Food: Good. Hunger: Bad

Cooking has been very dominant on my blog lately. I'm deriving some real relaxation from it, almost like a zen experience as I lose myself in the process. Today I tried two new dishes - Salmon en croute and Betsy's Chewy Pecan Cookies - and one old favourite: Steamed Lemon Treacle Sponge.

Salmon en Croute

This recipe is from French Food at Home, hosted by Laura Calder, on Canada's Food Network.

1 x salmon filet, about 1-1/2 pounds/750 g
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed
1/4 cup crème fraîche
3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Zest of 1 lemon
1 lb. sheet puff pastry (2 sheets)
Salt and pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten

Skin and bone the salmon and set aside. Heat the oven to 450°F\230°C. Cut the tips off the asparagus, and poach in boiling salted water until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well, refresh in ice-cold water, then drain again, leaving to sit so that all the water comes off. Purée and stir through the cream, dill, and lemon zest, to blend. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Lay the puff on a damp baking sheet with the long edge facing you. Lay the salmon on the pastry, like a picture in its frame. Season with salt and pepper. Lay the raw stems of asparagus on top of the salmon, like pencils. Spread the purée mixture over top.

Brush the margins with the egg wash. Lay the top pastry over the salmon and press the edges to seal, like a giant ravioli. Trim the edges, leaving a 1-inch/2.5 cm border. Press with the tines of a fork, then, with the dull edge of a knife, scallop the edges. Make two or three slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Brush all over with the egg-wash glaze and bake until puffed up and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool five minutes before slicing to serve. This dish is also good at room temperature.

MY NOTES: I can't get crème fraîche here, so followed Delia Smith's tip by mixing 1/2 whipped cream with 1/2 greek or balkan plain yoghurt. It worked a treat. This was the first time I'd worked with puff pastry, so I didn't get all the scalloping, etc. but it worked out well basically, although I found the bottom a bit wet after cooking. Any tips anyone? We served it with baby greens and a fresh dill/lemon/safflower oil dressing. The portions were big and we were very happy. I will definitely be doing this again, maybe serving at room temperature next time, as it is likely to be in the middle of the summer.

Just out of the oven:

First cut: I originally cut a piece off the wrong edge, which is why you don't see it. It looks much better cut this edge, so you see the little asparagus ends, AND it doesn't fall apart.




For pudding, we had an old favourite, rarely indulged in:

Steamed Lemon Treacle Sponge

This dish is a very traditional English steamed pudding. It is served hot, and releases the most delicious sweet, lemony aromas. It is infinitely indulgent and comforting.

2 to 3 tbsp golden syrup

juice of 1/2 lemon

4 oz. butter (one stick)

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp lemon zest

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1 -1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

milk to mix

Lightly butter the insides of a two-pint pudding basin. Mix the syrup and lemon juice in the bottom. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate larger bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, then add the beaten eggs and the lemon zest. Add the flour mixture to this and mix well. Add some milk until you have a soft "dropping" consistency. Turn it into the buttered pudding bowl. You will notice the syrup/lemon mixture ooze up the sides as it is displaced - do not be alarmed. :)




Cover well with a double layer of parchment or aluminum foil (I use one layer of each, parchment closest to the food), folded to create a steam allowance. Tie off well with string, with which you should also fashion a handle so you can remove the bowl later.




Place the pudding bowl in a large pot with simmering water, which should not be allowed to reduce to lower than the level of the pudding batter, no less than 2/3 up the level of the pudding basin. Steam for 2 hours.

When turned out, slice and serve with your choice of custard or whipped cream (the latter was our choice tonight as we had some left over from the salmon dish.)

I was able to take lots of pictures of the pudding process as I have done it many times. But so excited were we to dig in, I forgot to take a picture of an individual serving. Guess I'll just have to make another one. Hee hee.

And here is the second new recipe of the day: Betsy's Chewy Pecan Cookies. My mother has already declared these her favourite cookie of all time. Thanks Betsy!

With a bite taken out of it: I love playing with my camera's macro feature, in case you hadn't noticed. :)