Salmon Aspic Food

SALMON ASPIC

Steps:

• Sprinkle gelatin in the cold water and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Add boiling water and stir until the gelatin dissolves.
• Add lemon juice, salt and sugar.
• Lightly spray a gelatin mold with cooking spray and pour a portion of the gelatin in the bottom of the mold; set in the frig to congeal.
• When firm, place salmon evenly in the mold, leaving a small space between the salmon and the outer edge.
• Arrange hard cooked eggs and the vegetables artistically around the salmon.
• Add remaining gelatin to cover and chill in frig until firm.
• Unmold onto a platter lined with salad greens and garnish as desired.
• Cut into slices for serving.

WHOLE POACHED SALMON IN ASPIC WITH CITRUS AND WILD FENNEL

Steps:

• Make court-bouillon by combining 5 quarts water, 2 1/2 cups wine, bay leaves, celery, onions, carrots, parsley, peppercorns, salt, and lemons in a large fish poacher with rack in, at least 24 inches long and 4 1/2 inches deep. Cover; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cook 30 minutes. Turn off heat, and let cool for 15 minutes.
• Cut a length of cheesecloth into three 34-by-18-inch pieces, and overlap them to create a 30-by-34-inch-wide piece of cheesecloth. Rinse salmon with cool running water; pat dry. Wrap salmon in cheesecloth, tying the ends closed with kitchen twine, and tying loosely once around the middle. Using ends as handles, place salmon into poacher, and add enough water to just cover salmon.
• Cover; bring to bare simmer over medium heat. Poach salmon 30 minutes. Lift rack enough so fish is slightly raised out of water; poke an instant-read thermometer into back of widest part of fish. Salmon is done when internal temperature reads 135 degrees, which may take up to 1 hour. Turn off heat; let stand in poacher 15 minutes. Lift rack with salmon out of water and onto large platter. Do not unwrap salmon or remove from rack; let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• To make aspic glaze, strain 10 cups court-bouillon through fine sieve lined with cheesecloth into large stockpot. Add egg whites and remaining cup wine. Whisk over medium heat until mixture begins to simmer, about 10 minutes. Stop whisking, and let simmer 15 minutes more, or until broth is clear and all the foam has risen to surface. Remove foam with slotted spoon, and strain broth through very fine sieve lined with double thickness of cheesecloth, which has been soaked in ice water and wrung of excess.
• Transfer broth to large saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, and cook until reduced to 4 1/2 cups. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water in small bowl; let stand 10 minutes. Warm gelatin over gently simmering double boiler; stir until dissolved. Stir into broth; transfer to large bowl. (The less gelatin used, the better.)
• When salmon has cooled, gently turn bottom side up. Unwrap; do not remove cheesecloth. With dull side of paring knife, scrape off skin, and remove brown fatty bits underneath. Using cheesecloth to cradle salmon, turn the presentation side up; repeat skinning process. Remove and dispose of cheesecloth. Transfer salmon, still on rack, to refrigerator. When chilled, thicken aspic glaze by stirring over ice bath. Aspic should just be thick enough to coat; if it thickens too much, stir it over a double boiler until viscous again.
• Arrange salmon (still on rack) on metal rack over baking sheet. Ladle 1 1/2 cups aspic over salmon to coat. Chill salmon 20 minutes; repeat glazing process. While salmon chills again, put thin layer of aspic in bottom of serving platter. Carefully transfer salmon from poaching rack to the platter. Decorate salmon with your choice of garnishes, temporarily securing citrus slices with toothpicks. Over each garnish ladle a little aspic; chill once more. Remove toothpicks before presenting.

POACHED SALMON IN ASPIC

Steps:

• Poach salmon:
• Wash salmon inside and out and sprinkle inside with salt. Unfold 1 piece of cheesecloth on top of the other to make a double layer, then wrap fish snugly in it and tie ends (close to fish) with kitchen string. Place on poacher rack in poacher, then straddle poacher across 2 burners on stovetop. Add 6 quarts cold water (it should cover fish by 1 inch), lemon juice, vegetables, herbs, and peppercorns.
• Bring to a boil, partially covered, over high heat (this will take about 25 minutes; fish will register 145°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of fish). Transfer poacher to a metal rack and cool fish in broth, uncovered, 30 minutes. Then chill fish in poacher (do not pour off broth), uncovered, at least 8 hours.
• Reduce broth for aspic:
• Lift fish on poacher rack out of broth and drain well, then transfer from rack to a large shallow baking pan and chill. Pour broth through a sieve into a large bowl. Transfer 8 cups broth to a 4-quart heavy pot, reserving remainder for another use. Add white wine, Madeira, thyme sprig, and salt and boil until reduced to 5 cups, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool 20 minutes.
• Prepare salmon for glazing:
• Wash reserved leek leaves and chopped leeks in a bowl of cold water, then lift out and drain well. Cut leaves into decorative strips. Blanch strips in a saucepan of boiling water 1 minute, then transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water. Drain and pat dry.
• Remove strings from cheesecloth, then open cheesecloth but don't remove it. Remove fatty strip and small bones (they look like a comb) from spine of fish from head to tail. Trim off any fat from edges of belly. Carefully remove bony section under gills, then remove skin and dark flesh from visible side (top) of fish by gently scraping with a small sharp knife. Using the cheesecloth, roll fish over onto platter and remove bony section under gills, then remove skin and dark flesh from other side of fish. Wipe platter clean, then cover fish with dampened paper towels and chill until aspic is ready.
• Clarify broth (using egg whites and shells) and make aspic:
• Whisk together reduced broth, chopped leek, carrot, celery, and egg whites and shells in a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce heat and cook at a bare simmer, undisturbed, over low heat 30 minutes. Ladle broth through sieve lined with a double thickness of dampened paper towels set over a 1-quart glass measure, then press firmly on solids.
• Soften gelatin in cold water in a 1-quart saucepan 1 minute. Add 3 cups broth and simmer, stirring, until gelatin is dissolved, about 2 minutes.
• Glaze salmon with aspic:
• Ladle 2/3 cup aspic into a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water. Let stand, stirring occasionally, just until aspic is the consistency of raw egg white. Remove bowl from ice water and spoon a thin layer of aspic over fish, then chill fish until aspic is set, about 10 minutes. Arrange leek garnish on fish and glaze fish with more aspic. Chill fish, uncovered, until ready to serve.
• Pour remaining aspic into a 13- by 9-inch baking dish and chill until firm, about 1 hour. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes, then arrange cubes around salmon.

ALMOST AUNT SANDY'S SWEET AND SOUR SALMON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot, simmer fish broth with garlic, bay leaf and salt for 15 minutes.
• In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, scatter red onion and half of the thyme. Place salmon on top, skin side down, and season with salt and pepper. Scatter remaining thyme, raisins and lemon on top.
• Stir vinegar and sugar into broth and let simmer for 1 minute to dissolve sugar. Remove garlic and bay leaf from broth; carefully pour broth over fish. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until fish is just cooked through to taste. Serve hot, warm or cold, with challah for dipping into broth.

WHOLE POACHED SALMON

Steps:

• Rinse fish under cold running water, washing away any blood around the gills, which would cloud the stock. Pat the fish dry inside and out with paper towels; place on a clean work surface. Trim the fins from the back, belly, and near the gills with a pair of kitchen scissors. If the fish is too long to fit in the poacher, remove the head and tail with a sharp knife; cut off the tail right below the tail fins.
• Cut a double thickness of cheesecloth 17 inches wide and 8 inches longer than salmon. Place the cheesecloth on a clean work surface. Lay the fish lengthwise on the cloth, and wrap the cloth around the fish. Tie the ends of the cheesecloth with kitchen twine.
• Place the rack in the bottom of the poacher, and fill with the cooled court bouillon. Using the ends of the cloth as handles, lower salmon into the poacher, adding water if necessary to cover the fish. Cover, and set the poacher over two burners. Bring the liquid to a simmer; reduce heat to very low. Cook at a bare simmer for 25 minutes (the water should not be boiling).
• Slide a wooden spoon through each handle of the poaching rack; lift out the rack, and prop the spoons on the edges of the poacher so the fish is elevated. Raise one of the spoons to lift the side of the rack that supports the head end, and expose the widest part of the fish's back. Insert an instant-read thermometer near where the fin was. The fish is fully cooked when the temperature registers 135 degrees. (For a larger salmon this may take up to an hour.) If the temperature is too low, return the fish to the liquid, and continue poaching, checking the temperature every 10 minutes.
• Using two wooden spoons as described in Step 4, remove the rack from the liquid, and prop it on top of poacher at an angle to drain, reserving court bouillon. When salmon is cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes, transfer to a clean work surface; let cool completely, about 45 minutes.
• To make the aspic glaze, pour the court bouillon through a fine sieve. Place 6 cups of the bouillon in a stockpot. In a separate bowl, whisk 6 egg whites until frothy, then whisk the whites into the bouillon. Whisk the mixture over medium heat until it comes to a simmer, about 10 minutes. The egg whites will draw all the cloudy particles out of the stock and begin to coagulate on top. Stop whisking, and simmer until all the foam has risen to the surface and the broth below is clear, about 15 minutes
• Using a slotted spoon, carefully lift out the foam. Soak a 12-by-12-inch piece of cheesecloth in ice water. Squeeze out any excess water, and line the sieve with the cold cheesecloth. Pour the broth through the sieve. Repeat, using fresh cheesecloth each time, until all the foam has been removed from the stock. Place 1/3 cup cold water in a small bowl, and evenly sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Let sit until gelatin is softened, about 10 minutes. Add the gelatin mixture to the clarified stock, and bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until all the gelatin has dissolved; do not boil. Remove from the heat.
• Unwrap the fish, leaving the cheesecloth in place underneath. If the head and tail are still attached and are in good shape, you may want to leave them on for decoration. If not, remove the tail with kitchen scissors. The head will pull off easily. Turn the fish over, so that the side that was on the rack faces up. Peel the skin off using a paring knife and your fingers.
• Using cheesecloth to support the fish, flip it onto a serving platter, skin side up. Remove the skin from the top of fish. Using the back of a paring knife, gently scrape off any brown fat.
• Decorate the salmon with your choice of garnishes. Arrange the garnishes on top of the fish; temporarily secure with toothpicks. Pour the aspic into a large bowl set over an ice-water bath. Stir the aspic until it begins to thicken, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the aspic from the ice bath, and ladle a coating over the salmon. Refrigerate the salmon 20 minutes. Repeat the glazing process, if desired. If the aspic becomes too thick to ladle, warm in a double boiler until liquid again. Remove the toothpicks. Keep the salmon in the refrigerator, uncovered, up to 24 hours, or until your guests arrive. (The aspic coating keeps the fish from drying out.)
• When ready to serve, clean away any collected aspic around the bottom of the fish; cut with a fish server. Start at the wide end of the fish; slide the server under or between the garnishes, rather than cutting through them. Cut down to the bone, working the server gently between the flakes. Lift a section of the fish with the garnishes on top, and transfer to a dinner plate. Continue cutting and serving as needed.