Ringbind1

”A womans journey through life, picking up history, culture, flavors,
and - most importantly! - recipies, makes an interesting read in itself.
Add in humorous anecdotes, referances to friends and family steeped in
love, and a charming Laura-Ingalls-meets-Astrid-Lindgren narrative style,
and you have a beautiful read. A gift for the senses.”
Britta Rønnow
ISBN 978-87-973246-0-8
En Route My Road to Thanksgiving Elke Marie Hou Carleton
My Road to
Thanksgiving
Stories and Recipes
from an American Abroad
Elke Marie Hou Carleton

Prologue........................................................................................................6
My Journey to Thanksgiving..................................................................7
1976-1996 - The power of observation.....................................................10
Denmark 1996-2021 - The influence of all that is “hygge”...........22
Thanksgiving............................................................................................27
Appetizers.................................................................................................. 41
Mother’s Crab Dip............................................................................................... 44
Homemade Crackers......................................................................................... 46
Homemade Knækbrød (Danish crispbread)........................................47
Æggesnaps (Egg Schnapps)........................................................................... 48
Eggnog (Danish-influenced)......................................................................... 50
Eggnog........................................................................................................................ 51
Starters.......................................................................................................52
Grandma Fern’s Shrimp Cocktail.............................................................. 54
Danish Rejecocktail........................................................................................... 56
Prawn Salad............................................................................................................57
Prawns on Danish Rugbrød..........................................................................58
Salmon Steaks....................................................................................................... 59
Pumpkin Soup......................................................................................................60
Turkey and Stuffing.................................................................................62
Turkey and Stuffing (the Traditional Way).......................................... 66
Stuffing Baked Outside the Turkey..........................................................67
Turkey my way..................................................................................................... 68
Stuffing Baked Inside the Turkey............................................................. 70
Trussing the Turkey ..........................................................................................72
Stuffing the Turkey.............................................................................................73
Roasting the Turkey...........................................................................................74
Roasting Times......................................................................................................75
Turkey Gravy (Thick American Style)................................................... 76
My Turkey Gravy..................................................................................................77
Danish Brun Sovs (Brown Sauce)...............................................................78
Cranberry Sauce.................................................................................................. 79
Cranberry Chutney............................................................................................ 80
4

Potatoes......................................................................................................82
Sweet Potatoes......................................................................................................84
Rosemary Mashed Potatoes..........................................................................87
Creamy Mashed Potatoes...............................................................................88
Boiled Potatoes..................................................................................................... 89
Sides............................................................................................................ 90
Green Bean Casserole....................................................................................... 92
Creamed Corn....................................................................................................... 94
Celery-Root Puree with Leaks and Truffle Butter.......................... 95
Apple Walnut Salad with Cranberry dressing................................... 96
Dinner Rolls...............................................................................................98
Dinner Rolls..........................................................................................................100
Pumpkin Rolls..................................................................................................... 101
Shaping the dough: 3 options.....................................................................102
Biscuits.................................................................................................................... 104
Cornbread.............................................................................................................. 105
Dessert......................................................................................................106
Pie shell................................................................................................................... 108
Pumpkin Pie..........................................................................................................110
Pecan Pie................................................................................................................. 112
Apple Pie.................................................................................................................. 113
Sage Ice Cream..................................................................................................... 114
Whipped Cream with Spices....................................................................... 115
Mulled White Wine (Gløgg).......................................................................... 116
Acknowledgments................................................................................. 119
Glossary of Translations and Metrics...............................................121
5

Prologue
Traditions are the roots of our heritage and culture. They give us
a fast foothold in the unknown, the changing, and that which is
different. They are a manifestation of who we are and where we
come from, and we can take them with us wherever we venture
in life. As we experience the world and meet new people, our traditions
will be enriched with new experiences. They will change
and we will grow, and from there our roots will also grow.
This book, En Route, is a journey to explore the many influences
we have in our lives that nourish our roots - the ones that form
the core of our identities and act as cultural markers. It is also my
own journey of self-discovery, traced through the food cultures
and rules of etiquette that I grew up in.
One of the most defining elements in a society is its food heritage
and culture. That is as true for nations as it is for individual families.
Food unites the few and the many, and it tells a story about
traditions that link us to a certain place and time.
En Route is an account of my personal story seen through the
lens of one of the most important holidays of my youth - Thanksgiving.
It is a holiday I have carried with me across oceans into
adulthood in a changed but recognizable way.
My wish in writing this book is three-fold. First and foremost,
this cookbook is a gift to my children and my Danish niece and
nephew. It is an embodiment of hope that they will carry our
family traditions with them always, no matter where in the world
they venture. I also hope to give my entire family on both sides
of the Atlantic - even those who have taken me in just for a short
time - a book of beautiful shared memories and insights into how
those moments have shaped the life I live today.
Secondly, for my American friends, Thanksgiving is no stranger.
My hope is to give some perspective on why I took this tradition
with me “across the pond” and offer inspiration for your next
Thanksgiving Day meal.
Lastly, for my Danish friends, I hope to share with you an introduction
to one of the American traditions that I celebrate to this
day with my Danish family. American holidays like Halloween,
Black Friday, and Valentine’s Day have wiggled their way into the
Danish calendar, but Thanksgiving hasn’t. Maybe it’s too closely
tied to U.S. history and culture, but a day of thanks with family
and great food certainly feels like a perfect fit for the Danish love
of hygge.
Love, E lke
Both miles and years have influenced the Thanksgiving recipes in
this book. Familiar dishes have been spiced with new traditions,
adapted to changing taste buds, flavored with new ingredients
when traditional ones could not be found, and infused with an
abundance of inspiration from my multicultural life.
When living a life like mine, holding on and reaching out go hand
in hand. To thrive, the “why” in everything you do becomes very
important. So does learning how to invite others into your life
when you want them to grab ahold of traditions that are yours
and could be theirs. After all, without a community to keep them
alive, traditions fade.
6

My Journey
to Thanksgiving
7

8
Some of my best memories are of the times
I rode with my dad on his motorcycle.
Sometimes, on a long-haul trip, it would
rain all day.But these trips taught me
that endurance and a positive attitude can
have great rewards - like when I finally
saw the sun come out above the tree line on
the Blue Ridge parkway after one of those
day - long downpours.

My Journey
Although my life journey, with detours, could literally be tracked
on a map, there is no doubt that the influence of people - those I
have met on my way, and the sum of their cultural diversities -
have left a much more memorable and deeper footprint on my life.
I’ve been to many different places. Some for long periods of
time, and others for just a short while. Each and every place has
influenced me in some way: the local culture, history, language,
traditions, holidays, nature…and of course the food.
In all the places I have lived and visited, the most life-changing
experiences have always been centered around my relationships
to people, learning from them. And, surprisingly, many of the
memories I have of those experiences come from the ordinary
moments: the food that we shared or the conversations we had
while sitting around the table or in the kitchen, riding in the car,
or visiting different places together.
My anchor to people has always been my curiosity and acceptance
of things that are different, a readiness for change and
my ability to welcome new influences into my life. This same
openness is also seen in my ability to share things that matter
with others; what I know and what I believe, and my love for the
traditions that I observe - both those that I have inherited from
my childhood and those that I have adopted along the way.
These journeys and experiences have undeniably changed me,
but more than that, they have enriched and nourished every
memory from my past, giving them life in my present.
This book is not about my entire life’s journey thus far. Instead, it
is about the experiences that brought me to where I am today and
how these have influenced one of my greatest passions: cooking.
Along the route from my past to my present, I have met many
people that encouraged my passion for cooking and baking. A few
of them stand out because of the way they sparked my interest in
a world bigger than the one I’d known or imagined to that point.
In becoming part of each other’s kitchens, we became part of
each other’s worlds, although I’m not really sure which came first.
What I know is that the more I learned about the world, the more
I wanted to know about the way other people lived in the warmth
of their kitchens and dining rooms. At the same time, whenever
someone invited me into their home, the more I wanted to understand
the wider world they lived in.
This book is full of teachers. Some of them openly shared their
knowledge or their recipes with me, but others I learned from
by merely observing what they did and how they lived. All my
teachers have shown up at different times, and they come from
all over the world.
9

12

26

Thanksgiving
I grew up with the story of the first Thanksgiving. The story I
heard was focused mostly on the Pilgrims who had sailed over
from England on the Mayflower and settled at Plymouth Rock.
The first winter was hard, but those that survived the sickness
and famine were befriended by the Native Americans, who taught
them to cultivate corn, squash, and beans in the New World. In
celebration, and to give thanks for the first successful harvest,
they held what came to be known as the First Thanksgiving with
the Native Americans.
When I was young, we celebrated this historic harvest feast every
year in honor of the alliance between the Pilgrims and the Native
Americans. We made turkeys out of construction paper, using
our hands as a pattern. We colored pictures of Pilgrims with big
black hats and shoes with buckles. We colored pictures of Native
Americans with buckskin shirts and pants. We read stories that
described what they ate at the feast and looked at pictures that
depicted them sitting together as they ate, talked, and laughed.
And then, when Thanksgiving Day came around, we had the day
off from school, watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and ate
tons of yummy food.
The things I remember most about Thanksgiving at home are
Grandma Fern in her apron and cardigan, my mom basting the
turkey in her pretty clothes and apron, my dad being home with
us, and my sisters and I helping to set the table and put the food
out. Our favorite pastime while waiting for dinner? Putting the
black olives on our fingers and eating them - you know, the same
olives we were supposed to set out on the table.
Years later, when I had my own family, I read my children the story
of the first Thanksgiving and we celebrated the holiday every
year. We still do. Some years, I have been lucky enough to celebrate
the day with my family at home in the U.S., even bringing
my daughter along once. Since my childhood, however, as many
others my age have also experienced, the story of Thanksgiving
has changed. My perspective has changed. And the reason that I
celebrate Thanksgiving has changed.
27

55

61

62
Turkey My Way- page 68

Turkey and Stuffing
It’s time for the turkey - the star of the show.
The one dish that you absolutely don’t want anything to go wrong
with because there just aren’t any second chances. No one wants
a re-enactment of the dried-out turkey scene from National
Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, because if your turkey were to go
that wrong, it wouldn’t be comic on any level. But should the very
worst happen on your Thanksgiving, try to look on the bright
side. There is so much food on Thanksgiving that nobody will
starve. Besides, I’ve been to a lot of Thanksgiving dinners in my
life, and I’ve never been served a turkey that was so dry that it
couldn’t be eaten. That’s what the gravy is for!
I learned to roast a turkey by watching my mom and Grandma
Fern. When I started roasting my own turkeys, I followed the
memory of that, as well as some instructions from an old American
cookbook.
After all the work that goes into cooking that turkey, it’s no
surprise that many Americans treat the carving of the bird as
the highlight of dinner. In my house, it was always my dad that
carved the turkey from the head of the table where he sat. Today,
I always walk out with the turkey and show it off to my family,
but then I take it back into the kitchen. Instead of carving it, I pull
the wings and legs off. Then I pull the rest of the meat off in small
and large chunks and serve it on a platter with the stuffing.
This tradition started when we celebrated our very first Thanksgiving
over seventeen years ago. At that time, our apartment,
and therefore our table, were so small that the only place there
was room to carve the turkey was in the kitchen! Bringing the
turkey out for show-and-tell may have come out of necessity,
but it stuck and it’s now one of the most memorable parts of our
Thanksgiving dinner.
My mom always cooked the turkey in a roaster, and she basted it
all day. I’ve never seen a roaster in Denmark (though I could probably
find one if I wanted to), so for now, the oven it is for our birds.
I don’t baste the turkey, either. Instead, I add a layer of butter
under the skin for both flavor and moisture.
Although turkeys are not commonly eaten here, you can find
them in well-stocked supermarkets, and most butchers can get
them for you. For many years, we have driven out to a local turkey
farm here in Denmark to get ours. I think this is the coolest thing,
because I certainly never did that in the U.S.
63

Tip!
Cranberry sauce, jelly, and chutney are great with all
types of meat. We eat them on bread after Thanksgiving
too– they taste especially good as a spread on turkey or
roast beef and horseradish sandwiches.
Jelly tends to be sweeter, good for spicy or salty meats.
Chutney is more savory-sweet, good to balance richer,
sweeter foods.
81

Tip!
I use one 25-ounce bag (4 1/2 cups) of frozen
green beans, cut in half while still frozen.
I like this dish thick and saucy!
Play with the amount so you get the consistency
and texture that you like. Using the mushrooms,
rosemary and thyme gives you that cream-ofmushroom
flavor.
92

“There is nothing in
the world
so irresistibly contagious
as laughter
and good humor.”
A Christmas Carol
118

Glossary of Translations
and Metrics
121

American English Danish Swedish
Meat Kød Kött
turkey kalkun kalkon
shrimp rejer räka
salmon laks lax
crab krabbekød krabba
Fruits & Vegetables Frugt & Grønsager Frukt & Grönsakker
orange appelsin orange
apricot abrikos aprikos
raisin rosin russin
potato kartoffel potatis
sweet potato sød kartoffel sötpotatis
green beans grønne bønner gröna böner
corn majs majs
pumpkin græskar pumpa
tomato (paste) tomat(puré) tomat(puré)
cranberry tranebær tranbär
red pepper rød peber röd paprika
carrot gulerod morot
celery selleri selleri
green onion forårsløg vårlök
onion løg lök
garlic hvidløg vitlök
horseradish peberrod pepparrot
Herbs & Spices Urter & Krydderier Örter & Kryddor
sage salvie salvia
rosemary rosmarin rosmarin
thyme timian timjan
marjoram merian mejram
oregano oregano oregano
chili (powder) chili (pulver) chili (pulver)
cinnamon kanel kanel
ginger ingefær ingefära
cloves nelliker kryddnejlika
allspice allehånde all krydda
salt salt salt
pepper peber peppar
122

American English Danish Swedish
Dairy Products Mejeriprodukter Mejeriprodukter
milk mælk mjölk
whipping cream fløde (piskefløde) vispgrädde
eggs æg ägg
butter smør smör
Parmesan cheese parmesanost permesanost
cheddar cheese cheddarost cheddarost
Dry Goods Kolonial & Tørvarer Koloniala & Torra Varor
flour mel mjöl
corn flour majsmel majsmjöl
corn starch majsstivelse majsstärkelse
sugar sukker socker
brown sugar brunfarin brunt socker
marzipan marcipan mandelmassa
Cooking Techniques Teknikker Teknik
stir røre rundt vispa (rör om)
beat / whip piske piska
mix blande blanda
bake bage baka
sauté sauter fritera
fry stege på panden steka i panna
roast stege i ovenen steka i ugnen
cool off køle ned kyla ner
Utensils & other things Redskaber Køksredskab
baking paper / parchment paper bagepapir bakplåtspapper
tinfoil stanniol aluminium folie
frying pan / sauté pan stegepande stekpanna
pot gryde pott
pie plate or pan tærteform pajform
baking sheet bageplade bakplåt
whisk piskeris vispa
123

U.S. Standard Fluid Ounces Pounds Metric Grams Dry Grams Butter
½ teaspoon (tsp) - - 2,5 ml 2,5 g -
1 teaspoon (tsp) 1/6 fluid ounce - - 5 g -
1 tablespoon (tbsp) ½ fluid ounce - 15 ml 15 g -
⅛ c (2 tablespoons) - - 30 ml 16 g -
¼ cup - - 60 ml 32 g 57 g
⅓ cup - - 80 ml 43 g 76 g
½ cup - - 120 ml 64 g 113 g
⅔ cup - - 160 ml 85 g -
¾ cup - - 180 ml 96 g -
1 cup 8 fluid ounces ½ lb 237 ml 128 g 226 g
1 ¼ cup - - 300 ml - -
1 ⅓ cup - - 315 ml - -
1 ½ cup - - 350 ml - -
1 ⅔ cup - - 400 ml - -
1 ¾ cup - - 415 ml - -
2 cups 16 fluid ounces 1 lb 473 ml - -
2 ¼ cups - - 530 ml - -
2 ⅓ cups - - 550 ml - -
2 ½ cups - - 600 ml - -
2 ⅔ cups - - 615 ml - -
2 ¾ cups - - 650 ml - -
3 cups - 1 ½ lb 715 ml - -
3 ¼ cups - - 775 ml - -
3 ⅓ cups - - 800 ml - -
3 ½ cups - - 830 ml - -
3 ⅔ cups - - 865 ml - -
3 ¾ cups - - 875 ml - -
4 cups 32 fluid ounces 2 lb 946 ml - -
4 ¼ cups - - 1000 ml - -
4 ⅓ cups - - 1030 ml - -
4 ½ cups - - 1065 ml - -
4 ⅔ cups - - 1100 ml - -
4 ¾ cups - - 1125 ml - -
5 cups - - 1200 ml - -
124