Salmon And Spinach En Croute Food

RACH'S SALMON EN CROUTE IS DECEPTIVELY EASY

Steps:

• Preheat oven 425˚F with rack at the center
• For fresh spinach, wash and stem the spinach, then bring a pot of water to a boil and place an ice water bath in large bowl on counter and a strainer in sink
• Salt the boiling water, cook spinach 1 to 2 minutes, then strain, add to ice bath to shock, drain and wring out excess liquid in clean towel, then chop
• For defrosted frozen spinach, wring out all excess liquid and finely chop, then loosen up with fingers
• Heat a skillet over medium heat with EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, add shallots and garlic, season with salt and white pepper
• Add wine, let it absorb
• Add spinach, nutmeg, lemon juice, crème fraiche or cream cheese, Parm and breadcrumbs, then remove from heat to cool
• For the salmon and pastry, combine butter, mustard, thyme, and dill
• Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured surface just a bit to smooth seams, then cut each sheet in half across to form rectangles
• Place 2 rectangles each on a parchment-lined baking sheet sprinkled with a little flour
• Season the salmon with salt and pepper
• Place a piece of salmon on each piece of pastry and top with ¼ of the Dijon and herb mix, then turn over
• Top each bottom side of salmon with a layer of ¼ of the spinach and gently set in place with your hands
• Make an egg wash with 2 teaspoons water and a fork-beaten egg
• Brush egg wash onto the puff pastry, then fold in long sides to overlap in the middle, stretching the puff pastry gently if needed, to form a seam
• Press the ends to seal, then trim ends a bit and fold in to seal the packet, then turn and score the top in a crosshatch using a paring knife to vent and to add to the plate presentation
• Brush completed packets with egg wash and bake 20 to 25 minutes

SALMON EN CROUTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, stir together the mascarpone cheese, dill and zest and juice of the lemon to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside one-third of the filling and reserve for the sauce
• Pat a salmon filet with a paper towel to slightly dry. Place the filet at one end of a strip of phyllo, leaving a 3- to 4-inch overhang, and season with salt and pepper. Spread half of the remaining mascapone mixture over the filet then cover with an even, flat layer of the half the spinach leaves. Wrap the phyllo overhang over the filet and roll the salmon up in the dough, brushing the phyllo with butter as you roll. Tuck any excess phyllo under. Prepare the second piece of salmon the same way and place on one of the prepared baking sheets.
• Fold the last piece of phyllo 4 times to a quarter of its original size (an approximate 12-by-9-inch rectangle). Brush with butter and, using a 2-inch heart cutter, cut 6 hearts from the phyllo. Place on the other prepared baking sheet.
• Bake until the hearts are golden, 5 to 10 minutes, and the phyllo around the salmon is crisp, flaky and golden, about 20 minutes.
• In a small saucepan, whisk together the reserved mascarpone mixture, the cream, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper. Warm (do not boil) over medium heat. Serve the salmon packets with a drizzle of cream sauce and top each with 3 hearts. Serve extra sauce on the side.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the water, oil and egg. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and using a wooden spoon or a Danish whisk, stir the mixture until a shaggy dough comes together.
• Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead until the dough is a bit smoother. Then "slap" the dough and turn it over and knead it until smooth; this could take between 5 to 10 minutes. You can also mix the dough in a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. This takes about 10 minutes. Cover the dough in plastic wrap and allow to rest a room temperature for 2 hours.
• Cover a table (at least 36 inches square) with a clean tablecloth. Sprinkle the cloth all over with flour. Gently press the dough into a rough 12-by-12-inch square and then gently pull the dough into a large square, about 36 inches. Use a pair of clean kitchen scissors to cut the thicker edges off the perimeter and discard them. Allow the dough to rest to dry out just a bit, about 5 minutes.
• Adapted from "Pie it Forward: Pies, Tarts, Tortes, Galettes and Other Pastries Reinvented" by Gesine Bullock-Prado © Abrams 2012. Provided courtesy of Gesine Bullock-Prado. All rights reserved.

SALMON EN CROUTE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and 1 teaspoon garlic; cook and stir until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Transfer onion and mushroom mixture to a small bowl.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the same skillet. Add remaining 1 teaspoon garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spinach; cook and stir until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Transfer to another bowl.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a glass baking dish with parchment paper.
• Dust work surface with flour. Lay 1 puff pastry sheet out on work surface. Spread onion and mushroom mixture evenly across pastry, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Center salmon on top. Sprinkle paprika over salmon and top with wilted spinach. Cover with second puff pastry sheet. Fold over and crimp edges to seal. Brush top with beaten egg. Transfer to baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pastry is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove and let stand for 5 minutes. Slice into 4 portions.
• Whisk mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and dill together in a small bowl. Spoon sauce onto 4 plates and place a piece of salmon on each.

THE ULTIMATE MAKEOVER: SALMON EN CROûTE

Steps:

• Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Tip in the shallots and fry for 2-3 mins to soften, then add the mushrooms and garlic, and stir-fry over a high heat for another 3-4 mins, or until the mushrooms and shallots are golden and any liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Pour in the lemon juice - after a few seconds, that should have evaporated too. Remove from the heat, then stir in the watercress so it wilts in the warmth from the pan (see step 1). Stir in the dill and chives, and season with a little salt and pepper. Leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. When the mushroom mix is cool, stir in the crème fraîche. Lay one of the filo sheets on the worktop with the short end facing you. Brush all over with a little of the remaining oil. Layer up 4 more of the filo sheets in the same way, brushing each with a little of the oil.
• Lay one of the salmon fillets, skin-side up, across the width of the filo, positioning it about one-third of the way up. Season it with pepper. Spoon and spread the cooled mushroom mix over the top of the fillet (see step 2). Lay the other salmon fillet on top, skin-side down. Season again. Fold the short end of pastry nearest to you over the salmon, then bring the other end over to completely enclose the salmon (see step 3), lifting it so the join can tuck under it. Fold both pastry ends over as neatly as you can.
• Brush the outside with a bit more of the remaining oil. Scrunch up the last sheet of filo, pressing it lightly on top in big folds (see step 4), then carefully brush with the last of the oil. Can be prepared 3-4 hrs ahead up to this point and chilled. Transfer the salmon parcel to the baking sheet. Bake for 25 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden. Check while it cooks and if the top starts to brown too quickly, lay a sheet of foil very loosely over it. Remove from the oven and let the salmon sit for 2-3 mins before slicing.

SALMON EN CROUTE WITH SPINACH-MUSHROOM FILLING

Steps:

• For the Salmon:.
• Season salmon fillets on both sides with salt, pepper and dill. Sprinkle flesh side with lemon juice.
• Heat a med skillet over med high heat. Add oil and butter. When hot, add salmon, skin-side down. Brown well, about 3 minutes. Turn and sear top side, about 2 minutes. (Note: Salmon should be rare, because it will cook fully in the pastry.).
• Remove from pan and refrigerate untl completely cooled, about 1 hour. Save pan and drippings to make dill sauce.
• For the Filling:.
• Heat a new med skillet over med high heat. Add butter and oil. Saute onions until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add mushrooms, spinach, salt and pepper. Saute until mushrooms are cooked through, about 5 minutes. (Note: There should be no moisture but, if there is, make sure it evaporates.).
• Place in refrigerator to cool.
• To Assemble:.
• Thaw pastry for about 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry out into a 14-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 4 equal squares. Place about 1/4 cup of spinach mixture in the middle of each square,then top with a piece of salmon, skin side up. Brush the edges of the pastry with some egg wash . Bring up opposite corners of pastry around the top of the salmon. Pinch the edges together to seal.
• Place the pastries on an ungreased baking sheet, seam-side down. Brush the tops with the remaining egg wash.
• Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. (Note: This is a good time to make the dill sauce in the salmon drippings.).
• Remove pastries from oven and let stand 5 minutes.
• For Creamy Dill Sauce.
• Heat med saucepan over med high heat - or use the skillet in which the fish was cooked.
• Add wine and lemon juice; bring to a boil.
• Add cream. Simmer until well-combined and cream has reduced slightly.
• Stir in dill and parsley. Taste for seasoning.
• To Serve.
• Spoon some of the sauce on each plate, then top with salmon pasty. Any remaining spinach-mushroom mixture can be heated and served on the side.

NEXT LEVEL SALMON EN CROûTE

Steps:

• The day before you want to assemble the en croûte, mix the salt and sugar in a bowl. Scatter half of the mix over a tray, then lay one of the salmon fillets on top, skinned-side down, and scatter with more of the salt mix. Lay the second fillet on top, skinned-side up, and sprinkle over the rest of the salt mix. Cover, then place another tray on top. Weigh the tray down with a couple of tins and put in the fridge for up to 48 hrs, or for at least 12 hrs (the longer you leave it, the firmer the salmon will be).
• When you're ready to assemble the en croûte, unwrap the salmon fillets, rinse them in cold water and dry with kitchen paper, then set aside. Put the watercress, cream cheese, dill, lemon zest and juice, smoked salt (if using) and a generous grinding of pepper into a bowl and mix well, then set aside.
• Line a baking tray with parchment. Roll out half of the pastry on a lightly floured surface so it's 2.5cm larger in diameter than the salmon fillet, then drape it over the lined baking tray. Place one of the fillets on the pastry, skinned-side down, and spread with the cream cheese mix, then lay the second fillet on top, skinned-side up. Brush the edge of the pastry with a little of the beaten yolk. Roll out the rest of the pastry to fit, then drape it over the salmon and tuck it in at the sides. Trim the edges and crimp or press with a fork to seal. Brush with more beaten yolk, then put the en croûte in the fridge for 30 mins before using a spoon to create a scale-like effect along the top of the pastry. Chill for up to 24 hrs or for at least another 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Bake for 20 mins, then glaze with the remaining yolk. Lower the heat to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and bake for 20 mins more, then remove and leave to stand for 10 mins.
• To make the pickle, put the cucumber and onion in a bowl. Tip the vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt into a pan and bring to the boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, pour over the veg, toss well and set aside. Can be made up to two days ahead and kept in the fridge. Slice the en croûte into six portions and serve with the pickled veg on the side.

SALMON EN CROUTE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll pastry on floured surface to 1/8 inch.
• Place 1/2 the spinach on pastry lenght wise and top with salmon, mushrooms and 1/4 cup bernaise sauce then top with remaining baby spinach.
• Roll up like a cinnamon roll, folding in the sides to seal completely.
• Brush with egg.
• Bake 25 minutes.
• Serve with warm bernaise sauce.