The Ultimate Danish Summer Meal

Saturday, July 16, 2016--Asserbo, Denmark

I slept under a comforter with the windows open letting in the very cool air and the sounds of the birds in the area.  It was very quiet otherwise out here in the countryside.

Torben made homemade bread for breakfast and served it with a soft boiled egg, slices of cheese, one of the leftover salmon filets from last night's dinner, marmalade, butter, tea, and orange juice.  We sat inside since it was still a little windy and cool outdoors.  But their living/dining room in their summerhouse has two walls of glass looking out onto the garden.

After a nice leisurely morning there at Torben's and Erik's summer house, we drove to Asserbo, another popular region for summerhouses with very nice beaches nearby.  We stopped at the summerhouse of John and Paul Lennart.  It is a wonderful architect-designed home with a glass wall looking out over open land.  We were returning their car from the night before.  In Denmark, people don't drive after drinking, so they had taken a taxi home.  From there, we went to Jens' and Robert's new summerhouse which replaced the small one I have visited many times.

I liked Jen's and Robert's summerhouse.  It is probably twice the size of the former one which Jens inherited from an aunt.  The previous one was what people here would call a "true" summerhouse--a basic small cabin-like home with a small living room, a tiny kitchen in one corner of the living room, a small bath with just a sink and a toilet, and one bedroom.  The new one has a huge living room with a large kitchen at the back of it, two bedrooms, a large bathroom with a shower and hot water, and a wrap-around deck to get the sun from various angles throughout the day.  It has lots of light coming through, and, therefore, lots of nice views of the green lawn and trees outside.  It has a huge Rhododendron plant beside the house that is now 3 times the size it was last time I was here.  I remember it, because the season was over for it to bloom and Jens and I spent part of an afternoon picking off the dying blossoms so that it would bloom well the next year.

Jens and Robert have a summer party each year that is the talk of everyone who has ever been invited.  I was a guest once before maybe 20 years ago when it was a smaller function (but with food just as fancy).  This year, there were 10 of us present.  Here is the meal we were served:

1st Course:  Half a lobster with garlic mayonnaise, another spicier sauce, and warm crusty bread.  Served with white wine.

2nd Course:  Garlic-marinated shrimp and smoked salmon filets.  Served with white wine.

3rd Course:  Roast beef with tomato/onion salad.  Served with red wine.

4th Course:  Four kinds of cheese with herb-crusted crackers and more warm bread.  Served with red wine and various liqueurs--cognac, chartruese, cointreau, etc.

5th Course:  A platter of candies (chocolate-coated marzipan, mini Ritter bars, chocolate-coated nuts inside a sugar shell, etc.).  Served with choices of lots of liquors.

The party started at 14:00 and ended about 19:30.  Grethe and I caught the bus/train back to the city just after 20:00 and were back at her apartment, stuffed as could be from the meal, around 22:15 and prepared for bed immediately.  We were both so full and so tired!