The ritual of The Seven Flowers. Collecting flowers for the table at Midsummer’s, Swedish west coast, Sweden.
Text & Photo © CM Cordeiro & JE Nilsson 2021
Going wild with our Midsummer’s menu with grilled ryggbiff and Béarnaise sauce instead of preserved herring.
Sweden’s classic lunch menu when celebrating Midsummer’s is singing and snaps, with a side of preserved herring topped with sour cream. So much so that occational visitors to Sweden think that Helan Går is our national anthem. It isn’t. A few weeks ago, we happily received our order of a meat box sourced from a farm that practices regenerative agriculture, Kött på Riktigt, located in Gothenburg. We could have let the beef mature slightly longer, but we couldn’t wait. So we went a little wild this year with our Midsummer’s menu with ryggbiff or sirloin steak, with a side of Béarnaise sauce.
The grassfed ryggbiff from Kött på Riktigt did not disappoint. It was the best cut of beef steak we’ve tried. Even the fat cap on the sirloin steak was rich and flavourful after grilling. I would warmly recommend to give Kött på Riktigt products a try if you have the opportunity, and if you’re living in the neighbourhood.
Other than the exciting flames from the grill, this year’s Midsummer gatherings in the neighbourhood are lively but distributed, which works out to a normal and perfect Swedish Midsummer’s vibe.
Ryggbiff from Kött på Riktigt, marinated in herbes de provence, salt and pepper.
In the garden, getting the fire started at the grill.
Butter and an onion vinegar mix for our Béarnaise sauce.
Fresh herbs lend an extra dimension to anything. We always try to have some pots of herbs growing throughout the year.
Quality meat. These beautifully marbled cuts of ryggbiff or sirloin, have been maturing for about two weeks in the fridge. They took centrestage in our Midsummer’s meal and made for a most scrumptious meal.
A beautiful Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) summer wine from Côtes du Luberon or Luberon from our favorite wine region in France.
Our sirloin steak was slow baked in the oven to an inner temperature of 55°C, and then seared in a cast iron skillet heated on top of our barbeque pit outdoors.
The Small One, who became a melting Dalí cat under the summer temperatures.