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Adventures
in Food
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A TASTE OF QUEBEC.
Fish Wellington
This recipe is courtesy
Chef Jean Soulard, Executive Chef, Le Château Frontenac.
Serves Four
* 450 g (1 lb) fresh salmon, scalloped to a thinness of 1 cm (1/2 inch)
* 200 g (7 oz) fresh spinach
* 1 rectangle of puff pastry 20 cm x 30 cm (8 inches x 12 inches)
Stuffing:
* 350 g (12 oz) halibut
* 1 egg white
* 125 ml (1/2 cup) heavy cream
* juice of half a lemon
* 15 g (1 tablespoon) chopped fresh herbs (basil, chervil)
* salt and pepper
Shallot cream sauce:
* 60 g (2 oz) chopped shallots
* 80 ml (1/3 cup) red wine vinegar
* 80 ml (1/3 cup) heavy cream
* 120 g (4 oz) butter
* salt and pepper
To decorate:
* chopped chives
* tomato brunoise
In a food processor, mix the
halibut and the egg white to make a smooth stuffing. Add the cream,
lemon juice and fresh herbs. Season. Refrigerate. Wash and stem the
spinach. Sauté about 30 seconds in a non stick pan. Drain and cool.
Roll the puff pastry to a thickness of about 1 cm (1/2 inch) and for a
rectangle 20 cm x 30 cm (8 x 12 inches). Cover with the spinach, leaving
a 3 cm (11/2 inch) border. Spread the spinach with half of the chilled
stuffing and cover with the salmon scallops. Spread again with stuffing.
Make into a roll. Mix the egg yolk with a little water and brush the
crust.
Cook in a 350° oven (175° C) oven about 30 minutes, until crust is
golden.
To make the sauce, while the Wellington is cooking, reduce the red wine
vinegar with the shallots and simmer until the vinegar has completely
evaporated. Add the cream and reduce by half. While whipping, add the
butted gradually. Check the seasoning. On each plate, first put the
sauce and then two slices of Wellington. French beans cooked al dente
will make an excellent companion to this dish. Decorate with chopped
chives and tomato brunoise.
WINE:
Serve with Tinhorn Creek Pinot Gris http://www.tinhorn.com/
if you live in Canada,
Adelsheim Pinot Gris if you are in the United States.
If in Europe, try a Trimbach Pinot Gris
http://www.maison-trimbach.fr
,
or Teruzzi & Puthod's Vernaccia di San Gimignano
http://www.liquidart.ca/lafw/Italy/prod/Teruzzi_Puthod/p/tp.htm
These
are all completely different wines, but work equally well.
Tarte
au sucre d'érable
Adapted from The Cooking of
Provincial Québec, by
Mirelle Beaulieu, this recipe passed the "small child test".
That is, it can be made by a five year old under supervision and was
pronounced "delicious" and "very tasty" by three
pre-teens. NOT recommended with wine of any type, but maybe with some
Caribou....
250 ml (1 cup) maple syrup -
the real stuff
125 ml (1/2 cup) water
60 ml (4 T.) cornstarch
45 ml (3 T) cold water
45 ml (3T.) butter
125 - 180 ml (1/2 to 3/4 cup) chopped nuts (I used hazelnuts, walnuts
would work, but pecans would be too rich)
2 pie crusts (if making with a five-year old, use the store bought kind;
the flavour of a delicate pâte sablée will be overwhelmed by the
filling),
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Put the maple syrup and
water into a saucepan and bring to a low boil, continue boiling for five
minutes. Watch it carefully, as it can boil up and over very quickly.
Remember that sugar burns are the worst of all (and you don't want to
ruin this charming experience for the five-year old.).
Dissolve the cornstarch in
cold water - it is very sticky and needs to be patiently stirred until
it dissolves - and pour into the boiling syrup. Cook, stirring
constantly, until the mixture becomes smooth and thick.
Remove from heat; add the
butter and nuts; mix well and allow to cool. Pour into prepared pie
crust and cover with the second, making a couple of air holes to allow
the steam to escapes.
Bake for about 30 minutes.
Serve with
crème frâiche or vanilla ice cream.
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