Saturday, April 26, 2014

Salmon Mousse

I made some Salmon Mousse the other day for Tapas and have to say I thought it needed something 'more'.
Salmon Mousse

I followed the recipe exactly, but...

So I headed back into town, 7 miles away for an additional ingredient, I 'knew' that adding some smoked salmon would be just the ticket.    Actually, I needed horseradish and napkins as well for Tapas, so it wasn't a 'one ingredient' trip.

I found the recipe for the Salmon Mousse here and since I had some salmon in the freezer, and wanted to do something fun with it, this seemed a natural fit.

  I made the little tarts, poached some salmon I had in the freezer and proceeded to make them.   Just did not care for the taste of the filling which is why I ended up heading back to town in search of some smoked salmon which I added to the rest of the filling and decided it was as good as it was going to get.

And I have to admit, that even though I did not care for the tarts, one of my guests said that they did complement each other very well.

I guess I 'taste tested' it too much.   My 'taste' was tired.

Here's the recipe for the Salmon filling first, and when I read the reviews of the recipe, they suggested making this the night before so that the ingredients could get acquainted overnight and pretend they knew it other very well.  So I did.  Make it the night before and stuck it in the fridge.

 I poached the salmon in a little water and white wine, then added some sliced lemons, dried dill and green onions.

I poached the salmon in a little water and white wine, then added some sliced lemons, dried dill and green onions.

Poached them gently then removed the salmon from the liquid, reserving a little of it for the rest of the filling.
When poaching fish, you barely cover it with liquid, never let it come to a rolling boil or even a simmer, you want the temp of the water to be about 180 degrees, this will cook the fish, really.
I let the salmon cool, then took out the dark bits, if you  have a cat handy, you can feed them this, or even your dog if they like fish.  My current dog doesn't like anything weird like fish, but...

Threw the flaked salmon into the bowl of my Kitchen Aid, along with the rest of the filling ingredients;


And let 'er rip,  well, I mixed them together, and then they went into the fridge to rest.
While that was going on I made the tarts.
 Mix together and then turn out onto a pastry sheet like this.

 I then kneaded it a little before dividing it up. 
 I knew this would make 24 tarts, so I divided it into four pieces...

 Then cut each of the four pieces in half,
 Each piece was then cut into thirds.  This way you know that the dough is divided evenly.
Each piece was then cut into thirds.  This way you know that the dough is divided evenly. 
 I rolled them into a ball, and pressed them  into my mini tart pans, making a shell of them.
 Along the way, I had a helper, sigh...

She was more interested in the cupboard though, all that lovely space to explore.

No room for the bird in this cupboard...

After I baked the tarts at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes I took them out and was a little dismayed, they poofed up a lot, and when I tasted them, I really didn't like the taste, so I decided to make some baked Wonton cups.
 I just used a cookie cutter to cut rounds out, and then baked them in the oven. 
I did learn a little trick.  I sprayed them, very lightly with some cooking spray before baking them.  This helped them to brown up and crisp without making them too hard.
 I served some of them on some peeled cucumber rounds and decorated them with some fresh dill from my garden.

OK, so it's just one little dill plant, but it will grow...


And I also served some of the salmon filling in the wonton cups, and they did disappear in short order.


yield: 12-15 servingsprint recipe

Salmon Mousse

prep time: 15 MINScook time: 20 MINStotal time: 45 mins
These little bites of goodness are perfect as an accompaniment to a party, as a starter or just because.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 8 oz. Cream Cheese
  • 1 cup fully cooked Salmon, skin and bones removed(or in this case, 4 small fillets that I had in the freezer.
  • 3 oz. smoked salmon
  • 2 tablespoons broth (I used the broth I poached the salmon in)
  • 2 tablespoons Sour Cream or Creme Fraiche
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon finely minced dill + dill for garnishing
  • Poaching liquid
    1/2 cup water
    1/2 cup white wine
    4-6 slices lemon (half a lemon, freeze the remaining slices)
    1/2 tsp. dried dill or 1 sprig fresh dill
    2 green onions
Tart Shells
  • 1/2 cup softened butter
  • 3 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup flour

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Poach the salmon in 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup white wine, adding the sliced lemons, dried dill and green onions to the poaching liquid. Poach them til just done, about 6 minutes. Remove the salmon from the poaching liquid, reserving a little of the liquid for the rest of the filling. I let the salmon cool, then took out the dark bits, if you  have a cat handy, you can feed it to them.  My current dog doesn't like anything weird like fish, but... Threw the flaked salmon into the bowl of a Kitchen Aid, along with the rest of the filling ingredients, or use a food processor to mix together evenly. 
  2. Tart instructions: Mix together and then turn out onto a pastry sheet.  Knead for little bit, about 5 minutes.   I knew this would make 24 tarts, so I divided it into four pieces... Then cut each of the four pieces in half,  Each piece was then cut into thirds.  This way you know that the dough is divided evenly.   I rolled them into a ball, and pressed them  into my mini tart pans, making a shell of them. After I baked the tarts at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Let cool, and them dollop a spoonful of filling in each tart.  You can also spray a wonton wrapper with a little cooking spray, place them into a tart pan to make a little cup and brown them in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes.   
Created using The Recipes Generator
Sidsel Munkholm - Author
Sidsel Munkholm - Author

Sid loves to cook, feed people and have fun in the kitchen. She shares her successes and the involuntary offerings she sometimes gives the kitchen goddess as well. And she's still looking for the mythical fairy to help her clean the kitchen after a marathon cooking session. Currently working on a cookbook showcasing the recipes from her Danish heritage.

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