Swedish Tradition | Entertaining | Smörgåsbord

I saw some beautiful salmon fillets at Costco today (wild caught - we don't do farmed salmon). They got me thinking. When our daughter was born I decided to recreate some family traditions that had been lost on the boat to America. My grandmother was Swedish so I started collecting some favorite Swedish recipes like, Lucia Buns and Swedish Meatballs. We put our own spin on some things though. Instead of making Gravlax (or Gravad Lax a salt and sugar preseved salmon dish) we have smoked salmon. I'll tell you the best Father's Day gift I ever bought Larry was a small smoker. He has perfected a recipe for a slightly sweet, salty smoked salmon that melts like butter in your mouth. I make a simple sour cream horseradish sauce to go with it and together they are heavenly.


So in my typical give-me-an-inch-I'll-take-a-mile style, instead of making a bit of smoked salmon, I'm thinking it might be fun to do a full-on Smörgåsbord. A smörgåsbord is a Swedish buffet of ice cold, room-temperature and piping hot dishes to which everyone helps themselves. I'm pretty sure that many people don't find the idea of a heaping plate of Scandinavian as enticing. When I think Swedish food my first thought is . . . "do I have to eat pickled herring?" I admit I never have tried pickled herring and I don't think I will soon, but I have found Swedish-style foods that my whole family likes and that don't break the budget. [I have to tell you though I love the name of one pickled herring dish - its called "Glasmastarsill" or "Glassblowers Herring" - the word glassblower is just in reference to the large glass jar that the herring, carrots and onions are layered] but I digress. 


A smörgåsbord is laid out with all of the cold dishes at one end, in the middle are the room-temperature dishes and hot dishes at the other end. So for my smörgåsbord I plan to begin with a large bucket of ice with aquavit and flavored vodkas at the head of the table. The chilled foods will follow and I'm thinking simple sliced radishes, a cucumber salad with dill, walnut oil and seasoned rice vinegar, and a few pickled beets because I love them. Then the smoked salmon and the sour cream horseradish sauce (sour cream with a touch of horseradish and a bit of cream to thin it and maybe a bit of salt and pepper). The room temperature spread will start with a bread board with Limpa (a dark sweet rye bread), a compound butter made with salted butter and caraway seeds, and some Fontina cheese. A smörgåsbord has to have a selection of open-faced sandwiches so I'm going to make two; roast beef and sweet mustard topped with a slice of gherkin and for the other I'll make scrambled eggs (cooked slowly to keep them creamy) with a dollop of cream cheese and bit of minced shallots and parsley. Finally, for the end of the table with hot dishes I make Swedish Meatballs (köttbullar) and scalloped potatoes.


A smörgåsbord is usually served as a celebration dish. I have my party planned, now I just need to decide what I'm celebrating (I know, a bit bassackwards as my mother used to say). Next weekend is Danish Days in Solvang. The high school marching band is going to go and play and we are chaperoning. Denmark is right next door to Sweden. Sure, its a reach, but I think I'll celebrate the day with a smörgåsbord!