Smoked Salmon with Cream

Doesn't that sound good?


This continues my series of recipes from my most recent cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education, Vive la Bretagne. If you're looking for a refined appetizer or even a small meal for your next dinner, this is a winner. As if smoked salmon wasn't delicious enough--here, the salmon is stuffed with an herbed whipped cream made from crème fraiche, and garnished with marinated fennel and shallot confit.

Not too shabby on the whole.

The Recipe:


6 slices of smoked salmon
3 regular-sized fennel bulbs
8 ounces lemon juice
6 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
4 shallots
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup ruby Port
1 thyme sprig
1 tsp sugar
1 quart crème fraiche
Chives
1 tsp cider vinegar
Salt and Cayenne pepper to taste

First, wash and clean the fennel. Chop off the leaves just up to the bulb and remove the roots. Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, slice the fennel bulbs very thinly (width-wise) so that you have thin slices. Layer the fennel slices along the bottom of a 9"x13" pan. Stir the lemon juice and olive oil together and pour over the fennel in the pan. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, to marinate.

To make the shallot confit, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Combine the Port, wine, thyme, sugar, and shallots--cut in 1/4" thick slices--in a small gratin dish. Cover with foil and bake for an hour, then remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes or until the liquid has almost evaporated. Let cool to room temperature, and discard the thyme sprig.

Now, for the pièce de resistance--the salmon with cream. Whisk the crème fraiche as you would whisk whipping cream, until it forms soft peaks. Then add the salt, cayenne pepper, chives, vinegar, and half of the shallot confit.

Now for the tricky part: presentation. This is my way of plating the dish, but don't hesitate to be creative with your presentation. To fill the salmon slices with the cream, take a paper cup and cut off the topmost ring to use as a mold. Place the ring on the plate and drape salmon slices over the edges, so that they touch the plate but will be able to be folded over. Then, put the cream in the center of the ring of salmon, and fold the pieces over. Remove the ring. Place a few slices of the marinated fennel on the side, and garnish with additional shallot confit. Garnish with thyme sprigs and lemon rind curls.