The Swedish Table

Swedish-born Henderson brings to American tables a refined and light version of traditional Swedish dishes. She makes an intense dish such as Jansson's Temptation less leaden by substituting smoked salmon for the usual anchovies, but she retains the cream that creates the dish's special character. Instead of pork shank, Henderson uses chicken and bacon to season her version of yellow pea soup, Sweden's national dish. Her Swedish pancakes lend themselves to both sweet and savory treatments, topping one with berries, the other with wild mushrooms. Her extensive treatment of yeast rolls shows the importance of pastry in Swedish cookery. No less compelling than her food is the story of Henderson's life. Daughter of a Swedish mother and a touring African American jazz musician, Henderson grew up cooking first for her family and then at a French bistro in her hometown of Lulea in Sweden's subarctic north. After a stint modeling in New York and Europe, she landed in Los Angeles, where she married and became a caterer to the Hollywood elite.