[DANSK] Sommersalat

(still on a blog-cleaning trip - see what I found!:-) It might be a while since I took the picture, but it's still good... In fact, I might have to make this again soon...)

As it reads in the introduction to the recipe for this, rygeost (litteraly smoked cheese) is probably one of the things us Danes have all to ourselves. And no, it's not because it's bad, people, it's just - well, I don't know - just because? To some extent, that does make it pretty silly to give you a recipe for a piece of smørrebrød where the main ingredient wont be one you can just go out and get - but eh, you can't win them all, and look at it this way: if you're ever around here, you'll know what to look for! (and who knows, there might be some Danish people peeking at this blog out there, too!)

Rygeost is a soft type of cheese, consistency-wise like a fresh goats cheese. It's made of cows milk though, and often a lowfat type milk. Why someone came up with the idea of smoking it, and adding just a touch of caraway seeds to it, beats me. But it works - I didn't care much for it when I was a kid, but I've grown into really liking it. The salty, smoky flavor hits the tastebuds in the same way smoked fish and (dare I compare it to this?) bacon does. Put it up there with anchovies, capers, blue cheese and olives, and I guess you know what I'm talking about - it's and acquired taste, and one you can't get enough of once you've turned to it.

In sommersalat (translates into summer salad, but you'd figured that out already, hadn't you?), you mellow out the rygeost a bit with crème fraiche and a heavy dose of tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, chives and new potatoes. Serve it all up on toasted rye bread, and you've got yourself a meal fit for a beautiful summer day...

Sommersalat - from Camilla Plum: Umoderne Mad
- enough for 4 generous smørrebrød:

200 g. rygeost
100 ml. crème fraiche 38%
Thinly sliced radishes - loads!
500 g. tomatoes, sliced
1 thinly sliced cucumber
300 g. boiled small new potatoes, sliced
Chives, finely chopped
salt, pepper and sugar
4 thick-ish slices of rye bread

Whip together rygeost and crème fraiche until smooth. Season to taste with salt, pepper and sugar - it's not supposed to be sweet, it's just to cut the flavors a bit.

Serve like this: layer all of the vegetables on the toasted rye bread. Top of with the sommersalat and garnish with a generous amount of chives. Oh yes - you could add a bit of smoked heering or mackerel underneith... yay smoked stuff!:-)