bacon and peanuts. Flying Jacob gets two thumbs up!

Magnus Nilsson’s Flygande Jakob Recipe
You’re unlikely to be served this as a course at Fäviken, Magnus might smile knowing you’re enjoying it as much as he did growing up! It’s easy to make, you can find the recipe here .