|
SALMON AND MUSHROOMS IN PUFF PASTRY
Filling:
2 teaspoons oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic (optional)
2 tablespoons dry white wine, or 1 tablespoon brandy
12 ounces mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 package frozen puff pastry
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg + 1 tablespoon cold water
4 salmon fillets (4 to 6 ounces each), skinned with pin bones removed
2 teaspoons chopped parsley (optional)
1/2 cup grated Gruyere
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and butter, then shallots and garlic, cook until translucent. Add the wine and cook until dry. Add the mushrooms, salt, pepper and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and it has cooked away, about 8-10 minutes. (You can make the mushrooms ahead up to this point (refrigerate and return to room temperature before assembly). Double the recipe and use with steak, pasta ingredient crostini (chop finer and garnish with green).
Preheat the oven to 400°. Defrost the puff pastry according to package directions. Cut each sheet into 2 rectangles (there will be 2 sheets per package for a total of 4 rectangles) and set aside, but be sure to keep them cold. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
Assembly:
Make the egg wash, 1 large egg whisked with 1 tablespoon cool water. Roll out each rectangle of puff pasty so it will enclose the salmon fillet. The pastry should be rolled out at least 25 to 50 percent larger so it is thin enough to bake through. Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper. Place a sprinkle of parsley in the middle of each pastry rectangle, then equal portions of cheese, then mushrooms. Finish with a salmon fillet on top of the mushrooms. Fold any belly flap onto itself so it cooks more evenly.
Fold the short then the long ends of the pastry up over the salmon as if you were wrapping a package. Seal the edges with water or the egg wash, pinching to close. Flip each pasty package over onto a baking sheet, placing the smooth side up. For a fancier presentation, use scraps of pastry to decorate the top of the pastry packages -- the decorations will stick with some of the egg wash. Finish with a light coat of egg wash to assist with browning the pastry.
Bake until the pastry is browned and the internal temperature of the salmon is 140° for medium-rare to 150° for well done (stick the thermometer into the short end of the pastry), about 20-30 minutes depending on the thickness of your fillet and whether the mushrooms are warm or cold from the refrigerator. Serves 4
|
