A Wedding Celebration in Copenhagen

By flying off to Copenhagen and cooking for days, food editor Jennifer Aaronson happily returned a long-ago favor. Her close friend Nichole Accettola was finally having a wedding celebration (after a no-frills city hall ceremony years ago) on her "copper anniversary" -- a Danish tradition celebrated at 12 1/2 years, halfway to 25 -- and Jen was there to help throw the party, just as Nichole had done for Jen’s wedding nine years before.

 

Read on for the party menu, a celebration of Danish favorites -- cured fish, potatoes, beets, pork, grains, rye bread, and strawberries.

Shards of butter-toasted rye bread add crunch while radishes and cucumbers add freshness to citrus-cured salmon.

Preserved lemons give this dish a complex brightness. Although they require very little prep time, they do need to steep in their brine for at least 10 days. (Don't let that stop you from making this recipe; store-bought preserved lemons are available at many specialty food markets too.)

You can never go wrong with a beet and goat cheese salad. This one has a light lemon-honey dressing and a crown of delicate microgreens (or sprouts if you prefer).

 

Also on the appetizer table: Caesar Dip with Fennel and Carrots.

Nichole and Joachim’s daughter, Rosa, picks elderflowers in the backyard to go with dessert.

If you don't have access to an elderflower bush in bloom, all is not lost: Simply swap in St-Germain (elderflower) liqueur.