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Swedish Culture

Kristi Bissell Puts the New in New Nordic Cooking

April 26, 2022 By Lizzy Rode

Nordic Table‘s newest instructor, Kristi Bissell, is no stranger to Scandinavian cooking. Kristi shares her love for cooking by teaching Scandinavian baking workshops and demonstrations around the country! Learn more about Kristi and try one of her upcoming classes at ASI

What motivated you to begin teaching cooking demos and workshops?

Once I started my blog, True North Kitchen, I began to get requests for cooking classes and demos. It seemed like a natural fit so I tried teaching a few and found that I really enjoyed it. I love connecting with people and sharing my love of Nordic cooking and baking!

What is True North Kitchen?

True North Kitchen is my Scandinavian food blog. It just turned 3 years-old in February so it’s still relatively new as far as blogs go. My goal with the blog is to develop simple, seasonal Nordic-inspired recipes tailored especially for the American home cook. I try to create updated and easy-to-follow recipes for classic Scandinavian dishes as well as New Nordic dishes that have a fresh, modern appeal.

How did you get connected with ASI?

I have been a member and fan of ASI for several years. I make a point of stopping by whenever I’m in town and always make time for a meal at FIKA Café. Everything they do is such an inspiration to me! It really is a dream to have this opportunity to teach at ASI.

What inspires you about Nordic cooking?

I love the straightforward ingredients and simplicity of Nordic cooking. In a northern climate where the growing season is short, there is a forced creativity that happens in the kitchen because there is often a limited number of ingredients to work with. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity to let your imagination come up with some really interesting recipe ideas. Take a simple beet, for example. It can be roasted, pickled, boiled, steamed, thinly sliced and enjoyed raw or puréed into soup or even a smoothie! A humble ingredient, yes, but with so much possibility.

What is your favorite recipe you’ve ever made?

That’s a tough question! I am probably most proud of the rugbrød (Danish rye bread) recipes on my site. I have two, one that is a simple yeast-based dough and one that is a sourdough recipe. Both are excellent and well-loved by my readers.