Smørrebrød

My mum used to say that you feed the eye as well as the stomach, and that is certainly true of Danish smørrebrød. They are truly little works of art on a plate.

When we have smørrebrød, I bring the topping elements to the table for people to assemble their own sandwiches – which is definitely part of the fun.

I’ve listed the ingredients for four different smørrebrød, in the quantities needed to make four of each type.

I haven’t written out the method, which is pretty straightforward:

1. Butter a piece of Danish rye.
2. Arrange the toppings to your satisfaction.
3. Eat with a knife and fork.
4. Repeat.

The Danish Sandwich website was an excellent source of information and ideas for toppings.

Smørrebrød

• 1 loaf Danish rye bread, thinly sliced
• softened butter

Italian salad and ham

• 4 slices thick-cut ham
• 1 small carrot, steamed and diced
• 4 asparagus spears, steamed, tips reserved, stalks diced
• ½ cup peas, cooked
• 1 green onion, minced
• 1 Tb mayonnaise
• 1 Tb sour cream
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• salt and white pepper

Smoked salmon with horseradish cream

• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 Tb creamed horseradish
• 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 4 slices smoked salmon
• 2 radishes, thinly sliced
• fresh dill

Danish Blue, apple and bacon

• 1 apple, cored and thinly sliced
• Danish blue cheese
• 1 granny smith apple, cored and thinly sliced
• 4 rashers streaky bacon, cooked and crumbled

Prawn and egg

• 1 cup small prawns, cooked
• 2 eggs, hard boiled
• fresh dill
• lemon slices

Family score: 9.5 out of 10

Tags: asparagus, blue cheese, eggs, ham, prawns, Scandinavian food, smoked salmon