Three Spreads in Smørbrød Mode

So because we lost internet for a bit late last night, there will be two entries today.  Yesterday’s entry, which became this morning’s, was a wrap-up of the Scandinavianish appetizer course that I put together for a gathering.  In addition to the cheeses mentioned in this blog’s last installment (Danish Blue, Sylvan Star Smoked Gouda, as well as Caraway and Dill Havarti) I made three spreads to go with cucumbers and cocktail rye bread.  All these were made on the fly as a result of my awesome time management skills, so the measurements are approximations.

The first was a basic and traditional dill cream cheese and included:

                ½ 250 gram package of cream cheese

                3-4 tbsp. of fresh chopped dill

                2 good squeezes of fresh lemon juice

                A pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whip for a few seconds with a fork.  The lemon juice breaks down the cream cheese slightly and makes the mixture more spreadable. Ideally allow the spread to sit in the fridge and develop flavour for about an hour before serving.

The second is even more basic and involves trying to tone down the Danish Blue and make a smooth spread of it.  Take:

                ½ 250 gram package of cream cheese

                50 grams of Danish Blue cheese

                A very short squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Mix the ingredients together, chill and serve.

The third spread was the least traditional but its sweet and sourness made it a welcomed contrast to the other two.  Part of my inspiration for this came from the rhubarb chutneys that the English semi-regularly put with salmon.  Some also comes from René Redzepi’s use of it the summer “weed” with seafood.  Redzepi is the head chef at NOMA, the Danish establishment that has been given the number one place for three years running in San Pelegrino’s list of the fifty best restaurants in the world (http://www.theworlds50best.com/).  An example of one such recipe, “Fresh Shrimp and Pickled Seaweed, Stonecrop and Rhubarb Juice” can be found in the NOMA cookbook, a beautifully photographed piece of art and cookery instruction.  

Honeyed Goat Cheese and Rhubarb Spread

My concoction does not try to come close to the complexity of Redzepi’s work or even of a chutney but I hope the spirit and a bit of the flavour is there.  When making it, use small to medium stalks of rhubarb, trim about an inch from the bottom and then only use about two inches from there.  The pieces you end up with should be pink or pale red and the tenderest part of the plant. Slice it as thin as you can across the stalk, which should cut the stringiness to a minimum.

Ingredients:

                100 grams of soft goat cheese (chèvre)

                2 2-inch pieces of rhubarb thinly sliced (see above)

                2 tbsp. honey

                2 tsps. apple cider vinegar

                1 good grind of fresh black pepper

                A couple of pinches of salt

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl, whip with a fork and chill for an hour to soften rhubarb and let its juice infuse.  

Here is a part of the appetizer course as served, including the Danish Blue cheese, Sylvan Star Smoked Gouda and the Honeyed Goat Cheese and Rhubarb Spread on cocktail rye.