>> Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... Horten Municipality.

[ Bottle cap pops, clinks ] >> Ahh!

>> 62 degrees Nord.

[ Wind howls ] ♪♪ Kvaroy Arctic.

♪♪ Up Norway.

>> Oh.

[ Laughs ] Oh, fantastic.

>> Rodseth: Take some toddy, as well.

[ Cups clink ] Eating apple cake, drinking toddy -- heaven on Earth.

>> Thank you.

>> Rodseth: Thank you.

[ Chuckles ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Hi, and welcome to "New Scandinavian Cooking" in the fjord valley of Hardanger here in Northwestern Norway.

I am Christer Rodseth.

I find this part of the country incredible in many ways.

The fjord, the mountains, and the farmland with fruit orchards in between.

It's so picture perfect of beautiful Norway that this landscape has inspired many famous painters, artists, and travelers over the years.

Hardanger is Norway's fruit garden, and these orchards produce an abundance of apples each year.

The harvest has just started, and I have come here to join a picking crew and learn how you really should pick an apple.

Since we're in apple heartland of Norway, all my cooking today will include an apple or two.

I'll start with an apple cake out of the ordinary, sweetened with caramel.

It's my favorite, and I know you will love it.

If you haven't noticed, fall is here with cooler temperature and rain.

The summer breeze is just a memory, but I will make something to warm our spirit.

And what's better than an apple toddy flavored with some local gin?

We will also make a short visit in Bergen to learn more about gin, and how to make a cocktail -- an apple-cider spritzer.

Adam, a friend of mine, will come along for the ride, and for main course, we will make a classic combination -- duck and local apples served with plums and root vegetables.

♪♪ ♪♪ >> Hello.

>> Rodseth: Hello.

Christer.

Nice to meet you.

>> Hi.

My name is Olav, and this is an apple farm in Hardanger.

So, you want to pick with me?

>> Rodseth: Absolutely, yeah.

Let's go.

>> Okay.

♪♪ >> Rodseth: So, time to pick some apples.

>> Yes.

Gonna take this, uh, cross over your head.

>> Rodseth: Yes.

Thank you.

So, what's the technique?

Show me.

>> Yes.

Um... You take it, and you turn it a little, and you lift it.

>> Rodseth: Okay.

So, take it, turn it, lift it.

So, what kind of apples do you have on the farm?

>> Four or five varieties.

Vista Bella mainly go to juice.

Discovery, Summered, and Aroma go to a juice and cider.

>> Rodseth: Okay.

>> Every apple is used for fresh consume, but the second class go to juice and cider.

Then we go up and make a juice of this.

>> Rodseth: Lovely.

Let's do it.

So this is how you do it.

You're gonna make a small batch.

>> Yes.

♪♪ >> Rodseth: So cool.

This is probably the freshest juice I've ever seen in my life.

♪♪ >> Good?

>> Rodseth: Oh, yeah.

Wow.

So, I'm planning on making a toddy with it, with apple juice and gin and a nice warm apple cake.

So, can I have some juice, please?

>> Yes, you can get the bottle with you when we are finished.

>> Rodseth: Cool.

So I'll take the heavy one.

So you, the old people can rest.

>> Then we, uh, put the juice up in this.

>> Rodseth: Yeah.

>> And then, we heat it to 80 degrees.

>> The same as 176 Fahrenheit.

>> Then it's pasteurized, so it keeps in a bottle for two years, no problem.

>> Rodseth: Cool.

>> Yeah.

So then we can start putting it in bottles.

And another one.

>> Rodseth: Okay.

Cool.

>> And it's important that you -- when you have put the cork on now, you put it down so we get the heat in the cork, too.

>> Rodseth: Yeah, okay, sure.

Old technique.

♪♪ The apples are picked and pressed, and I got some juice from Olav, and it's time to make some food.

So, we're going to make our lovely apple cake, baked with caramel sauce and apple chutney, served with a hot apple toddy with some gin and some warm spices and orange.

I'm going to start off by making the toddy.

So just take a tiny bit of the juice, and you're going to add, as well, orange.

Normally, you just use the orange zest, but today, we're actually going to use the white, as well, because that's going to give a bit of touch.

Some cinnamon.

Of course you need cinnamon to apples.

And, as well, we're going to use some honey.

This is, of course, local honey.

Just put the whole spoon into the pan, just like that, and let's start making the cake.

So now we're going to use about 100 grams of butter, which is like 7 tablespoons of butter.

And, as well, 7 tablespoons -- 100 grams -- of sugar.

You're gonna use some vanilla, vanilla pod like this.

Just use probably like a third of it and just take out the seeds.

Now, when you have a vanilla pod like this, never throw it away.

We're going to put it straight into the toddy because that's going to be lovely with the rest of the flavors in it.

So now just mix this together.

One egg in.

Just crack one egg.

Get it in there.

Mix that in, as well.

[ Mixer motor whirring ] There we are.

7 tablespoon -- 100 grams -- of flour.

And, as well, 1 teaspoon of baking soda.

Just do it by hand.

Otherwise, it's going to be too fluffy, and the cake is going to be too big.

So the mold I've already made.

So I have -- You can see I've used butter and sugar, and that's gonna caramelize, like, the whole edge of the cake and make this crust, which is so beautiful with the caramel sauce and the apple chutney.

So we use a wet spoon like this.

And now we're going to use -- of course, we need apples.

Look at this beauty, sir.

They are sweet and acidic and beautiful.

We're going to use some of these on the cake.

♪♪ And put them on the cake.

To finish off, just a small drizzle of sugar and, as well, cinnamon.

And now into the oven, 284 degrees Fahrenheit, and the magic is done.

♪♪ The cake is cooking, and it's time to make the apple chutney and the caramel sauce.

I've got two pans on.

Put it on almost maximum heat.

Add a couple of tablespoons of sugar in this pan for the apple chutney and about 5 tablespoons for the caramel sauce.

I'm actually going to use some water, as well, in the caramel sauce so it can cook a bit hotter because, if not, it's more likely that you can probably burn it.

So we're going to peel two apples.

Just get the peelings off while the caramel is melting.

And I think this is actually going to be perfect timing.

Just cut them down into small pieces to make sure they cook quite quickly.

Over to the pot and just get it in there.

And since we have some apple juice, I'm gonna add just a tiny bit.

Oh, yeah.

So now you can see, on the caramel sauce, this lightly brown color, which is exactly what we need to make the best caramel sauce in the world for the best apple cake in the world.

A couple of tablespoons of butter.

Turn down the heat a bit 'cause now we're going to add the cream, as well.

Half a cup of cream.

Just a pinch of salt, like this.

A quick stir.

Turn it off, and now I'm going to get the cake, and we're going to assemble, and we're going to make heaven on Earth.

You can find all our recipes at our website newscancook.com.

♪♪ So now the cake is finished.

Just taking a knife just to scrape around to get it out of the mold like this.

And now you can see you have this beautiful crust around the cake like I was talking about.

It's crunchy.

And now it's time just to add some apple chutney into the mold.

Put the cake back in.

Add a decent amount, I'd say, of caramel sauce.

And you can see it's already soaking in.

So, the lid on, back in the oven, 284 degrees, five minutes, and it's ready.

♪♪ And now I'm just gonna finish off our lovely toddy, which now -- [ Sniffs ] -- you have the smell of the orange, the cinnamon, the vanilla, the apple, the honey.

And just top it with a tiny bit of gin.

I'm just gonna take a couple of slices of the apple peelings, stir the gin in.

It's time to get the cake and make sure Olav comes, as well, to eat this lovely caramelized apple cake with Hardanger apple and have this beautiful, warm toddy.

Dig in.

>> Thank you.

Oh!

[ Laughs ] Fantastic.

>> Rodseth: Take some toddy, as well.

>> Thank you.

>> Rodseth: Cheers.

>> Cheers.

>> Rodseth: For the best apples in the world.

>> Thank you.

>> Rodseth: Eating apple cake, drinking toddy.

Heaven on Earth.

♪♪ [ Laughter ] Well, apples have been picked for both juice and dessert.

It's time to delve deeper into the cider production here in Hardanger.

So I decided to pay a visit to Asbjorn on the opposite side of the fjord.

So what kind are these?

>> This is an English variety, called Discovery.

>> Rodseth: Okay.

>> Yeah.

So I do also cider with this.

>> Rodseth: Okay.

Is that not normal or no?

>> Not normal in Norway.

They blended it in but not full.

>> Rodseth: So you use these for cider.

What about these ones?

You use those, as well?

>> This is also eating apple.

This is a red Aroma, but it's not ready for harvesting.

You have to develop the taste so we get the best balance between sugar and acid.

>> Do you have any types that's, like, more acidic?

Because that's quite sweet.

>> Yes.

I have planted a thousand yellow gravenstein, the old one.

I believe on this as a good cider apple, also.

>> Rodseth: Yeah.

>> It's not ready yet, but maybe you find something.

>> Rodseth: Mmm.

Still more acidic.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: Must be nice to have, like, the best apples in the world to make cider, like you have.

>> Yes, in Norway, we can do cider.

This, um... normal apple, eating apple, because we have this climate.

We have so cold climates, so the good acid and the good aroma get in front.

Yeah?

So maybe you want a taste of cider apples.

Broxwood Foxwhelp from England.

Now you get acid.

How is this?

>> Rodseth: Wow.

It's so dry.

>> Yeah.

Your mouth totally dry, I think.

>> Rodseth: Mm.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: After this, I need to see your cider production.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: So where is that?

>> Over there.

>> Rodseth: Let's go.

>> Shall we go?

>> Rodseth: Yes.

♪♪ ♪♪ >> Here is the apple juice.

>> Rodseth: Yeah.

>> The raw apple juice we do.

We don't use the yeast into it.

We only use the yeast in the apple skin.

Yeah?

Nothing else.

And I followed the process.

And I stop it when I have reached the 7.5% and 10-gram ratio gap.

And then we only have to wait.

But maybe you want to taste this.

>> Rodseth: Absolutely.

Yeah.

I love tasting.

>> Of course.

This is the best with the chefs.

>> Rodseth: Yes.

>> Also, it's very important for us producers to get the response from you.

>> Rodseth: This is good now, I think.

>> Yeah, yeah.

>> Rodseth: Really beautiful.

This is the raw one.

Do you have anything that's finished already?

>> Maybe you have one over here.

>> Rodseth: Maybe?

We'll see.

>> Yeah.

Here we have a cider tank.

>> Rodseth: Okay.

>> There's about three varieties in -- Aroma, Summered, at most, and then there's a little Gravenstein.

>> Rodseth: Okay.

Wow.

Dry.

>> Very dry.

Nearly down to a 1 gram, 2 gram ratio gap.

>> Rodseth: It's really nice.

I really like this.

>> You like it?

>> Rodseth: Yeah.

>> Okay.

>> Rodseth: I'm actually gonna cook some food, so it's possible for me to get a bottle from you?

>> Yeah, maybe a new one this year with a lot of old variety in that give a lot of apple taste.

Yeah?

You want this?

>> Rodseth: Yeah.

Perfect.

>> Okay, I can get it.

>> Rodseth: I'll join you.

I tasted your cider, which was beautiful.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: We were talking about maybe a cider for cooking, as well.

So which one did you pick out?

>> I found out this with the old varieties, maybe.

Could be a nice one.

>> Rodseth: Probably perfect.

>> I hope so.

You try.

>> Rodseth: Yeah.

We'll see.

>> And little surprise for you.

You know Grieg?

In Norway?

>> Rodseth: Yeah.

Of course I know Grieg.

>> Somebody do a chocolate of him now.

>> Rodseth: Okay.

>> And with 6% apple juice from my.

>> Rodseth: Oh, perfect.

Thank you so much.

I'll hope to see you again quite soon.

>> Me too.

>> Rodseth: Thank you.

>> Bye.

[ Grieg's "Morning Mood" plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ So, I brought you some chocolates -- some Grieg chocolates.

And I saw, actually, you have the notes, as well, for this, for the spring, inside the -- inside the pack.

And Grieg and Hardanger is obviously a link here.

So tell me the story.

>> He rented a room in the village of Lofthus.

8 square meter for Nina and him.

But after the summer, which they rented it for, then they told him to go to Lofthus and asked my great-grandparents if they could stay with them in the Hotel Ullensvang.

>> Rodseth: This hotel?

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: Yeah.

>> And he really found the inspiration.

No area have meant more for Grieg than this area.

And not only the nature but the people and their culture.

And in 1878, he got the inspiration, "To the Spring."

Composed in a small hut.

Also, the string quartet and the Holberg Suite is made here in Lofthus.

>> Rodseth: What about his -- Okay, so I'm a chef, and his food habits -- what did he like to eat?

>> Always when he came, he went down in the kitchen, in the basement, and asked the chef Gureau, when he could have his most favorite courses.

And that was fish soup made of pollock, Norwegian pollock, and Norwegian foie gras.

>> Rodseth: Yes.

It's cabbage -- cabbage and sheep.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: Normally, like, in the traditional way.

>> And then, red porridge with cream.

>> Rodseth: Yeah.

Well, we should have one chocolate, and then I would really like to see this cabin.

>> Is this the one with the cider inside?

>> Rodseth: I hope so.

>> You hope so?

>> Rodseth: I hope so.

>> It is, isn't it?

>> Rodseth: Okay.

Let's see.

>> [ Laughs ] >> Rodseth: Mmm.

Really good.

>> Fantastic.

>> Rodseth: Well, it's so nice to talk to you, but I'm really interested in looking at this cabin.

So can we go outside, have a look?

>> Yes.

Thank you for the chocolate.

>> Rodseth: Thank you for the coffee and for the stories, as well.

♪♪ So this is the cabin?

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: It's very small.

>> Very small.

>> Rodseth: Yeah.

>> No, it shouldn't be bigger than just for him.

And an oven and a table and a chair, and that's it.

>> Rodseth: That's it.

>> Yes, that's it.

Yeah.

>> Rodseth: So, this cabin, he actually composed all these big, big masterpieces that he made.

>> Yes.

That's true.

>> Rodseth: Thank you so much for showing me everything and all the so inspirational stories.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: I'm actually going to Bergen now and Trollhaugen.

>> Yes.

>> Rodseth: Thank you so much, Edmund.

Good to meet you.

We'll see you again.

>> Thank you, thank you.

♪♪ >> Rodseth: Edvard Grieg achieved fame during his lifetime, and his compositions put both Bergen and Norway on the musical world stage.

When he wasn't in Hardanger, he would compose music at his home, Trollhaugen, in Bergen.

Today, a museum completely preserved along with this red composers cottage by the fjord.

♪♪ Welcome to rainy Bergen, a city where everyone's really, really proud of their origin.

More recently, Bergen has gained recognition as a culinary destination in Norway, with renowned chefs and Michelin-starred restaurants.

For the past 10 to 15 years, gin production has exploded worldwide, and Bergen is, of course, no exception.

So today I'm going to show you a micro distillery.

Hi.

>> Hallo.

>> Rodseth: Hello.

You all right?

>> I'm good.

How are you?

>> Rodseth: Very good.

So some say you have, like -- you have a gin for every gin lover.

What's the secret?

>> Oh, there's a lot of secrets, and I will show you all of them.

>> Rodseth: Yes.

Let's do it.

>> To make gin, it has to be juniper-driven.

And the main botanical is junipers.

We do a kind of classic British backbone to the gin, so it's juniper berries and coriander seeds.

And the gin is 26 different botanicals, where 19 of them are native local forages.

As you can see here is elderflower, arnica, we have some angelica.

And then it's more exotic botanicals, like cinnamon, cardamom.

Here we have grains of paradise.

>> Rodseth: Mm.

>> And together with that is blueberry, lingonberries, and rhubarb, mint, and a little bit orange and lime.

>> Rodseth: So with all these beautiful spices you have, this is probably quite nice to have with food, as well.

>> Absolutely.

I think gin is the best alcohol to consume together with food.

Especially here on the west coast, where seafood is a big thing.

>> Rodseth: So, if you're gonna make, like -- like, your favorite classic drink with gin, which one is that?

>> I like it kind of naked, sort of like dry martini.

But, of course, gin is a -- it's a very versatile kind of liquid.

You can use it in more or less every cocktail.

And today I was thinking about doing a kind of spritz with the apple cider from Hardanger.

>> Rodseth: Oh, lovely.

>> And of course the gin, some lemon, sugar.

And going to be a fresh -- It's not a gin and tonic.

It's going to be a richer kind of cocktail.

>> Rodseth: Go for it.

>> So, some acidity.

>> Rodseth: Lots of lemon in it.

>> Gin.

Then I'm gonna add an aromatic bitter.

I make one that's cinnamon-driven.

And a cinnamon and apple.

Can't go wrong with that.

>> Rodseth: It's the best combination in the world.

>> For me, it brings back, like, these childhood memories.

>> Rodseth: Yeah.

>> Then we need some sugar.

And that's done.

It's just to shake.

>> Rodseth: Shake time.

[ Ice cubes rattling ] >> For more recipes, visit our website, newscancook.com.

>> Cider from Hardanger.

>> Rodseth: Mm.

Look at the color.

That's beautiful.

>> And we need to garnish it a little bit.

>> Rodseth: Of course, of course.

Wow.

>> Okay.

>> Rodseth: Thank you.

>> Let's try this one.

I think it's going to be extremely fresh.

>> Rodseth: Smells like apple cake.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: Mmm.

Fresh, still sweetness.

Beautiful.

Thank you so much, Sir Stig.

>> My pleasure.

>> Back in beautiful Hardanger, now together with my friend and colleague Adam.

We are going on a cider cruise against the stunning backdrop of the fjord and mountains.

Absolutely fantastic.

>> So let's start with the first one, called Vindpust.

"Wind breath," if you like.

>> Wind breath, yeah.

What kind of apples?

>> Discovery and Aroma.

>> Rodseth: Half dry.

>> Half dry cider.

>> Rodseth: Acidity.

It's dry, but it's sweet, and it's complex.

>> Yeah, just like chewing an apple.

With some bubbles.

>> Rodseth: It's like chewing an apple.

But this cider is, like -- I feel like it has exploded, like, people drinking cider every time now.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: For how long has that been?

>> I would say for the last five years.

Yeah, there's been almost -- close to a revolution in the cider business.

>> Rodseth: But the production is going on here for a long, long time here in Hardanger.

>> Yeah, but the quality of what we are making now, it's totally different from, uh, early age.

>> Rodseth: Sure.

Yeah.

>> Yeah.

The next one is what we call Solglimt.

That's also a half dry cider.

A little bit more fresh, a little bit more acid.

>> So more yellow on the color.

>> More yellow, yeah.

>> Rodseth: Mmm.

>> Oh, that's really nice.

>> Rodseth: More fresh.

>> Mm.

This with some seafood and... >> Mm.

>> Rodseth: Real nice.

Well, thank you so much.

This has been really interesting.

So thank you.

We'll come back.

>> Great to be here.

Thank you.

>> Thank you.

♪♪ >> Rodseth: So, Adam, after all this drinking, we desperately need some food.

>> We need food.

Yes, definitely.

>> Rodseth: So now we're actually gonna make -- we're gonna make some duck breast.

There's gonna be a duck sauce with apple and plums and some baked celery.

And I think this is gonna be absolutely amazing.

>> It's a perfect course for here in Hardanger.

>> Rodseth: I think so, and especially because you have the apples, you have the plums.

It's no better, like, combination for me than with duck breast.

>> Yeah, it's super classic.

>> Rodseth: Yeah.

Both classics.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: Because you were apprentice at Feinschmecker.

>> Feinschmecker, and you were at Le Canard.

>> Rodseth: Le Canard, which is both -- Both have Michelin stars, actually.

>> Yeah, at that time.

>> Rodseth: Yeah, back in the days.

So I just started to get the pans nice and hot.

Maybe you can start with the veg.

>> I can start some onions and some garlic.

>> Rodseth: I brought some of these duck bones we can use to roast nicely and have in the sauce.

And, of course, as well, sauce is one thing, but that's what we need to get this duck going.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: So you can see I just made nice small squares in it.

Gonna add some salt.

>> Nice.

>> Rodseth: And, of course, some pepper.

It's nice and windy here, isn't it?

>> This is, uh... >> Rodseth: Typically.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: Because you are from Bergen.

>> Yeah.

I am.

So it's only two hours from here.

>> Rodseth: But this is, like, common for you, this weather.

>> Yeah, it's -- >> Rodseth: Changing every five minutes.

>> This is summer.

>> Rodseth: This is summer!

Oh, my gosh.

[ Both laugh ] But, see, I'm melting the fat now.

I make sure no fat goes away because the flavor is amazing.

Straight into the pan for the sauce.

Mm.

So shallots, we use garlic.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: What else?

You got orange?

Maybe some apples?

>> Yeah.

Perfect.

>> Rodseth: And, like, you see, you got the beautiful color on the duck breast like this.

And now it's all about, like, melting the fat so it gets crispy.

Sauce like this is fun to make.

>> Mm.

>> Rodseth: You know how good it's gonna be.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: Cinnamon.

Mm.

Some star anise and cloves, as well.

Cloves is also -- It's really Christmassy.

Christmas flavors.

>> It is.

It is super classical.

>> Rodseth: Yeah, yeah.

Okay, so in with the vegetables.

>> Yep.

>> Rodseth: I just take a good, good sip of this cider.

>> A sip, yeah.

>> Rodseth: This is a sip where I'm from.

>> The local cider.

>> Rodseth: Of course.

See this?

Dry and beautiful.

Because normally for this sauce, you'd use white wine.

And of course, since we are in Hardanger, we use apples.

So I think I'm happy with the duck.

So I'm just going to give it a quick searing on the underside.

And it's going into the oven on 372 Fahrenheit, I say.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: For seven minutes.

>> Yeah, seven to eight.

It sounds good.

>> Rodseth: Just adding the stock in.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: And so I'll just bring the duck breast into the oven.

♪♪ So, the duck is finished.

Just a quick rest.

>> Perfect.

>> Rodseth: Maybe you can cut some more apples.

>> I will.

>> Rodseth: And plums.

>> For the sauce.

>> Rodseth: For the sauce, yeah.

So I'll just pass this off.

>> So half an apple is probably enough?

>> Rodseth: Yeah, I think so.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: So you got a root cellar, as well?

>> Yeah.

This is baked on 392 Fahrenheit for one hour.

>> Rodseth: And the pan now is full of the duck fat from before, and I'm going to add butter, as well.

>> We love butter.

>> Rodseth: We do.

It's very nice.

So you can just add that.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: And I think actually we can start a plate.

>> Some parsley on the celery root maybe.

>> Rodseth: Yeah.

Why not?

Beautiful.

Maybe you can slice the duck.

>> Yeah.

>> Rodseth: That looks absolutely perfect.

>> This is perfect.

>> And, see, you got this roasted lovely celery.

>> Mm.

>> Rodseth: Wow.

>> That's perfect.

>> Rodseth: It's beautiful.

For recipes and more, visit our website newscancook.com.

You start before the rain takes us.

>> Yeah.

Mmm.

That's so good.

>> Rodseth: Amazing.

Just like Hardanger.

The whole experience has been so nice, and I'm definitely coming back to Hardanger.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ >> For more of the "New Scandinavian Cooking" experience, visit our website and social media.

♪♪ Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... Horten Municipality.

[ Bottle cap pops, clinks ] >> Ahh!

>> 62 degrees Nord.

[ Wind howls ] ♪♪ Kvaroy Arctic.

♪♪ Up Norway.