Amanda Schulman - Swedish Summer Feasts : Favorite Recipes for Picnics, Brunches, and Barbecues by the Beach

Every situation can be enriched with good fooda birthday, a rainy day, a moment with your best friend in the sun on the front steps, a midsummer celebration, or just enjoying the peace and quiet for a while in front of the sauna. Thats why we turn every meal, large or small, into a feast. We are not chefs, and we never cook things we cant manage. We believe that knowing how to cook is useful to everyone. Were no snobs, and we dont pretend to be something that were notwe cook like normal people do and hope to inspire with our lust for the good, the tasty, and the beautiful. We often say that we like to laugh until we cry and cry until we laugh again.

This book is inspired by that. This book holds all kinds of feelings, and we like to share them, along with our best recipes and cooking advice. We want to share our magical summers with the world, because they are our absolute favorite thing. Its going to be wonderful! The First Day of Summer I think this may be the best day of the whole year. We are on our way to our little home in the country, climbing up the gravel path leading up to the house. The ditch is lined with flowers, and we marvel at the sight of the little lambs in the meadow next to our yard.

They watch us too as we pass. We reach the barn, walk through the knee-high grass. Swallows flit through the air. There is something about the light in June. Its sometimes blinding. The air is clear and its almost too cold to call this summer, but it doesnt matter.

Our whole bodies tingle with the joy of knowing that an entire summer lies ahead of us. You can feel safe here. Ive felt it so many times before. I remember when I was a kid and something was troubling me. It could have been a mean girl at school, or a boy who didnt notice me. These problems would consume all of my thoughts.

Unhappy, or with a broken heart, I packed my bags and left for the country house with my family. As soon as we left the city and came here, to the most beautiful place on Earth, all my troubles seemed to disappear. It is still like that today, even though the problems are bigger and more grown up. There is so much anticipation and joy on that first evening in the country. What is this summer going to be like? Then and there, I feel like the best summer of my life lies before me. Whether thats true or not, it really doesnt matter on that first evening.

Eat all of the summers flavors at once, look up at the sky that is yours, take a sip of a cold drink, and savor that moment. Its alright if this is as good as it gets, because this is perfection. Amanda Strawberries with Prosciutto Hull the strawberries and wrap each one in half a slice of prosciutto. Place them on a pretty serving plate, drizzle with some olive oil, and top with freshly ground black pepper. 46 SERVINGS cup (500 g) fresh strawberries 3 oz (100 g) prosciutto olive oil black pepper Entrecte with Herb Butter & Grilled Vegetables Use whatever herbs you have on hand for the herb butter. If you have early spring vegetables, you can grill them whole.

If not, split them in half. The potatoes should be split in half either way. For more evenly cooked-through potatoes, blanch them for 510 minutes before grilling. Herb butter: Let the butter soften a bit at room temperature. Mince the garlic and chop the rosemary. Use a fork to mix the herbs and garlic with the butter.

Shape the butter into a log and cover it with plastic wrap. Place it in the freezer until firm. Place the butter on a plate and slice it. Sprinkle a generous amount of pink peppercorns and sea salt on top. Grilled vegetables: Brush the potatoes and the rest of the vegetables with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Grill until browned and tender (use a fork to be sure). Grill the entrecte. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately so that the herb butter melts on the hot meat and vegetables. 1 57 oz (150200 g) slice of entrecte steak per person HERB BUTTER: 7 oz (200 g) butter 3 garlic cloves 1 small bunch of fresh rosemary whole pink peppercorns sea salt GRILLED VEGETABLES: carrots asparagus onion new potatoes olive oil salt and pepper Summer Gino with Rhubarbs Peel your rhubarb stalks if they are thick, and chop them into inch (1 cm) pieces. Divide the rhubarb over six pieces of aluminum foil, and top with chocolate pieces the same size as the rhubarb.

There should be almost as much chocolate as there is rhubarb. Fold the aluminum foil to make little packages, and grill for about 10 minutes. Serve with ice cream and garnish with sprigs of mint. 6 SERVINGS 34 rhubarb stalks 14 oz (400 g) white chocolate TO SERVE: vanilla ice cream sprigs of fresh mint Midsummer Swedish summer comes hand in hand with midsummer, an annual Swedish summer holiday that goes on for five weeks. Midsummer Eve has been celebrated for ages, and it is one of our biggest traditions. We dance around the maypole, eat pickled herring, and drink snaps.

Midsummer Eve is the ultimate romanticized summer dream. We celebrate the start of summer, and right then and there, nature is at its most beautiful. The flowers are perfect, the air is fragrant, and the sun never sets. So every year we throw a party. We cook exquisite food, and children and adults celebrate together into the night. Hannah Pickled Herring Dip Chop the pickled herring.

Peel and chop the eggs into small pieces. Finely chop the onion. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste with pepper, and add salt if you want to. To serve, add a dollop of pickled herring dip to a piece of hard rye bread, and garnish with whitefish roe or caviar, dill, and chives. 4 oz (125 g) pickled herring 4 hard-boiled eggs 1 red onion 3 tbsp (50 ml) crme frache 3 tbsp chopped dill 3 tbsp chopped chives white pepper and possibly a pinch of salt TO SERVE: Whitefish roe or caviar A few sprigs of dill and chives Poached Salmon Chop the carrots and slice the onions.