Cabbage Horseradish Slaw

There are many versions of slaw, usually shredded cabbage and vegetables with a dressing or vinaigrette, sometimes sweet and sometimes with a pickled slant.  “Koolsalade” or “koolsla” (sla short for salade) was Dutch for cabbage salad, and we easily latched onto that term like we did so many times while forming this hodgepodge language called English.

The farmer’s market cabbage has been awesome recently—they say that cabbage that can mature in cooler weather is particularly sweet, and the nights have dropped in the 30’s and 40’s so this is prime cabbage eating season.  Sweet cabbage makes it so much easier to season a slaw!  It brings all the flavor to the bowl and we don’t have to meddle very much.

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Fresh dill makes this salad, dried just won’t be the same.

Since this was for a Scandinavian meal, full-fat dairy played a significant role and crème fraîche seemed a logical step for the slaw.  Crème fraîche is cultured cream with a lovely custard-like texture, similar to sour cream but sweeter.  If you can’t find any in stores it’s easy to make your own if you start ahead.

Combine 2 tablespoons buttermilk with 1 cup heavy cream (preferably not ultra-pastuerized), cover it, and let the mixture sit for 24 hours at room temperature.  Once it has thickened, stir and refrigerate—it should be the consistency of thin sour cream.  Commercially made Crème fraîche is thicker than homemade, but all are good.

Or you could mix heavy cream with sour cream for a quick substitute.

Greek yogurt is a similar texture and could be used for the slaw but has a tangier flavor so the seasonings would need adjustments.

More photos of the Faroe Islands dinner where this slaw was served with Langoustines and quail eggs…

This was during the brandy and cigars—festivities on a calm and (nearly) warm September eve a few hours before the rainstorm hit.

Skol!

Cabbage Horseradish Slaw

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Mix together in a bowl:

8 cups finely sliced Cabbage

3/4 – 1 cup Crème fraîche

1/4 cup Mayonnaise—more if needed

2 – 2 1/2 Tablespoons prepared Horseradish

1 small bunch Fresh Dill, chopped (around 1/2 cup, or more if you like)

1 bunch Green Onions, chopped

1 – 3 teaspoons of Sugar (to taste)

Sea Salt to taste

Let sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Taste and adjust.   Eat the same day it is made. 

These ingredients may have great variability.  Cabbage varies in sweetness and flavor, as do different brands of mayonnaise and horseradish—all will affect the salad so you may need to adjust with cider vinegar, mayonnaise or sugar.