This is Celeste’s most impressive party entree. It looks exactly like the picture. Jacques says that this is an “intermediate difficulty” dish. We say it is a difficult, but worthy SHOWSTOPPER!!
Ingredients
Mushroom Shrimp Stuffing:
1T Butter
1/3C Shallots, sliced
1/2 lb (3C) Mushrooms (chanterelles, oyster, cremini, shiitake, or mixture), thinly sliced
4oz Shrimp, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/4t Salt
1/4t Freshly ground black pepper
3T Chives, chopped
2-1/2lb Boneless, skinless salmon
1 package Puff pastry
1ea Large egg
Foamy lemon sauce:
1 cup chicken stock, plus 1/2 cup
1/2 teaspoon potato starch
3 egg yolks from large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions for the mushroom-shrimp filling
Heat the tablespoon of butter in a skillet.
When it is hot but not smoking, add the shallots.
Sauté for about 1 minute, until the shallots have softened
Add the mushrooms
Cook over medium to high heat until they have released their juice.
When that juice has evaporated and the mixture starts sizzling again,
Add the shrimp
Cook long enough for the shrimp pieces to change color, about 1 minute
Season with the pepper, salt, and chives.
Cool
Take care to arrange the fillets so that the thinner part of the fillet on the bottom corresponds to the larger, thicker part of the fillet on top (tail to head and head to tail)
This way the salmon will cook evenly.
Roll the remaining, wider strip of dough up onto your rolling pin
Then unroll it on top of the second fillet.
Brush off any flour from the surface of the dough
Press the dough all around the edges, so it conforms to the fish shape underneath. The large top layer of dough will stick around the edge to the layer of dough underneath.
Press the two layers of dough gently around the edge so they stick together,
Place in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up the dough.
This will make trimming and decorating the “fish” easier.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
After 10 minutes, remove the “fish” from the freezer,
Trim the excess dough all around the edge to create a fish outline with dorsal fins as well as a tail from the extra dough around the salmon.
Make a gill with a strip of the trimmed dough, and cut and position a round piece of dough for the eye.
Continue decorating as you fancy
Break the whole egg into a small bowl, and remove about half the white.
Beat the remaining egg in the bowl with a fork to make a wash for coating the “fish”. Brush the salmon with the egg.
Holding the tip from a pastry bag (large end down) at an angle, press it lightly into the “fish” to simulate scales.
Bake in the 375 degree F oven for 35 to 40 minutes.
Remove and set aside, uncovered, in a warm place while you make the sauce.
Directions for the foamy lemon sauce:
Whisk together 1 cup of the chicken stock and the potato starch in a saucepan
Bring to a boil.
Whisk the egg yolks and the remaining chicken stock in a bowl,
Pour into the hot stock, and whisk constantly over medium heat until the sauce thickens, foams, and reaches 180F. the temperature needed to cook the eggs and the starch and to thicken the sauce.
Whisk in the salt and cayenne,
Remove the saucepan from the heat,
Stir in the lemon juice,
Set aside.
The sauce should have doubled in volume.
Using 2 long spatulas, transfer the “fish” to a serving platter.
To serve, cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch slices, and arrange on warm individual plates.
Spoon some sauce around the slices,
Serve immediately.
Mad Dog and Celeste's Recipes 