Smørrebrød - Rye Bread with Mixed Toppings

The Danish open-faced sandwiches, Smørrebrød, are possibly the most well-known Danish culinary classic. Smørrebrød is simply a slice of rye bread topped with various toppings such as pickled herring, roast beef, and eggs topped with mayo and shrimps. This heaping rye bread delights date back to the nineteenth century, but the convenient lunch item has received a makeover in recent years and is now hipper than ever.

Ingredients:
4 servings

• 4 pieces rye bread
• 4-5 tarragon stems
• 1 tbsp salted capers
• 1.5 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon apple vinegar
• 4-8 ripe tomatoes
• 1 shallot
• 3 Egg Yolks
• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 2 tbsp apple vinegar
• 6 dl vegetable or corn oil
• 1 teaspoon Sea Salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1-2 tbsp cold water
  
  

Instruction:
1) Mayonnaise

• Put the egg yolks in a large bowl and add mustard, a little sea salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
• Mix it well, preferably with a balloon whisk.
• Stir the egg yolks a little bit at the time. Slowly pour the oil so that the oil constantly gets mixed with the egg yolks. From time to time, pause adding the oil and stir the mayonnaise well.
• Continue the process until the oil is fully added, then add a little bit of water. Stir well – this will secure the mayonnaise to be firm and even.
• Season with salt and vinegar. Straight after, place the mayonnaise in the fridge where it can last for 4-5 days.

2) Peel off the leaves of the tarragon stems. Save half of the leaves for the presentation and chop the rest. Rinse the salted capers thoroughly and chop them. Mix capers and tarragon into the mayonnaise, and season with a little of apple vinegar. Slice the tomatoes into big slices and the onion into thin slices.

3) Final presentation: butter the bread with some of the mayonnaise and place the tomatoes on top. Place small dots of mayonnaise in between the tomatoes. Finally, place some tarragon leaves and rings of shallots on top of the smørrebrød.