Smoked salmon and cashew pate

Ingredients: 
150 g cold smoked salmon  
200 g cream cheese at room temperature  
2 tablespoons sour cream  
2 tablespoons lemon juice  
2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped   
good pinch of ground dried ginger 
 50 g cashew nuts  freshly ground black pepper. 

Put the cashew nuts in a blender and process until finely chopped. Set aside.


Put the fish, sour cream, lemon juice and cream cheese in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add the cashew nuts and dill, mix until combined. Season with ginger and freshly ground pepper. Fold in the container and store in refrigerator up to 3 days.

Beetroot rosti with horseradish cream and smoked salmon

I love the combination of beetroot and salmon. It reminds me about my childhood. This recipe is really good for a weekend breakfast, then you are not on a hurry. So forget about your cereals and make something different.

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 x 450g tin baby beetroot, drained
4 medium (about 600g) pontiac potatoes, peeled
50g butter, melted
2 tbs olive oil
250g ctn creme fraiche
1 tbs grated horseradish, drained
2 tsp Dijon mustard
200g smoked salmon slices
1 Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced lengthways
 Dill sprigs, to serve

Method
Coarsely grate the beetroot and potato and place in a bowl. Use your hands to squeeze as much liquid from the potato and beetroot as possible. Transfer to a clean bowl. Add the melted butter and stir to combine. Season well with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 100°C. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Spoon three 1/4-cup portions of beetroot mixture into the pan. Use a spatula to flatten each portion to an 8cm disc. Cook for 2 minutes each side or until golden brown and cooked though. Use the spatula to transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Place in a warm oven. Continue in 3 more batches with remaining beetroot mixture, adding and reheating more oil if necessary.

Combine the creme fraiche, horseradish and mustard in a small bowl. Arrange three rosti on each serving plate. Top with salmon, cucumber and a dollop of creme fraiche mixture. Sprinkle with dill to serve.

Miso fried Salmon with green tea noodles & shiitaki broth

Recipe by Andrew Brown

Shiitake Mushroom Tea
1lt Chicken stock
250mls Dry white wine
2 cups Dried shiitaki (see chefs note)
2 sheets Kombu (see chefs note)
2 Garlic cloves - crushed
1 Shallot – finely diced
2 sprigs Fresh thyme
75mls Port
2 Tbsp Earl grey tea leaves
Salt & pepper
4 drops Truffle oil

Miso fried Salmon
400gms Fresh Salmon skin off and bones removed, portioned into 4
100mls Cooking Oil
1 tsp Japanese 7 spice
50gms Miso Paste
4 Nori Sheet
½ packet Green Tea Noodles
½ Spring Onions - sliced
6 Edamame – beans removed from the pod
8 Fresh Shiitaki Mushrooms - sliced

Shiitake Mushroom Tea
Combine the stock, wine dried mushrooms, kombu, garlic, shallot & thyme in a large saucepan – bring to the boil, reduce heat & reduce by half. In the last 5 minutes of cooking add port & tea reduce the heat & pass through a fine strainer & coffee filter. Season to taste & just before service finish with truffle oil.

Miso fried Salmon
Prepare the salmon by brushing the top of each portion with miso & sprinkling it with the 7 spice. Then wrap each portion in the nori sheets, trim the edges for any excess nori.

Cook & refresh the green tea noodles.

Brush the Salmon nori parcels with oil. Heat a medium non stick pan over a medium heat, place the salmon in the pan & cook approx 3 minutes each side or cooked until your liking (Salmon is best served medium rare to medium). Remove the Salmon from the pan (saving any juices that are left in the pan) & keep warm.

In the pan lightly sauté the shiitaki mushrooms, add to the pan (to warm through) the noodles, spring onions & edamame mixing together.

To Serve
In the centre of 4 large bowls place the hot noodles, mushrooms, spring onions & edamame. Place the Salmon on top & pour in the hot shiitaki mushroom tea. For effect the tea can be placed in a tea pot & served to your guest at the table.

Beetroot cheesecakes with goat cheese and salmon

I love combination of beetroot and smoked or salted salmon. In this recipe all components are perfectly balanced. An interesting light lunch or good accompaniment for boiled potatoes.


For 4 small cheesecakes:
4 slices of Pampernikel bread (any dense rye bread),
125 gr. cream cheese at room temperature,
60 gr. fresh goat cheese,
5 tablespoons sour cream,
1 tablespoon gelatin,
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tbsp chopped dill,
1 tsp grated orange zest,
125 gr. boiled beetroot pureed in blender,
150 ml. double cream
160 gr. salted salmon.

Soak gelatin in 2 tablespoons of water.

Cut out circles of bread using mold rings. Place mold rings on the tray laid with parchment paper and put bread circle in each mold ring.

Mix cream cheese and goat cheese and whip in a blender at low speed until smooth, add sour cream and beat again slightly. Add lemon and orange juice, zest and dill.

Heat the gelatin in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and stir until completely dissolved. Pour the gelatin in the beetroot puree. Mix beetroot with cheese mixture, add salt and pepper to taste.

Whip the cream until soft peaks and add to the beetroot mass. Fill prepared mold rings with cheese mixture.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Remove cheesecakes from the molds, top with chopped salted salmon, garnish with dill or chives.

Enjoy!

Baked Potato Crêpe With Crème Fraîche and Cold Smoked Salmon

Ingredients (Serves 6)
50 ml cream
50 ml milk
5 whole eggs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
7 egg whites
1 kg hot potatoes (boiled until tender in salted water and mashed)
40 g flour
25 ml olive oil
125g sliced smoked salmon
50g crème fraîche
chopped chives to garnish
lemon wedges to garnish

Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C. In an electric mixer or blender combine cream, milk, whole eggs, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Combine egg whites with the mashed potato then add the flour. Transfer to a blender or electric mixer and slowly add cream mixture. Take care not to overwork the batter – you are mixing fats with water so overworking will cause the pancakes to split rather than rise.

Preheat the pan/s in the oven for 4-6 minutes with a teaspoon of olive oil in each. Ladle the batter into the pan/s level with the top of the pan and bake for 12- 18 minutes or until risen, golden brown and firm to the touch.Turn out and serve with sliced smoked salmon and crème fraîche. Scatter with chopped chives, add a wedge of lemon and indulge.



Enjoy!