Seafood En Croute

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 CROûTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly softened. Stir in the spinach. Cook, stirring often, until the spinach wilts. Once wilted, stir in the cream cheese until melted. Stir in the parmesan cheese and the lemon juice.
• Place the sheet of puff pastry on a baking sheet. I like to lay a bed of creamed spinach right in the center, about the size (or slightly smaller) than the salmon filet. Season the salmon all over with salt and pepper. Place it right on top of the spinach.
• Wrap up the puff pastry, folding in all sides until the salmon is covered. Gently flip it over so the seams are on the bottom. Brush the pastry all over with the egg wash - on the tops and side. Score the pastry a few times on top.
• Bake the pastry for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden and crisp on the outsides. Remove and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice and serve!

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.

SALMON EN CROUTE

Steps:

• Skin and bone the salmon and set aside. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F/230 degrees C.
• Cut the tips off the asparagus. Reserve the stems and poach the tips in boiling salted water until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well, refresh in ice cold water, then drain again, leaving to sit so that all the water comes off. Puree the asparagus and stir in the creme fraiche, dill and lemon zest to blend. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Lay 1 sheet of puff pastry on a damp baking sheet with the long edge facing you. Lay the salmon on the pastry, like a picture in its frame. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread the top of the salmon with the asparagus puree. Lay the raw stems of asparagus on top of the puree, like pencils.
• Brush the margins of the pastry with the egg wash. Lay the second sheet of pastry over the salmon and press the edges to seal, like a giant ravioli. Trim the edges, leaving a 1-inch/2.5 cm border. Press with the tines of a fork, then, with the dull edge of a knife, scallop the edges. Make 2 or 3 slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Brush all over with the egg wash and bake until puffed up and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before slicing. This dish is also good at room temperature.

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.