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The Broad Palate – Dec ’23

“Two of our family favourites – also great for dinner guests. Wishing you health and happiness for the festive season. 🎄 x” – Ann Shaw

Salmon in Filo (serves 4)

Great with new potatoes and green beans or tender stem broccoli. Serve with tartare sauce (or a bowl of shop-bought sour cream and chive dip!). For a vegetarian version, use mounds of cooled, roasted vegetables (without too much moisture) instead of the fish.

4 sheets filo pastry
125g/4.5 oz butter, melted
4 skinless, boneless salmon fillets
250g/8 oz plain/garlic & herb cream cheese
4 handfuls watercress, coarsely chopped + 4 sprigs to garnish
Sesame seeds (optional)
Salt and pepper

Method:

Heat oven to 190°C/170°C fan/Gas 5.
Lay a sheet of filo on your board, brush with butter and fold so that the two short sides meet. Brush with butter.
On a short side, place a salmon fillet around 1.5 ins from the edge and season. Add a quarter of the cream cheese along the top of the fillet, then watercress to taste.
Roll up carefully, buttering and folding in the sides as you go, making a parcel. Repeat with the other 3 fillets. Place on a buttered baking tray, ensuring that the salmon is on the bottom. Brush parcels with butter, sprinkle with sesame seeds if using, and bake for around 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Garnish with saved watercress.

Easy Chocolate Mousse (makes 6)

My version of a cracking Delia recipe from the 1960s. Use 200g dark chocolate if you prefer. I add coffee powder to bring out the taste of the chocolate – it won’t add any coffee flavour.
Ring the changes by adding the zest of a large orange, or a crushed-up chocolate honeycomb bar, or a couple of tablespoons of your favourite liqueur. Can be made a day ahead.

100g/3.5 oz dark chocolate (min 75% solids)
100g/3.5 oz good quality milk chocolate
3 large eggs, separated
120ml/4fl. oz warm water with 1 heaped tsp instant espresso /coffee powder*
40g/1.5 oz caster sugar
(*if using liqueur, use 30ml, and reduce coffee + water to 90ml)
Raspberries and double cream to serve (optional)

Method:

Place chocolate and coffee water (+ liqueur if using) in a heatproof bowl, melt gently over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted.
Allow to cool until tepid then add egg yolks and quickly stir until smooth and shiny.
Whisk egg whites to soft peaks with a pinch of salt to stabilise, then gradually add the sugar and whisk until glossy.
Using a large metal spoon, mix a dollop of egg white into the chocolate mixture to loosen it up, then add the rest of the egg white, gently folding and cutting, until there are no more visible clumps of egg white.
Spoon into ramekins or dessert glasses and refrigerate for 5-6 hours.
Serve with cream and raspberries if liked.

Many thanks to Ann 🙂