January 21

King Oscar II's Birthday

King Oscar II Opens the Swedish Parliament

Although most Americans are not acquainted with the details of Oscar II's life, or even which of the Scandinavian countries he ruled, King Oscar II is the third most recognizable monarchs in history, ranking only behind Queen Elizabeth I and Henry VIII. King Oscar's recognizability is not based on his charisma or the important world events that marked his reign, but rather by his ubiquitous photograph on millions of sardine cans.

Oscar II was one of the most able but least popular of the Bernadotte rulers. He was the fourth of the Bernadottes to rule Sweden, a dynasty of which Napoleon was the primary catalyst. In 1780, the Swedish Parliament chose Napoleon's marshal Jean Baptiste Bernadotte to be the crown prince of Sweden due to their mistaken impression that he was a close friend of Napoleon and that Sweden could rely on France's help in regaining Finland from the Russians.

Oscar's brother, Charles XV, was the golden boy of Swedish royalty and had extraordinary charm and charisma. Oscar was almost the direct opposite and never had the personal magnetism to inspire confidence by his subjects. His mother once summed up the difference between her two sons when she stated: "Oscar does everything to be popular, without success; whereas Charles does everything to injure his popularity, without success. Oscar's reign was primarily noted for the breach of the Swedish-Norwegian union in 1905. The disappointment of this event broke Oscar physically and emotionally and lead to his death two years later.

King Oscar's association with food is not limited to the sardine. One of the classic Norwegian smorrebords (open-faced sandwiches) is simply called "King Oscar", and is made with cucumbers, small shrimp, and mayonnaise on white bread. However, King Oscar is more appropriately remembered by the elegant Veal Oscar, veal cutlets topped with asparagus tips, smothered with either Hollandaise or Béarnaise sauce, and crowned with lobster nuggets or crabmeat. Here is a recipe for the Hollandaise/crabmeat version/ Swedish movie buffs might enhance this spectacular dish by watching Oscar portrayed by Claes Ljungmar in the TV film August ( 2007).

Veal Oscar

Ingredients

2&1/2 lbs. veal cutlets

1 lb crabmeat, jumbo lump

4 eggs

2 cans white asparagus

1/2 lb butter

1 lemon

2 TB Dijon mustard

1 dash Tabasco sauce

1 oz white wine

1 bunch fresh parsley,

Instructions

1.Trim veal of visible fat and cut into 2-oz portions. (Always cut across the grain of the meat.) Pound veal into
    a thin medallion - three medallions per person.
2. Gently feel through the crabmeat and remove any shells, being careful not to break lumps.
3. Make Hollandaise Sauce as follows: Separate egg yolks from egg whites and place yolks in a stainless
    steel mixing bowl. Add the juice of 1 lemon, Dijon mustard, Tabasco sauce, and white wine. Whip with a
    fine whisk.
4. In a saucepan, completely melt the butter and hold for later use.
5. Over a pot of boiling water, whisk the egg yolk mixture until slightly thickened. Do not cook too fast. (If egg
    mixture begins to scramble, start over.) When soft peaks form, remove from heat and slowly whisk in
    melted butter, 1 tsp at a time. When all butter is incorporated, set aside in a warm place until ready to
    serve.
6. In a sauté pan with very little oil, sear the medallions of veal on both sides and place on a baking sheet
    arranged in 6-ounce portions.
7. Divide the asparagus into six equal portions and place the asparagus spears on top of each group of veal
    medallions.
8. Place equal amounts of crabmeat on top of the asparagus, season with salt and pepper. Place baking
    sheet pan into a hot oven to heat up the asparagus and crabmeat. When hot, remove from oven; place each
    serving on dinner plates, top with Hollandaise sauce and serve.

Serves 6-8