Exploring the Aisles - Smoked Salmon

Exploring the Aisles

One morning I went to Van’s early - before anyone else was there - and went up on down every aisle just to see what they carried. I was amazed at how many things where there that I had never seen due to the fact that I am always in a hurry when I go grocery shopping. I even made a list of what was in each aisle so I could organize my shopping app on my iPod Touch… but that’s another story!
I talked to Brad Gabel, the manager of Van’s, to see if he would like to sponsor the cooking column if I started to feature things Van’s IGA carries in their store and he was willing to give it a go.
This week I found smoked salmon on the east well in with the lunch meats, hams, bacon, etc. I have not used smoked salmon very much before so I thought it might be fun to start with. I bought some and then came home and started looking through my cookbooks (both book form and in my computer software) and on the Internet and here are a few I found that I think sound really good and plan on trying in the near future.

Harvest Brunch Quiche

1 (8 oz.) pack cream cheese - softened
2 eggs - beaten
1 c. Monterrey Jack cheese - grated
2 T. - (2 oz.) crumbled blue cheese
3 oz. smoked salmon - chopped
1 c. chopped fresh asparagus - blanched or frozen,
1/4 c. red pepper - diced
1 T. snipped fresh dill
OR
1/2 t. dried dill weed
Salt and fresh ground pepper - to taste
6 English Muffins - split
18 slices bacon - uncooked
In food processor or mixer, beat cream cheese and eggs together until blended. Stir in cheeses, salmon, asparagus, red pepper, dill, salt and pepper.
Arrange muffin halves in a single layer on foil-lined baking sheet. Spoon about 1/4 cup quiche mixture onto each.
Wrap each muffin half perimeter with 1-1/2 slices of bacon, securing ends with tooth picks. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven 25 to 30 minutes or until top is lightly browned.
Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Remove toothpicks. Garnish with fresh dill. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Benny’s Eggs

1 egg
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. orange rind - grated
1/2 c. butter - melted
8 large eggs
4 slices rich egg bread or brioche - toasted
3 oz. cream cheese - soft
3 oz. sliced smoked salmon - or use lox
orange slices - garnish
fresh mint sprigs - garnish
In a large metal bowl, whisk together egg, lemon juice and orange rind over a pan of boiling water for 1 minute.
Gradually whisk in butter until sauce is smooth and well blended. It will be rather thin while warm, but will thicken as it cools slightly.
Crack eggs into shallow pan of boiling water. Poach until done to your liking. Meanwhile, toast the bread. Spread with cream cheese. Top with the salmon. Place on plate. Top with 2 eggs per serving. Spoon sauce over. Serve with oranges and mint or parsley.

Salmon Spread

12 oz. cream cheese - softened
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t. dried dill
30 oz. smoked salmon - coarsely chopped
1 bunch green onions - thinly sliced
In food processor blend cream cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice and dried dill until smooth. Add smoked salmon and green onions, and process very briefly, just to mix. Serve with hearty crackers. This recipe yields 2 cups.

Smoked salmon eclairs

Dough:
1/2 c. water
4 T. butter - cut into sm. chunks
1/2 c. flour
2 extra lg. eggs - beaten lightly
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. dry dill
Filling:
1/2 lb. cream cheese, softened - regular or lite
1/4 c. sour cream - regular or low fat
6 oz. smoked salmon - chopped fine
Juice of 1/2 lemon and grated zest
1 T. fresh dill - minced
1 dash nutmeg
1 t. minced garlic
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine water and butter in small saucepan, bring to boil over high heat. Add flour all at once; beat vigorously until dough forms ball, pulls away from sides of pan and leaves a thin film on bottom of pan.
Transfer to mixing bowl. Save 1 tablespoon of beaten egg. Beat the rest of the egg into the dough in two steps, beating until dough is shiny and smooth.
Put dough in pastry bag with #3 star tip. On lightly greased baking sheet, lay down 3 x 1/2 inch strips about 2 inches apart. Bake 15 minutes until puffed up and brown. Remove from oven.
Split in half lengthwise. Reassemble and return to baking sheet. Brush top of each with thin film of reserved egg. Sprinkle on combined garlic powder and dill. Reduce oven to 200 degrees. Return eclairs to oven for 20 minutes until dry and crisp. Remove and cool.
(Or use Cheese Rolls - recipe follows)
Mix filling ingredients together. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Just before serving, spoon filling onto bottom half of eclair and top with top half. Makes about 16. Serves 8.

Brazilian Cheese Rolls

1 egg
1/3 c. olive oil
2/3 c. milk
1 1/2 c. (tapioca flour
1/2 c. (packed) grated cheese - your preference (I like mozzarella)
1/2 teaspoon salt - (or more to taste)
Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a mini-muffin tin. Put all of the ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth. You may need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the blender so that everything gets blended well. At this point you can store the batter in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Fill muffin tins to the top. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until all puffy and just lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for a few minutes. Eat while warm or save to reheat later.
Yield: 16 mini muffin sized cheese breads.
(Note that Brazilian cheese bread is very chewy.)
Van’s IGA carries the Tapioca flour and I believe it is in aisle 8 on the top shelf - east side - or ask! Brazilian Cheese Rolls are very good just by themselves as well and are gluten free! Print this post