Alternative Swedish Midsummer

Last Friday was Midsummer's Eve, a big feast in Sweden. Traditionally with marinated herring, boiled new potatoes, bread beer and Swedish snaps - nubbe.

Sadly this year we didn't get a chance to go to IKEA and buy the traditional marinated herring, so as often before, I improvised.


Hot smoked salmon, sauté potatoes (yes, I overdid the sauté bit) and the treasure of the decade - golden chanterelles. I've been looking all over for fresh chantrelles pretty much since I moved to the UK and finally I found some. The best way to cook them is to fry them lightly in butter under cover. Make sure it's lightly salted butter, though. That's all they need.

Then I made what my Mum and I call white sauce. It's very good with salmon of the smoked or gravad variety and also for barbecue. And it's always good to make it the evening before, so the flavours can come out.

Ingredients

100 ml extra thinck double cream
200 ml full fat créme fraîche
4 tbsp mayonnaise
3 - 4 spring onions, the green parts only
dill, salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Whip the cream to the stiff peak stage. With the extra thick cream, this won't take long, so be careful that it doesn't turn to butter.
   
2. Mix the créme fraîche and mayonnaise well, then stir in the whipped cream.
3. Chop the spring onions finely and stir into the mixture.
4. Season with dill, salt and pepper.

This makes enough for about 3-4 people. The above is of course the heavy duty maximum calories variety, but it's quite allright to swap for leaner variants of the ingrents. The créme fraîche can be exchanged for strained Greek yogurt.