I enjoyed many delicious Danish food during my recent vacation so it’s only natural that I want to recreate some of those travel taste memories at home. One of the most accessible dishes is smørrebrød, a visually appealing open-face sandwich on buttered rye bread. I love cocktail sandwiches because of the variety. A different flavour for every bite is pretty hard to resist for anyone with a short attention span. Making smørrebrød in bite-size servings seem like the perfect way to bring a little piece of Denmark right here at home.
I made a platter of smørrebrød in four different flavours as a post-workout meal for two. Thinly sliced pumpernickel bread was cut into quarters and buttered. Although all these miniature bites look labour intensive, they were in fact a breeze to make with readily available ingredients from a well-stocked fridge. Garnish may not seem important but it definitely elevates the food from best-enjoy-over-a-sink-when-you’re-alone to handsome-enough-to-impress-company. Many of the tips and tricks I learned from years of reading Martha Stewart magazine came into play. The key is to create visual interest with contrasting colour and shapes while keeping the taste simple with complementing or contrasting components.
Keeping these two guidelines in mind, I created four different smørrebrøds of familiar combinations. Each of them is dainty enough to be consumed in one bite so I can appreciate the full experience without worrying about the topping falling off onto the plate.
Gravlax & Ricotta
I cured a few fillets of wild salmon with tarragon and dill after reading Melissa Clark’s recent article on New York Times. Making gravlax is surprisingly simple yet the result is impressive. Of course, the key is sourcing wild salmon from fishmonger I can trust, hopefully without paying an arm and a leg. As luck would have it, Whole Foods Market had a cut-to-order wild salmon sale event. The only caveat was that I had to purchase a whole fish. I had mine deboned, skinned, and filleted for a weekend of salmon extravaganza. My batch of gravlax turned out fantastic and it was such a luxurious treat. I paired it with the non-traditional choice of fresh whole milk ricotta and a sprig of fresh dill. The fresh cheese provided a creamy component without all the fat typically associated with sour cream, crème fraiche, or even cream cheese.
Speck & Cheese
Think ham and cheese sandwich with a bit of a kick. Speck is smoked prosciutto cut into paper-thin slices. I paired it with Danish cheese and Kozlik’s Amazing Maple mustard. I wish I can tell you the name of the cheese but in my haste to taste it, I tossed away the label before I remembered to write it down. This cheese is similar to mountain cheeses and more assertive than havarti but still pretty mild. It was a good foil for the smokiness of the ham and sweetness of the mustard to shine.
Radish & Butter
Thinly sliced spring radishes were simply dressed with loads of cultured butter and fleur de sel. This is my favourite way to enjoy raw radishes though my preference lies in pickled or cooked in broth. The butter and salt tame the peppery bite from the radish in the most delicious way. For a pop of colour, I topped each sandwich with a sliver of green onion.
Egg & Mango Chutney
My favourite combination among the four smørrebrøds is hardboiled egg and lettuce with Henderson Farms’ Spicy Mango Chutney. Mayonnaise is an obvious choice for hardboiled egg but the sweet and spicy taste of the mango chutney really brightened the flavour. I would love to experiment with this combination in devilled eggs or egg salad in future.
These mini smørrebrøds were perfect post-workout snacks. Each of us enjoyed two pieces per flavour which amounted to two thin slices of pumpernickel bread, two thin slices of speck, half an egg, two tablespoons of ricotta, and two tablespoons of gravlax. The portion is not huge but it is a substantial amount of protein and carbohydrates without being over the top. Best of all, the amount of time to prepare was just under 30 minutes because everything could be streamlined in an assembly line manner. This would of course be perfect party food with its ease of serving and gorgeous good looks. Now I just need an excuse to throw a cocktail party.
