Corn Flan With Smoked Salmon Recipes

CORN FLAN

Steps:

• Strip kernels from corn. Combine them with milk in a blender, and blend. (Mixture will not be perfectly smooth.) Pour into a saucepan, and heat gently until steam rises, about 5 minutes. Cover, and steep 10 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 300 degrees, and set a kettle of water to boil. Grease bottoms and sides of four 6-ounce ramekins with butter.
• Strain corn-milk mixture into a large bowl, and discard contents of strainer. Add salt to taste to the milk in the bowl. (Oversalt just a bit.) In a small bowl, beat eggs and yolk together, and add a little of the strained milk to warm. Pour the egg-milk mixture into the milk. Add spices, and pour into ramekins.
• Put ramekins in a deep roasting pan or an ovenproof skillet, and add boiling water about halfway up their sides. Bake about 20 minutes, until barely set (still quite jiggly in the middle). Leave flans in ramekins or remove them by inverting each over a plate about 15 minutes after they come out of the oven. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

CORN FRITTERS WITH SMOKED SALMON

Steps:

• Trim both of the zucchini as follows: by cutting lengthwise, remove the outer 1/4-inch of flesh all around. Discard the central core. Cut the outer sections into 3/4 by 1/8-inch julienne. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the corn, onion, basil, parsley, and zucchini and toss to mix. Add the flour and toss with your hands, seperating all the ingredients to be sure they are all coated evenly with the flour. Add the salt, pepper, and sparkling water and combine well. The mixture should be airy and light, not wet; do not overmix. In a large heavy saucepan or deep-fryer, heat a generous amount of vegetable oil to 375 degrees. Gather the batter into loose, free-form fritters (about 3 inches in diameter) and fry them, 2 at a time, until they are golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes on each side. With a skimmer or kitchen tongs, gently transfer them to paper towels, drain, and place in the warm oven while you finish cooking the other fritters. Place a fritter in the center of each of 6 warmed breakfast plates and lay the salmon in a circle around the base of each. Place a few dollops of sour cream on the salmon and drizzle Basil Oil around the edges of the plates. Serve immediately.

SMOKED SALMON, FENNEL AND HERBED MASCARPONE TART

Steps:

• Trim the fennel. Halve the fennel top to bottom, then use a paring knife to cut out the thick core in the center. Remove the tough outer layer. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice the fennel horizontally as thinly as possible. You should have about 3 to 3 1/2 cups.
• Grate 1 1/2 teaspoon zest from the lemon, then squeeze out 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, keeping zest and juice separate.
• In a mixing bowl, toss together fennel slices, lemon juice, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper. Let sit for 20 minutes to soften fennel.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 425 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In another medium mixing bowl, use a rubber spatula to mix together the mascarpone, herbs, egg, lemon zest, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until well combined.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to form a 13-by-11-inch rectangle, about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score a 1/2-inch border around the edges of the puff pastry.
• Spread mascarpone mixture evenly inside the scored border. Drain the excess liquid from the fennel and arrange the slices in an even layer on top of the mascarpone.
• Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden, 22 to 28 minutes. Let tart cool on its baking sheet on a rack for at least 15 minutes before serving (or up to 4 hours).
• To serve, cut tart into pieces. Drape each with a slice of smoked salmon, sprinkle with a little lemon juice, and garnish with capers, dill and black pepper.

SMOKED SALMON TART FOR A CROWD

Steps:

• Make the pastry: Put flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly, then add butter all at once and whir until mixture resembles wet sand. Add egg and continue just until dough comes together. (Alternatively, cut butter into dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix by hand.) Knead dough lightly on counter-top, then divide into four pieces and form each into a ball. Wrap with plastic film and flatten to 1-inch-thick disks. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Make the horseradish cream: Mix together crème fraîche, horseradish, mustard and lemon zest. Season generously with salt and pepper, then keep cool. (If cream firms upon standing, beat with a fork.)
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put onion in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add olive oil and mix to coat. Roll out each piece of dough to an 8-inch-diameter circle. Place the pastry disks on parchment-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle onion slices over each round.
• Bake tart rounds for 6 to 7 minutes, until pastry is lightly browned and puffed, and onions are starting to brown. (Turn pans halfway through for even browning.) Let cool for a minute or two.
• Put pastry on a cutting board. Cut into 6 or 8 wedges. Spoon some horseradish cream onto each wedge. Tear salmon slices into wide ribbons and lay them over the cream. (Use 1 ounce salmon per tart.) Top each wedge with a tiny spoonful of roe, if using, and sprinkle with chives and tarragon. Serve directly from the board.

SAUTEED SALMON WITH SWEET CORN

Steps:

• Remove the stems from the mushrooms, and reserve them from the sauce. If the mushrooms are large, halve or quarter them.
• Skewer the garlic clove securely onto the tines of a fork. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the oil just begins to smoke, add the spinach. Cook, stirring with the fork, until wilted. Season with salt and pepper, and place in a colander to drain.
• In the same pan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Saute the mushrooms, stirring with the fork, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the corn, and cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange the spinach in the center of 4 plates. Surround the spinach with the corn mixture. Keep warm. Heat the remaining oil and butter in the pan over high heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper, and saute until medium-rare, about 2 minutes per side.
• Place a salmon fillet atop the spinach on each plate. Spoon the sauce over the salmon, garnish with chives, and serve immediately.

ASPARAGUS FLAN WITH SMOKED SALMON-POTATO SALAD

Steps:

• Blanch only the asparagus tips in a small saucepan of boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes, drain, and shock in ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain again and set aside. Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat and add the shallots. Sauté for 2 minutes, until softened, then add the chopped asparagus stalks, cream, and milk and simmer gently over low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the asparagus pieces are quite tender. Remove them from the heat and cool about 10 minutes, then pour the mixture into a blender (in batches if necessary) and puree until smooth. Strain the asparagus cream through a fine sieve.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and whole egg together until well mixed and just barely frothy. Slowly whisk in the asparagus cream and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Butter 4 individual ramekins (with sides about 2 inches high) and place them in a baking dish. Pour the asparagus mixture into the dishes, dividing equally. Carefully fill the baking dish with hot water until it comes halfway up the ramekins. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in the water bath for about 30 minutes. Watching for steam, carefully open the foil and jiggle the pan to see if the flans are set. They should be firm around the outside but just barely set in the middle, with no bubbles. If they are still liquid in the middle, return to the oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes. Remove the flans from the oven, uncover, and set aside until ready to serve. These flans can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance, refrigerated, and gently reheated in a water bath.
• Put the potatoes in a small pot, cover with cold water, add a sprinkling of salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until cooked through but still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain and cool.
• Whisk the shallots, vinegar, and olive oil together in a small bowl. In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, celery, onion, croutons, and salmon. Stir in half the dressing, season with salt and pepper, toss, and add more dressing to desired taste. Add the bacon and toss again. To serve, divide the salad among four plates. Place one warm flan on each plate. Place two asparagus tips on top of each flan and add the rest to the salad.
• This recipe will result in a pale green flan. To brighten the color, you can add 1/4 cup blanched, finely chopped spinach or 2 tablespoons fresh parsley to the cream the minute before you remove it from the heat. Proceed to blend the mixture as described above, and the result will be a delightful emerald green flan.

CORNMEAL WAFFLES WITH SMOKED SALMON

Steps:

• Make the batter: In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk in buttermilk, eggs and butter. Beat briefly to produce a thick batter. Set aside at room temperature.
• Prepare the condiments: Stir together crème fraîche and lemon zest, and transfer to a serving dish. On a platter, arrange the smoked salmon, caviar, chives and dill.
• Heat the waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions. When hot, ladle in a scant cup of batter. (This amount is for a round waffle with a 7-inch diameter. Adjust quantities for irons of other sizes.) Close the iron, and bake each waffle for 4 to 5 minutes, until well browned and quite crisp. You may hold waffles uncovered on a baking sheet in a 250-degree oven, for up to 20 minutes.
• To serve, lay a slice of smoked salmon in the center of each waffle. Top with a good dollop of crème fraîche and a heaped teaspoon of caviar. Sprinkle with chives, dill and a bit of black pepper. (To serve as appetizers, assemble a platter in the kitchen: Cut waffles in quarters or wedges, and top each with a small piece of salmon, a dab of créme fraîche and some caviar. Garnish with herbs and pepper.)