SAUMON EN CROÛTE

Prepared for the AF de Reno Tahoe's Table Hivernale. These are seasonal dinners where a group of volunteers prepares the same recipe -Quiche (Spring), Salade Niçoise (Summer), Tagine (Fall), Saumon en croûte (Winter) - for the main dish. This BYOB event takes place in someone’s home, and the AF charges a nominal fee to cover the cost of the ingredients.

Ingredients:

4 5oz salmon filets, boneless and skinless (or 6 3oz salmon filets)
5 tablespoons butter,
1 shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz mushrooms, minced
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 sheets puff pastry
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

For the creamy dill sauce:

1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped
2 teaspoons capers, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Set puff pastry out according to package directions.
In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the shallot and garlic and lightly sauté. Add in the mushrooms and allow to sauté and brown for several minutes.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine and mix in the dijon mustard. Allow to simmer and reduce so the wine is absorbed. Add in the dill and the spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted. Remove from the heat.
Roll the puff pastry out into 20 x 12 rectangles. Use one sheet as the bottom layer and one as the top. Evenly place the salmon filets onto the bottom puff pastry sheet so that each salmon filet has at least a 1 ½ inch border of puff pastry around it. I like to use a small knife to make notches in the puff pastry dictating the borders of each wellington. Set the salmon filets aside.
Evenly split and arrange the prepared duxelle onto the bottoms of each wellington that has been marked, being mindful to leave the 1 ½ inch border clear of any food. Place the salmon filets back on top of the duxelle in each wellington. Season each filet with salt and pepper.
Gently place the second top layer of puff pastry on top of the prepared filets. Press the top puff pastry into the bottom puff pastry and get as close as you can to the filets to really seal them in. Use a knife to cut the individual wellingtons out, still leaving a border of an inch or so around each salmon filet so that the edges can be properly crimped and closed. Discard the excess puff pastry.
Use a fork to crimp all of the edges of the puff pastry together to ensure a tight pocket. Brush the tops and sides of the individual wellingtons with the egg wash and bake.
Bake for 25 min or until puff pastry is golden brown.
Meanwhile, prepare the dill sauce by combining the sour cream, capers, dill and lemon zest together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve the wellingtons immediately with the dill sauce. They can also be cut into 2-inch portions and arranged on a platter with the sauce to serve a crowd. Enjoy!

Merci à Josette Marsh de l'AF de Reno Tahoe pour cette recette.