Shelter-in-place-Bread SmørRebørd
Everyone can probably agree that 2020 has been a bit nutty. Between wildfires, a global pandemic, social unrest, and a rocky election year, it has been hard not to lose joy and hope in the last several months. Many of our restaurant partners had to temporarily or permanently shut down or completely re-work their businesses due to the fires and COVID-19. Though things got quiet for us too, our farm continued to hustle and produce the same standard and quality of caviar for which we are known in the foodie world.
When shelter in place just started, people turned to their phones and computers for interaction. Many people connected with others through baking frenzies, myself included. In addition to not really liking sourdough, I didn’t think I could commit to feeding another being in the house without completely losing my mind (sourdough starters need to be tended to like extra children). I opted instead for the easy no-knead Dutch Oven baked bread loaves that dotted my Instagram feed and Pinterest board with a crisp golden brown.
As much as I love a slice fresh from the oven and slathered in butter, after a while it was time to take things up a notch. A crunchy neutral base is a natural match for caviar, so I thought this pairing was a no brainer. Inspired by the Scandinavian open-faced sandwiches, I put together a Smørrebørd Smorgasbord Board, if you will.
The smokehouse at our farm is producing some amazing smoked fish products that go extremely well with this kind of concept. I grabbed our popular Estate Smoked Sturgeon and our Smoked Salmon as well as two of our new products, Hot and Sweet Smoked Sturgeon and an addictive Smoked Sturgeon Pate.
First, I started with a beautiful wooden cutting board. I added a tin of Tsar Nicoulai Reserve Caviar, and jars of Gold Pearl Salmon Roe and naturally infused Ginger Whitefish Roe. I drizzled slices of my homemade “COVID bread” with olive oil and broiled them until they were perfectly crunchy. I arranged those on the board around the caviar along with some crackers and colorful chips. Next, I added my smokehouse goodies and then I filled in the rest of the board with herbed goat cheese spread, sliced salami, and cucumber rounds. Everything was garnished with cornichons, capers, caperberries, red grapes and dill sprigs.
Of course, not everyone spent their isolation perfecting their bread game, so obviously purchased bread loaves would be totally applicable here. In fact, support a local bakery that may have been hanging by a thread through all of this and could use the extra business. Feel free to vary the bases and include some cocktail blini (we have a great mix for that!) or switch up the caviar selection. The possibilities are endless!
To make this COVID-hangout-friendly, pre-arrange the smørrebørd sandwiches instead to make social distancing easier. Pack this up into a picnic basket and enjoy at a park or outdoor bar that allows outside food.
As we hopefully are moving our way toward the light at the end of this COVID-19 tunnel, we think it is imperative to bring some little joys back into our lives; whether it be responsible socializing with our friends and family or small splurges to indulge on at home. May we all learn from the trials of this year and may we all greet the upcoming holiday season safe, healthy, and happy.
Cheers!
Olga
