1 lb Salmon fillet
1 bn Fresh asparagus; trimmed,
-cut in
; half, steamed and
; refreshed
1 cn Smoked oysters
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 pn Saffron
2 oz Butter
1 Leek; sliced thinly
5 Floz double cream
1 Glass white wine
Salt and pepper
1 lb Puff pastry
First of all poach the salmon. Place it in a saucepan with a splash of
white wine, enough water to cover and bring to the boil. Now reduce the
heat to a simmer and cook for 1 minute. Baste with the liquid and turn off
the heat. There should now be enough heat left to cook the fish without
over cooking. Leave to cool in the liquid.
In a saucepan, melt the butter and cook the leeks for 10 minutes without
colouring. Add the white wine and saffron and reduce down. Now add the
cream and half the smoked oysters. Taste and adjust. Add more oysters if
preferred. The oysters have quite a distinctive flavour and can sometimes
be too strong for a few people. Toss in the asparagus and add the lemon
juice and zest. Cook for a few minutes and then pop in the salmon. Break up
the salmon gently into chunks not flakes.
Now put this filling in to a pie dish, small enough to let the filling come
close to the top and keep warm.
Roll out your pastry onto a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch
thick. Moisten the flat rim of the pie dish with a little water and lay a
strip of pastry all the way around the rim. Now moisten that. If you have a
pie funnel put it on top of the filling. If you don’t a tea cup will do.
Now lay your pastry over the top. Trim to fit and use left over pastry for
decoration. Be careful not to stretch the pastry as this can cause
shrinking during cooking. Make a small hole in the pastry to let the steam
out and then pinch the edges of the pie together with the thumb and
forefinger and mark with a fork.
You can make rosebuds, acorn leaves, or whatever takes your fancy! Glaze
with beaten egg and cook in a hot oven 200C/gas 6 until the pastry is
golden brown.
Yields
4 servings