Koldskål - Danish Cold Buttermilk Soup

This summer, I traveled to several Scandinavian cities including Copenhagen. It was there that I happily discovered a new culinary treat, Koldskål, a tangy, cold buttermilk "soup", often topped with fresh fruit or crumbled Kammerjunker, a traditional Danish cookie.

Koldskål, which translates to "cold bowl", is a simple, old-timey Danish treat typically served in the summer. The manager/chef at Bakkehuset's Orangery, where I chanced upon it, shared how his mom on hot summer days, would call him and his friends in to enjoy a cool, refreshing bowl of Koldskål after playing outside all day.

Traditionally, Koldskål is made with just a few simple ingredients: buttermilk; eggs, to thicken the soup; sugar to sweeten it lightly; and lemon juice for a spot of tang. 

But at the Bakkehuset's Orangery, the manager/chef serves his own special version, in fact, a prize-winning version. Many years ago, he entered his take on Koldskål in a nationwide contest and won the prize for best Koldskål in Denmark! And as he carefully pointed out, since Koldskål is rarely served outside of Denmark, that also means.........his Koldskål is the best in the world!

In the chef's ultimate version, he substitutes mascarpone for the eggs, elderflower syrup for the sugar, lime juice and zest for the lemon and also adds marzipan for a hint of almond flavor. 

He didn't provide exact ingredient amounts, but he did share the steps and so what follows is my recipe recounting what my tastebuds remembered, plus a few tips for recreating this award-winning version of Koldskål.

1. Plan ahead as you'll need to refrigerate the soup for 24 hours prior to finishing and serving it.
2. Refrigerate the marzipan so it's firm, then grate finely using a microplane zester/grater.
3. If you don't have specialty food stores near you, Nilla Wafers would be a good substitute for the Kammerjunker cookies. I also like using Amaretti cookies.

So, if you want to enjoy the best Koldskål in the world, make this one!

Koldskål 
Inspired by Bakkehuset's Orangery's Koldskål in Frederiksberg, Denmark

Makes one quart (4 cups) - 4 servings

In a large bowl or pitcher, stir together:
1 quart (4 cups) buttermilk

1 tablespoon (14g) finely grated marzipan

Refrigerate for 24 hours to allow the marzipan to completely dissolve.

After 24 hours, whisk into the buttermilk mixture, making sure mascarpone is completely incorporated into the soup without lumps:
2 tablespoons (28g) mascarpone

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon lime zest

2 tablespoons elderflower syrup

Pour into soup bowls and serve with any of the following:

fresh fruit, e.g., strawberry, raspberry, peach, cut into bite-size pieces with some crushed to release juices

Kammerjunker cookies, Nilla wafers or amaretti cookies, crumbled

The Bakkehuset's Orangery

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