INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

PUFF PASTRY
LEMON BUTTER SAUCE
VEGGIES/FISH
Here is my gourmet Friday recipe. >From the Cordon Bleu cooking school.
Puff Pastry Cases with Salmon and Asparagus and a Lemon Butter Sauce
SERVES 6
This combination or pastry, vegetables and fish is a typically modern
creation in which each element is prepared separately. The vegetables are
an integral part of the dish, rather than simply a garnish, and the sauce
is the essence of simplicity (butter is whisked into lemon juice, seasoned
and served). In all, this is the sort of light French cooking that many
young chefs prefer.
Prepare the puff pastry.
Preheat the oven to 230 C (450 F) mark 8. Lightly brush a baking sheet with
the softened butter. Sprinkle with water; set aside.
Prepare the pastry cases (see technique photographs): dust a work surface
with flour. Roll out the puff pastry about 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick and cut
into 6 rectangles, 10 cm (4 inches) long x 6.5 cm (2.5 inches) wide. Or,
use an oval cutter of approximately the same dimensions, if available.
Transfer the shapes to the baking sheet with a palette knife. Brush the
tops with egg glaze. Be careful not to let the egg drip over the edges of
the pastry, or it will not rise evenly. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. When
chilled, brush again with egg glaze and bake for about 25 minutes, until
puffed and golden. Leave to cool.
While the pastry is baking, cut the salmon into escalopes: working from
tail to head, run your fingers along the surface of the salmon fillets to
detect any small bones; remove them. Holding the knife at a shallow angle
to the fish, cut the salmon into 6 equal portions, or escalopes. Set the
salmon aside.
Stem the spinach and rinse the leaves in several changes of water, then
coarsely chop it. Melt 30 g (1 oz) of the butter in a saucepan over medium
heat, add the spinach, and cook, stirring frequently, until the moisture
has evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper; cover to keep warm.
Snap off and discard the tough ends of the asparagus. Starting 2.5 cm (1
inch) below the tip, peel each stalk with a vegetable peeler. Tie the
asparagus into several even bundles with fine string. Bring a large
saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the asparagus and cook over high
heat for 10-12 minutes, until tender. Drain and cover to keep warm.
Prepare the lemon butter sauce: cut the butter into small pieces. Bring the
lemon juice to the boil in a small saucepan and reduce by half. Whisk in
the butter little by little, until the sauce is creamy. Season to taste
with salt and white pepper; keep warm off the heat in a saucepan of hot
water.
Cook the salmon: season both sides of each escalope with salt and pepper.
continued in part 2

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