Smörgåstårta for an almost “Nordic” vacation
As some of you know, last July I was in Lake Tahoe, CA with my family (this post is #2 I already posted one related to LT a few weeks ago). Lake Tahoe is the most scenic area in the United States.
South west of Lake Tahoe is the magnificent Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe. It looks like a Scandinavian fjord: magnificent natural surroundings, beautiful cedars and pines on granite cliffs.
When you drive near Emeral Bay and if you look down you can see ” Fanette Island” where Mrs. Knight had tea time with her guests and on the bank there is a magnificient Skandinavian “Castle” called : Vikingsholm known as their Summer home.
A one-mile steep trail at an elevation of over 6,300 feet leads from the parking lot to Vikingsholm.On the way many scenic views can be enjoyed during this walk. This is stunning. Vikingsholm is located at the head of Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe, California. This magnificent “castle” is a unique blend of Nature’s spectacular beauty and man’s architectural ingenuity.
This is truly a magical place, with natural beauty and history.
Lake Tahoe, was the perfect setting to make my first Swedish sandwich – cake called : smörgåstårta, that I discovered a few months ago in my friend’s Nathalie Blog Les Cuisines de Garance.
Since then, I have seen many Swedish sandwich- cakes in magazines and on line so my guess is that this Swedish specialty is becoming pretty trendy. Why ? It is perfect for birthdays, buffets, potlucks, parties plus this dish is so delicious, tasty, easy to make, gorgeous and with endless topping or filling possibilities that everyone can make one!
Sandwich cake is one of the most popular dish in Sweden. The cake is a large
sandwich with several different creamy fillings and toppings like vegetables,
seafood, ham and cheese.
Smörgåstårta Recipe
12 sandwich bread, trimmed
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup crème fraiche
Fresh dill
5 boiled eggs
10 Cooked shrimp
Tomato cut in small pieces
1 Cucumber sliced
2 Lemon sliced
10 Radishes sliced
3-4 Smoked salmon slices
Salt
Pepper
parsley
Place 6 sandwich bread slices on a serving plate (first bread layer)
Crumbled thinly the hard boiled eggs with a fork and mix with crème fraiche, salt, pepper and mix well and set aside.(keep in the fridge until you need it)
In another bowl mix cream cheese, with salt, pepper and dill. Mix well. Set aside, do not refrigerate.
Spread the first bread layer with the egg/ mayonnaise.
Then make smoked layer of salmon.
Top with 6 slice of bread then cover it with the cream cheese dill mixture like similar as if you are frosting a cake.
Then decorate the top of the cake with cucumber, tomatoes, shrimps, lemon. Press well the sides with radish.
Be creative use a pattern or not. The possibilities are endless and below is an example.
Perfect for a party, this cake can be made ahead and benefits from a couple of hours in the fridge before serving.
