Blog Tour: Him with the Beard by Pernille Meldgaard Pedersen

I know it's not even been Halloween or Bonfire Night yet but I'm so excited to be sharing my first Christmassy post on the blog today. Today's blog tour is for Him with the Beard and yes that does mean Santa Claus. I have Pernille guesting on the blog to get us all in the mood for Christmas and in particular Pernille's favourite Danish goodies which I really want to try for myself. There is also a chance to win a very cosy Christmas prize so don't miss that at the bottom of the post.

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The best thing about Christmas is the presents, being together with the family, and all the traditions. But something I can talk about forever is all the Christmas goodies. Because who doesn’t love the lovely smell of freshly baked Christmas cookies and the taste that reminds you of a grandmother who is no longer here but lives on in your memories because of her recipe.
Here is a small selection of my favourite Danish Christmas goodies, which I eat by the kilo when it’s Christmas.

Peppernuts – Because of the name, you might think it tastes of pepper, but this is not the case. Pepper is an old word for spice. This spiced cookie is small and round like a nut, and a must-have in December. You can find them in paper cones on the Christmas tree (and yes, you are allowed to raid it for these treats) and they are used when we are playing Christmas games. In the Christmas game ‘mouse’, sixteen cookies are lined up. A chosen person is our ‘mouse’, and she/he is blindfolded while another person points out a cookie as a trap. The blindfold comes off, and now the mouse can eat the peppernuts, trying to avoid the trap cookie. The better you are at avoiding the trap, the more cookies you will be allowed to eat. 

Klejner – Even though the word means ‘small’, this cookie varies in size from 5–15 cm. It’s a fried cookie with a cut made in the middle of the dough that allows it to be pulled through itself, giving it the characteristic twisted sides.
Klejner always reminds me of my grandmother, who always had some with her, just for me, because she knew how much I liked them.
But the most important of all – we can’t forget the rice porridge for Santa Claus.

Rice porridge is served hot, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and a dot of butter on top that will melt into the hot porridge. It’s said to be Santa’s favourite food, and that’s why we always leave a dish for him and his elves in the attic to keep them happy.

Risalamande And the best part is that, should there be any leftovers (there never are in my family, so we always make an extra portion), then the day after you can put whipped cream and chopped almonds into the cold porridge. Now you have a totally different dessert called Risalamande. It’s a Danish invention despite its French name.
With cherry sauce on top,  you have a fresh dessert.
If you’re lucky and find the one whole almond that has been hidden in the Risalamande, then you will get an extra present, you lucky marzipan pig ;-) And the best thing of all?
You don’t have to make excuses about your diet when you say yes to all the Christmas goodies. In Denmark, you risk carrying the Christmas spirit out of your host’s home if you say no thank you when offered treats. And no one wants to be that person.


Giveaway

Win A Cosy Christmas Prize

Help me celebrate my release by entering the rafflecopter below. Open internationally. You can win this awesome prize: One Jim Shore Santa Claus Ornament, Santa Claus Marshmallows, A Chocolate Advent Calendar, A Pretty Christmas Storage Box and finally, A Signed Copy of my book Him With The Beard.

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About the author

Pernille was born in 1988 and loves that she was born in the decade with the tallest hair, the most colourful clothes, and the best music. Her imagination never stands still, and it’s often expressed in words and pictures. She wrote her first story when she was six years old. It was about the cat she unfortunately never got but wished for more than anything. She loves autumn and Christmas and believes in elves. From day to day she is a knight in training, an animator, and a secret agent – she has saved the world a few times by now. She’s also a professional daydreamer. She thinks the recipe for a good book is the same as the one for having a good life – a sense of kinship, humour, love, and that one thing that gives you a daily smile.

This post was part of the Him With the Beard blog tour