Say yes peas to this work of art

You don’t have to serve them with the traditional Danish aquavit or cold beer, but you should definitely upgrade your summer sandwiches by trying one of the 70 openface combinations offered in Open Sandwiches, a new cookbook by Danish food writer and chef Trine Hahnemann (Quadrille/ Raincoast, $27.99).

Chicken is the base for this recipe, topped with puréed frozen peas and coriander.

Although the recipe begins with cooking fresh chicken, leftover roast chicken may be used as a substitute.

Thinly sliced rye bread and salted butter are traditional for Danish sandwiches, the author writes.

A few of Hahnemann’s preferred summer toppings are potato salad or salami with potato and onions.

Her book starts with a pocket history of the open sandwich — or smørrebrød as the Danes call it — which she traces back to the 19th century.

Start simple, Hahnemann suggests, with a beginner open-face. Top buttered bread with sliced hard-boiled eggs, sliced tomatoes, mayonnaise, salt, pepper and watercress, in that order.

If cress is not available, chopped green onions work well, too.

At an all-smørrebrød meal, the correct order to eat your sandwiches in is to start with a herringtopped version, followed by salmon or another fish, meat or vegetables and a finale of cheese.