Thursday, July 21, 2011

Chive Blossom Vinegar and Räksmörgås

I had planned on having a post for you today showing off my beautiful handmade mayonnaise flavored with homemade chive vinegar. Um yeah, planned is the important world there. I started a batch of mayonnaise and after adding about one fourth of the vinegar it broke. Sigh. So, I tried again and broke a second at almost the same point. With only on egg left it was time to give up. Oh well, I can still show you my pretty pink Chive Blossom Vinegar.
Chive Blossom Vinegar

I got the idea from Cooking With Anne. I was pulling out a bunch of chive plants that were in bloom, so I threw some together. It couldn't be simpler. I just threw about twelve blossoms into a cup of white vinegar in a sealed container, then let is sit in a cupboard. Anne let her's sit for two weeks, but I let mine go a whole month. When it was time to use it, I strained it through a sieve lined with a paper towel. The result is a vinegar that smells and tastes of chives. It's a really great combo.

Since I couldn't use it in homemade mayonnaise like planned, I just mixed it in with some prepared mayonnaise to use on Räksmörgås, a perfect dinner for a hot night.
Swedish Shrimp Sandwich
Our homemade Räksmörgås
Räksmörgås is a Swedish open-faced sandwich that we saw on every menu on our trip earlier this year. Matt really took a shine to it, so we've started making it at home.

So, what is in a Räksmörgås? You start with a dark rye bread (tonight we used Sun Street Breads Wheat Beer Rye and Sunflower Seed). Top that with a very generous smear of mayonnaise. I mixed about half a cup of mayonnaise with the chive blossom vinegar which made a sort of oniony mayo sauce. Then you add a layer of sliced hard boiled eggs. Small, cold cooked shrimp goes on top of the egg. We found the prefect size precooked frozen shrimp at IKEA, all we have to do is thaw some under cold running water and it's ready to use. Finally, you add the classic Scandinavian herb, fresh dill. Sometimes the sandwich was served with lettuce, some tomato, or a few slices of cucmber. We also had it topped one day with a little chopped red onion and some roe.
Prawn and egg sandwich
Räksmörgås at a restaurant in Stockholm
This is a really filling sandwich. There is a creamy, richness from the mayo and eggs which compliments the shrimp really well. We think the dill is really important and find it a little bland without it. (I actually heard a Scandinavian chef on TV once say you can never add too much dill.)

So, any other ideas for ways to use my Chive Blossom Vinegar?

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11 comments:

  1. Beth (jamandcream)July 21, 2011 at 4:15 PM

    Liking the scandi vibe...and a great looking vinegar

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  2. AnonymousJuly 21, 2011 at 4:26 PM

    If I rmember correctly, from many cooking classes I took years ago, you can correct the mayo mess by blending in one more egg yolk. Pam

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  3. katJuly 21, 2011 at 4:43 PM

    Pam - I tried doing that only to have it break again. It was not a good afternoon ;)

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  4. LoriJuly 23, 2011 at 7:21 AM

    chive blossom vinegar... interesting. I will have to give it a try in the Spring when my chives are loaded with blossoms. I like trying different vinegars.

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  5. Alicia FoodycatJuly 24, 2011 at 12:47 PM

    That vinegar will be brilliant on a German potato salad!

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  6. Created by Hannah GrunzkeJuly 25, 2011 at 8:49 AM

    Thanks for the chive blossom vinegar idea! I would try it with wilted greens - brown bacon bits, deglaze w/vinegar, plus sugar, pepper, maybe salt and toss the greens into the hot pan until wilted. My favorite use for vinegar by far!

    Hannah in Duluth

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  7. AnonymousJuly 25, 2011 at 1:44 PM

    I think it was Andreas Vierstad, one of the "Scandinavian Cooking" chefs, who said that about dill.

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  8. Jenn @leftoverqueenJuly 25, 2011 at 2:14 PM

    Such a delicious looking sandwich!

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  9. graceJuly 26, 2011 at 3:59 AM

    while the plate you had in stockholm is colorful and lovely, the dish you've prepared yourself is simply pristine. what a gorgeous creation!

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  10. LoriJuly 27, 2011 at 7:22 AM

    Your sandwich looks every bit as good as the original! Sorry to hear about the mayo. I remember making it in food science classes, but have never tried it at home. It's a tough one! I'm a bit unoriginal because all I can think of with the vinegar is a salad dressing.

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  11. LoAugust 16, 2011 at 9:56 PM

    Mayo can be frustrating that way -- totally feel for you on that one.

    Catching up on my blog reading, and this post totally caught my eye. We made our own chive vinegar this year as well, only I used raw apple cider vinegar... lovely flavor, but it's not anywhere near as lovely. So, you won't even see any photos of mine ;)

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