Janssens Temptation

[ethandron]

Has anyone here ever made it? I've just made one, its in the oven at the moment and I think its going to be a marmite dish...love it or loath it. My Swedish daughter in law brought the tins of Swedish 'anchovies' over, she'd been telling us all about this traditional Swedish Christmas dish and I was keen to have a go. These 'anchovies' are actually what we we call sprats and they're in a liquour much like our pickled herrings, kind of sweet and a bit herby but also salty, not as salty as anchovies though!
Also just made some lemon and poppy seed cupcakes, waiting for them to cool before icing them.
Seem to be on a roll at the moment, as well as Eccles recipe I've made a creamy red lentil moussaka from a saninsbury recipe card, which, whilst very nice wasn't a patch on the strudel. And have all the ingredients ready to make Jamie Oliver's rotolo on Saturday.

[pastafreak]

I'd love to know what the Janssens Temptation is like. I read about it some years ago,and have always wanted to try it.

[rockyracoon]

Just had to google that, sounds interesting, not sure if it's to my taste or not though. Maybe I'll try it for my international night.

[EcclesCake]

The authentic version of Janssens Temptation is an acquired taste. The use of anchovies gives a savoury umami flavour that I think Brits are more familiar with.

Jamie's Rotolo recipe is really rather tasty!

[boxtops]

It says here, as eth says, that they're not anchovies but sprats. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/janssons_frestelse_24036

[pastafreak]

Most recipes ask for anchovies-maybe due to availability. Apparently,if you soak anchovies in milk,they will be more like the less salty sprats.

[ethandron]

I used the recipe our Swedish branch of the family use and I have to say it was delicious, a very intense flavour but not recognisably fishy at all, the small soft fish fillets had totally dissolved and melted into the potatoes and cream, they're quite different to our anchovies. My other half hates anchovies with a passion and approached this will some suspicion but he too thought it was lovely which i was quite surprised about. It's like a very, very savoury dauphinoise. Rocky, I'm sure it would go down a storm on your international night.

[gingejbee]

...and has your d-i-l ever brought over any cloudberry jam? I love it!

[ethandron]

Yes she did ginge, very tangy stuff. She raves about the English cakes and puds, says there's nothing like them in Sweden. We had a very Swedish Christmas day breakfast last year with a whole variety of herring in sauces, snaps, beer and bread...not totally to my taste but very interesting. She sang us a traditional song too, while we were all peering suspiciously at this breakfast spread :)

[mikey4444]

I used to visit a friend in Sweden in the 1980's and his Dad made Jansson's Frestelse. I had never had anything like it before and thought it delicious. But I remember, perhaps wrongly, that it had herrings in it ?