I have a thing for things Danish. I like the furniture, I like the architecture, and I like, no, I love the food. For instance, Smørrebrød. Say s’mor-a-brod. See, that wasn’t so tough. It translates to “bread and butter”, but means so much more. Smørrebrød is a type of open-faced sandwich popular throughout Denmark. The toppings are limited only by your imagination, and my version is traditional with a twist (would you expect anything less?).
Submitted for your approval, exhibit one. Russian rye because I couldn’t find Danish rye. It’s a very good light rye bread with a smattering of caraway seeds throughout, which wouldn’t be out of place in the land of the Vikings. Next, slices of Cream Havarti, a mild, buttery cow’s milk cheese you may find with the addition of dill, caraway, etc. Paper-thin slices of red onion; I find red onion compliments mild cheeses beautifully. The thinner the better, to enhance rather than overwhelm the flavor. Butter lettuce for a little mildly-sweet leafy action. Looks nice, too. Thickly-sliced tomatoes, the riper the better. These are “tomatoes on the vine” which are the rare edible tomatoes available here at this time of year. Now for my twist, dilled Greek-style yogurt. This takes the place of dilled mayonnaise or sour cream, and tastes delicious, especially with the tomatoes. And it’s very good for you.
I completed my dinner with split pea soup, though I have to be honest and admit that it was a slightly jazzed up pre-made soup. Dr. McDougall’s to be precise. I had very little time to get this together, and split pea soup requires about 2 hours to properly cook. Instead, I poured the soup out of the box, added a little salt and Liquid Smoke, and pureed. So there. It was actually very good, and I will eat it again. The beer is a nutty, slightly bitter Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale. It was better than very good.
And how did it all taste? The sandwich was everything, except umami. The rye was slightly sour, with a touch of bitter from the caraway. The cheese, a cross between butter and mild white cheese, more of a mouth feel kind of thing than a flavor. The onion brought out a little sharpness, as did the tomatoes, which were accentuated by the yogurt’s tang. The dill gave it a good touch of herbal freshness. The soup was the base, slightly gritty and smokey, as good pea soup ought to be. It was the umami. The beer was perfect…hints of smoke, grassy herby, and somewhat bitter.
So go forth and make your own version of Smørrebrød. Use whatever you want, as long as you use your imagination.