Smörgåsbirthday

We had every intention of keeping Michelle's birthday low-key this year, but, somehow, things got totally out of hand.



I know. When I look back on it, it just seems crazy. The theatre setting, the band,* the 5,000 guests. Totally ridiculous, right?  It wasn't "endless," exactly, but it was pretty close.

Anyway, the main thing is that we had a great time. And the smörgåsbord theme--complete with a Swedish Princess Cake finale--was a complete hit.

And, get this, if you want experience the smörgåsbord part of the experience in the presence of Michelle herself, you need only make your way to the FoodLab this week. There you'll find the following delicacies on offer, Wednesday through Saturday:

shrimp salad w/ Boston lettuce, celery, radish, apple, mayonnaise, and lemon zest

Swedish meatballs w/ gravy

beef tartare open-faced sandwich on pumpernickel w/ capers, gherkins, pickled onion, and egg yolk

house-smoked arctic char open-faced sandwich on brioche w/ crème fraîche, dill, caviar, and hard-boiled egg

house-smoked cream cheese open-faced sandwich on rye w/ Appenzeller, apple, and chives

Swedish cheesecake with cranberry coulis

and/or

Swedish Princess Cake (!)

Never had the pleasure of experiencing a true Swedish Princess Cake? It's worth a trip down to the FoodLab for that alone. You can find all kinds of crazy images of Swedish Princess Cake on the Internet (most of them suitable for Cake Wrecks), but, basically, it's a multi-layered cake that's domed with a thin layer of marzipan (tinted mint green, as per tradition, and usually decorated with a pink icing rose). The layers vary somewhat, but Michelle's includes whipped cream, genoise brushed with rum, custard, and raspberry jam, and the sum of these parts is one of the top three cakes I've ever had in my entire life. Honestly.

Skål!

aj

* The Band?