Summer solstice

 

Once again, I missed it. Oh, we remarked on the solstice and the longest day, but we didn’t celebrate it. I’ve always wanted to celebrate like they do in Scandinavian countries with picnics and bonfires and dancing around Maypoles. But what I really want is the fantastic spread of food associated with summer solstice. The menu usually includes many of the foods I love—salty, seafood, spreads, etc. It is, after all, a holiday that began in Sweden. And just for your calendars, depending on the tilt and rotation of the earth it can be anywhere from June 20 to June 22, but traditionally is celebrated June 24. The confusion in dates has something to do with old calendars, but I’m not going to try to explain it here.

This year, belatedly, I came across a menu that really spoke to me. I follow an online column called The Food Historian, by Sarah Wassberg Johnson, whose maiden name is a giveaway: she’s of Scandinavian descent. And she apparently gives a huge party for thirty or more people every year. This year, she published her menu and I’m sharing it with you, with due credit : The Food Historian Blog - THE FOOD HISTORIAN

Appetizers:

Deviled eggs; Fresh Pea Spread; Mushroom Pâté; Goat cheese; Creamed Pickled Herring; Rye Crackers

Sides: Dilled Potato Salad; Scandinavian Cucumber Salad; Pickled Beets; Pickled cucumber

Open Faced Sandwiches:

Salmon Cucumber Salad on White; Dill Havarti and Summer Sausage with Cucumber on Rye; Ham and Jarlsberg on Pumpernickel with Lingonberry Jam; Ski Queen Brunost on Rye with Strawberry Jam

Dessert:
Sandbakkels Small and Large with Jam and Whipped Cream; Midsummer Rice Pudding with Raspberry Sauce; Rommegrot Ice Cream

Drinks:
Rhubarb Gin & Tonics; Elderflower Punch.

Now, I’m not saying my dream midsummer menu would have all these choices. I’m not much on those sandwiches, except the salmon and cucumber, which I’d love. I’d fix the dill Havarti and summer sausage but leave out the cucumber, and I’d pass on the brunost, which translates to brown cheese. And it is very brown apparently. It’s made from leftovers of the cheesemaking process, boiled down until caramelized, and then shaped in blocks. Considered a good breakfast food. Not being a dessert fanatic, I’d probably pass on those too.

But, oh could I make a meal of those appetizers and sides! When I was young and in Chicago, we went to a wonderful restaurant called the Kungsholm and housed in the mansion built by inventor and businessman Cyrus McCormick—think Harvester International. But back to food—the Kungsholm had an enormous buffet featuring all the foods from Johnson’s menu plus more in three stages: the cold appetizers, the hot dishes (such as veal), and dessert. I remember particularly the caviar, huge bowls of it. When I was newly married, my husband kept going back for more caviar, until my mother exclaimed she’d never seen a person eat so much of it. I’m sure the Kungsholm is where I developed or refined my taste for Scandinavian food. And a bonus: after the meal, you could attend the puppet opera. What I know of opera also comes from those trips to the McCormick mansion. But I digress from food.

If I had to pick one recipe from Sarah Johnson’s menu, I guess I’d choose:
Open-faced salmon cucumber sandwiches
For a small group, halve this recipe.

2 cans (5 oz. each) salmon

1 cup finely chopped English cucumber

2 scallions, sliced

fresh dill, minced

lemon juice or white wine vinegar

salt and pepper

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Mayonnaise to bind

Butter

Drain and flake the salmon, then stir in the cucumber, scallions, and fresh dill. Add salt and pepper and a splash or two of lemon juice or white wine vinegar and toss to coat. Stir in Dijon mustard and mayonnaise to coat.

Lightly butter enough thin baguette slices or cocktail rye for your party. Spoon salad onto buttered breads.

You can use tuna in this recipe instead of salmon, if you prefer. You can also use leftover grilled, poached or roasted salmon, but remember that it will be higher in fat content than the canned which will change the flavor. Canned salmon will provide a milder taste than either tuna or fresh fish.

You can find more of Sarah Johnson’s midsummer recipes at The Food Historian Blog - THE FOOD HISTORIAN

SKAL!