Smörgåstårta aka Swedish Sandwich Cake

Over the summer, I found an amazing book while thrift shopping in Galveston. The recipe I was dying to try was the Party Sandwich Loaf. I stuck pretty closely to the original recipe in the book. On Pinterest, I spotted another version of this cake that is much more "Swedish" which is filled with smoked salmon and smoked herring mousse. It looks incredible, topped with smoked Salmon and shrimp...definitely a wower if you are wanting something more refined. My recipe sure impressed everyone who tried it....now that I know how to put it together, I am definitely open to doing some creative fillings and other sandwich toppings. 

Foodarama Party Book copyright 1959


Party Sandwich Loaf Recipe

1 small round loaf white bread (I used sourdough)
Softened butter or margarine
Ham and Celery Filling
Curried Egg filling
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
Avocado filling
Cream cheese (I used 2 packages)
Light cream (I used a 16 oz sour cream)
Sliced stuffed olives
Sprigs of parsley
Other vegetables to garnish

Ham and celery filling: Combine 1 cup ground cooked ham, 1/2 cup finely chopped celery and enough mayonaise to moisten

Curried egg filling: Combine 4 finely chopped hard-cooked eggs, 1/2 tsp. curry powder and enough mayonaise to moisten. (I used a lot more than 1/2 tsp. and it was soo good)

Avocado filling: Mash 2 fully ripe avocados; add 2 Tbsp. highly seasoned French Dressing. Stir until well blended. (Not sure what 'highly seasoned French Dressing means so I just bought the one that said sweet and tangy)

Cut bread loaf, crosswise into four thick slices. Spread each slice with butter. Spread bottom slice with Ham and Celery Filling. Top with second bread slice; spread with Curried Egg Filling. Top with slices of tomato and third bread slice. Spread with Avocado filling; top with remaining bread slice. Mash cream cheese; stir in enough cream so cheese will spread easily; beat until smooth. Spread on top and sides of loaf. Garnish with olive slices and parsley. Cut into wedges and serve. Makes about 12 servings.

I mixed up a little extra cream cheese and sour cream than necessary, and I also had some of the ham filling left over so I threw it all together and it was a delicious veggie dip for the extra carrots and radishes I used for garnish.

Veggies I used on top:
Thinly sliced lemon
Radish
Parsley
Olives (I didn't use black but they would've been good too!)
Cherry (or grape) tomatoes
Carrots (using my apple corer, I cut rings)
Cucumber

I was afraid the bread would get soggy, but it stayed dry...it was a big hit at the fall fest party I went to Saturday night!!

A Bread Story.

My poor front lawn is going for GOLD. It has long been yellow and crispy, thirsty and dead. This summer has been sooooo hot. I hate to complain about it...I mean, who doesn't love sunshine...but if you look at the facts (From July 27th on the local weather station):

• 35 days in a row that we have been at or above our normal high 52 of the past 56 days (since June 1st) have been at our above our average high 
• We have hit 100 degrees 16 times this summer (that ties us for 4 place all time) 
• Only a trace of rain at the Joplin airport for July(2nd driest all time) 
• Since June 1st only 1.26″ of rain For the year 20.69″ (average = 27.11″) 
• We are behind by 6.42″ of rain
• the average temperature for the past year has been 61.7 degrees. That is 2 degrees higher than the average for the calendar year 2006, and is comparable to the Dust Bowl year of 1934 (according to the Joplin Globe)

The heat has been relentless. Just a trace of rain in the city means that its been just enough to turn my car from black to leopard print with dust spots.
 
I remember the last time I saw real rain. It was on June 21st.

The gutters haven't been full, and there haven't been any puddles to jump for weeks.

I remember this day because it was cooler. Much cooler. For a few hours at least.

The morning was absolutely beautiful. I turned on a jazz station on the t.v. satellite and got out a book about baking bread. One of my goals this year is to learn to bake bread.

The book is wonderful because it explains how to use a food processor to mix up the ingredients. I burned up my food processor that day. Oops.

I remember the rain on the windows in the dining room as I kneaded the bread. I really felt like I was  making something living. By making a loaf of bread from scratch, I was digging into an art form that has been explored by nearly every civilization for 10,000 years.

Sure, you can buy a loaf of delicious bread at a local bakery or grocery store for a dollar....but actually going through all of the steps, and getting covered in flour...Yes, it is time consuming, I think I spent 5 hours on the two loaves of bread, but it's worth every minute. It's extremely gratifying to mold and knead the dough with your bare hands. It's a very basic, earth-connecting experience.

The suspense is exhilarating waiting to see if the dough will rise. Then the best part is the aroma. There is absolutely nothing that smells better from the oven than fresh baked bread. That afternoon, I took the honey-oat bread from the oven just before rushing out the door to a hair appointment. I remember sitting in the salon chair, practically salivating for the warm bread that I knew was waiting on the counter at home.

One loaf was eaten within a matter of days. A few slices were consumed warm, immediately after baking, covered with butter...and honey....

A couple of slices were used for BLTs- the tomatoes home grown in the backyard.

Two slices were turned into french toast. 

At least one piece was covered in peanut butter and topped with raspberries.

The end of the loaf was sliced, and toasted and served with fresh bruschetta.

The other loaf is in the freezer....waiting for cooler weather. Once it thaws, it will either become a sandwich loaf like this one, or enjoyed a little at a time with chicken and noodles, or toasted and covered in cheese.

I cannot wait for the summer to end, so I can heat up my kitchen baking more bread. (While it rains outside.)