Smak av Sommer

["Taste of Summer"]

Suzanna spent a good part of the day at the house of one of her friends, and Hillary attended the birthday party of one of her friends, which worked out fine for Abigail since it was her turn to be my helper for this week's Scandinavian Saturday supper.  We chose a summer-y kind of menu that turned out to be very tasty.  Click on the pic below (and/or any that follow) for a detailed look and then read on for all the delicious details.

The stars of the meal were these Dansk kylling burgere ["Danish chicken burgers"].  Abigail and I mixed together ground chicken, poultry seasoning, chopped shallots, Dijon mustard, chopped button mushrooms, small cubes of Gouda cheese made with dill in it, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and olive oil.  While they fried on the stovetop, we spread whole-wheat buns with a mixture of sour cream, fresh dill, capers, salt, and pepper.  As the patties cooked, the Gouda melted within them, and some oozed out and formed a gently browned puddle beneath each burger that became a crispy, cheesy treat when we ate them!  We topped each burger with spinach and sliced radishes.  The burgers were so delicious: savory, moist, and mouth-wateringly good.

This spinat salat ["spinach salad"] contains cucumber, onion, and tomato chopped up and tossed with spinach.  First we drizzled the greens with white wine vinegar and olive oil, seasoned them with salt and pepper, and let them sit while we prepped the burger buns.  After we had put dill/caper spread on all the buns, we added the remainder of the spread to this salad and gave it a final toss.  The dill and spinach tied this dish in nicely with the burgers, and it was fresh and refreshing all on its own.

Abigail and I made this potetsalat med grønne bønner og urter ["potato salad with green beans and herbs"] earlier in the day so that the flavors could meld as it sat through the afternoon.  It's relatively easy to make but packs a huge punch in the flavor department!  We boiled potatoes in salt water and then cut them into bite-sized pieces while using the water to boil fresh green beans.  We chopped the beans, too, and tossed the vegetables with chopped fresh thyme, fresh dill, and fresh parsley.  For a dressing, we combined crushed garlic, capers, lemon zest, olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and pepper.  This salad's aroma was so piquant that we could hardly wait to eat it after removing it from the fridge and taking off the plastic wrap at suppertime.  It was a very flavorful alternative to mayonnaise-based potato salads, and it went well with the burgers and spinach salad.

We have plenty of rhubarb in our back yard, so we cut some down this morning in order to make this dessert:  isete rabarbra ["icy rhubarb"].  We mixed sugar, water, white wine, cardamom pods, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and freshly squeezed lemon juice and brought it to a boil.  We cleaned 7 or 8 rhubarb stalks and sliced then thinly and then poured the hot liquid over them.  Then we placed the rhubarb in the fridge so it could steep throughout the day while chilling and maintaining a firm texture.  Before serving, we drained the liquid and topped each portion of icy-cold rhubarb with a mixture of yogurt, powdered sugar, lime zest, and freshly squeezed lime juice.  The clean flavors of the liquid were distinct in the rhubarb, and the lime in the topping was a nice complement.  However, the firm texture of the rhubarb was unlike what I'm used to from rhubarb desserts (in which rhubarb is usually baked into a soft consistency)--it was a bit like eating a bowl of slightly softened celery that had been soaked in cardamom and vanilla.  Fun to try once but probably not something we'd elect to make again.