Smorgastarta, Swedish Sandwich Cake

Smorgastarta, Swedish Sandwich Cake, beautiful to the eye and layers of flavors and textures to feast on. At first glance, you think wow this is a wonderful cake, but then you look closer and you realize this is savory with notes of smoked salmon and dill, radishes, egg salad and chives tweaking the flavor at each stop! Truly a work of art! Welcome to Eat the World and this month’s stop to Sweden.

Song of the day: “Mamma Mia” by ABBA.

Smorgastarta, Swedish Sandwich Cake, truly brings the artist out of you. Intricate layers united by a cream cheese/yogurt spread stepped up in flavor with the moistest and delicious salmon you could ever taste. Add an egg salad and a most beautiful array of color and poise on top, and we have a real surprise in taste and texture. Come with us, let’s Eat the World and experience Sweden together!

 

 

For us, in the food world, we could not have been delivered a more sad note than finding out Anthony Bourdain had passed tragically. Traveling the world and taking us all on an adventure of food, culture, and sharing was his forte! Anthony had a way to capture you with his words, and take you on a journey meeting people from all over the world in a most intimate and interactive way sharing with us the beautiful, unique lives, and ever so delicious food. I was always excited for “Parts Unkown” Anthony’s show, and could not wait to find out where he would take us next. I was a true fan and often said Anthony Bourdain had my dream job and that if he ever needed some help I was always available.

I have always been captivated by culture, not only in the true sense of the word but also in the totality that culture has to offer. The spirituality, everyday life, and the foods that represent the people of the world will always be in my heart. I hope wherever you are, Anthony, you are at peace, you were truly a gift to us foodies and I am sure all of us with Eat the World feel the loss of a truly great inspiration and person……… This one’s for you, Anthony!

Smorgastarta, Swedish Sandwich Cake is our recipe pick this month as we travel to Sweden with our group Eat the World. It is always a task when we find out the country of the month. Not that it is hard finding recipes, but there are so many to choose from. As Nicoletta and I research we try to find a recipe that truly spikes are passion and this Smorgastarta did just that. We were really inspired by Adam Liaw who has a show on Gusto TV and in one particular episode he was in Sweden and they were making this savory sandwich cake.

There are many ways to compose Smorgastarta utilizing ingredients found in the country. When we think Swedish we always think meatballs and potatoes, gravy, and smoked salmon but there is so much more to the cultural cuisine. After looking at many recipes and seeing the different combinations for this Smorgastarta we decided on smoked salmon, radishes, chives, carrots, pea shoots, and an egg salad. Nicoletta was so excited to assemble this one. We both worked on putting this together, but Nicoletta put the finishing touches decorating the top.

One thing that you need is a good sliced white bread. You could use a multigrain or rye or whatever your heart desires, but traditionally white bread is used. I was quite surprised at how easy this was to make and it took very little time. In the roster of ingredients are:

• sliced white bread, crust cut off
• smoked salmon with dill
• chopped fresh chives and a few long sprigs for decorating
• eggs
• mayo
• parsley
• lemon juice
• plain Greek yogurt
• cream cheese
• radishes
• pea shoot greens

It is time to get everything together before we assemble this Smorgastarta. The salmon is chopped nice and fine and combined with some of the yogurt/cream cheese mixture, taking a few of the fillets and making these beautiful rosettes. Egg salad is mixed up with some mayo, parsley, lemon juice, and seasoning. The radishes thinly cut into rounds. Some filleted carrots, pea shoot greens, and I believe we are ready to assemble this baby.

Let’s have some fun and create this beautiful Smorgastarta!

So, first layer a nice slathering of the yogurt and cream cheese, a sprinkle of chopped chive which we got out of our own garden. Next, the smoked salmon creamy mixture.

I love the colors happening right now and it smells so so good. Down go a few more slices of the bread and we are ready for level two. Again, a nice spread of the yogurt cream cheese mixture which helps hold the layers together, some more chives. On goes the egg salad and layer two is complete.

This is looking so good and from the aroma of all those amazing flavors, I can’t wait to dig in.

The last layer and the most fun, this is where Nicoletta comes in and releases her inner artist. Look at how beautiful she created the top with those radish rounds, carrot strands, pea shoot greens, smoked salmon rosettes and finally some chives. Doesn’t it look absolutely amazing?. Nicoletta did a fabulous job, I almost hate to cut into it.

Look at those layers so colorful and aromatic from that rose color of the smoked salmon layer to the golden hue of the egg salad, and finally the colorful and so delicate top layer. I am sorry, I have to taste it.

Mamma Mia, this is so delicious! The bread light and tender, a great foundation for what’s to come.  The yogurt/cream cheese so creamy and kicked up with those chive notes. That salmon is like butter to my tongue just melting and the dill coming through ever so gracefully. The egg salad is velvety and those wonderfully cooked yolks adding such a richness to the mix while the whites giving texture. I love how the pea shoot greens add a bit of sweetness and freshness alongside the carrots, and those radishes coming in with that peppery crisp hit. The rosettes just give us another deeper level of salmon flavor, and I have to say Sgambaro’s, which is the brand we bought from the Italian Centre Shop, really knows how to prepare the smoked salmon. Truly a premium product and one I highly recommend you try.

This Smorgastarta, Swedish Sandwich Cake is just the thing to wow your guests at your next dinner party. At first, they will think you are serving them dessert first but when they get a smidge of the aromas emanating from this dish they will realize you have created a wonderfully savory delight for them to feast on and they will truly feel special as they experience each and every delectable and artistically presented layer of this cake.

Thanks to Evelyne, and Eat the World, we are discovering the world of food one Country at a time and can’t wait for next month’s stop. Release your inner artist and have some fun creating this Smorgastarta, Swedish Sandwich cake!

Enjoy!

Song of the day: “Mamma Mia” by ABBA.

Print

Check out all the wonderful Swedish dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join</a> and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

Wendy: Rabarberpaj
Camilla: Fläderblomsglass (Elderflower Ice Cream) for Midsommar
Tara: Våfflor (Swedish Waffles)
Heather: Korngryn och rotsaker (Pearl Barley with Roasted Root Vegetables)
Juli: Färskpotatis – Swedish Dill Potatoes
Evelyne: Swedish Egg Coffee recipe
Loreto and Nicoletta (Us): Smorgastarta – Swedish Sandwich Cake
Amy: Rödbetssallad med Getost (Grated Beetroot Salad with Goat Cheese)

Margaret: Swedish Meatballs with Cream Gravy: A Taste of Sweden