Salmon Pâté with Crostini

Ingredients

1 baguette, sliced into 16 pieces diagonally
¼ c olive oil
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
8 oz. smoked salmon, chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 T lemon zest
2 T lemon juice
½ cup Greek nonfat yogurt
1T fresh dill finely chopped
salt & pepper
fresh dill and capers for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 425º F.

2. Place the sliced bread onto a baking sheet. Brush each slice with a little olive oil. Bake until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of your food processor, add the cream cheese and pulse 2-3 times. Add the salmon, shallots, lemon zest, lemon juice, yogurt, and dill. Pulse a few time until combined and reached desired smoothness (I like my pâté a bit chunky). Season with salt and pepper. Place the salmon pâté in bowl, terrine, or mold, and place in refrigerator until chilled firm, about 3 hours.

4. Remove ½ hour before serving. Decorate the top with dill and capers. Serve with crostini.

Tips & Tricks

• The differences between a mouse and a pâté are texture. A mouse is pureed smooth, where a pâté is a little chunky. So do as you prefer.

• This pâté can be made 3 days is advance.

• Serve the pâté with crostini, bagels, chips, or crackers. It is fantastic as a filling for tea sandwiches or if pureed smoothly can be used as a filling for stuffing cherry tomatoes or on top of cucumbers.

White Bean & Roasted Garlic Dip

Ingredients

1 large head garlic
1T olive oil

4 cup cannellini or small white bean or 2 14 oz. cans of beans, drained
1T lemon zest
2T lemon juice
2T water
Salt & pepper

2T olive oil
¼ cup sundried tomatoes, oil packed, drained, and chopped
¼ cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
3T parsley, chopped finely

Crostini:

1 baguette loaf, cut on diagonal into 20 thin slices
¼ cup olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350º F.

2. Line a small baking sheet or pan with parchment paper. Cut off the top of the garlic head and place on baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil on top. Place in oven and bake until soft to the touch, about 45-50 minutes. Let cool.

3. Once the garlic is cool, squeeze all the cloves out into a food processor. Pulse a few times.

4. Add the beans, lemon zest, juice, and water. Blend until smooth and creamy. If the mixture is too thick, add another tablespoon or two of water. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Pour the bean dip into a shallow bowl. Drizzle a little olive oil on top. Sprinkle the sundried tomatoes, hazelnuts, and parsley on top.

6. Serve with crudité, pita chips, or crostini

Beans:

1. Rinse the beans to remove foreign particles. Place in a bowl and cover with cold water; soak the beans overnight. Drain beans.
2. In a large pan with a lid, add the soaked and drained beans. Cover with water.
3. Bring beans to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer place. Cover ¾ of the pot and simmer until beans are tender, about 40-60 minutes. Add more water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Set beans and cooking liquid aside until needed. Makes 8 Cups.

Roasted Nuts:

1. Preheat oven 350º F. Place nuts on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Shake the pan and continue baking until nuts are toasted, about 3-5 more minutes. Set aside.

Crostini:

1. Preheat the oven to 400º F.
2. Place the sliced bread onto a baking sheet. Brush each slice with a little olive oil. Bake until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside.

TIPS & TRICKS

• Just don’t roast 1 head of garlic, but instead several. It is great smeared on a crostini with a glass of wine as an appetizer, or add to your favorite sauce or soup.

• You can also top the dip with chopped olives or different types of nuts like almonds and pecans.

• Can be made 3 days in advance. Just cover securely with plastic wrap.

Salmon Rillettes

Ingredients

4 cups water
1 cup white wine
1 medium onion cut into ¼ inch pieces
1 stalk celery
2 bay leaves
4 peppercorns

½ pound salmon, 1inch thick, skin and pin bones removed

¼ pound smoked salmon, cut into small dice
3 scallions (green onions), white and green part finely diced
1T capers, rinsed
2T lemon zest (2 lemons) 
4T lemon juice
5T unsalted butter, softened

Crostini:
1 baguette loaf, cut on diagonal into 20 thin slices
 ¼ cup olive oil

1.    In a medium saucepan with a lid, bring the water, wine, onion, celery, bay leaf, and peppercorn to a boil, and then reduce the heat to “low” and simmer for 20 minutes.

2.    Place the salmon into the poaching liquid.  Cover with the lid, and turn off the heat. Poach the fish for 10 minutes.

3.    Remove the fish from the liquid with a slotted spoon, set aside on a plate, and let cool.

4.    Using a fork or your fingers, flake the salmon and place into a medium size bowl.

5.    Add the smoked salmon, green onions, capers, and lemon zest.  Mix until combined. 

6.    Add the butter, smashing with fork until well combined.

7.    Season with salt and pepper. 

8.    Pour into a terrine or jar, pressing the mixture down into the container. Top with a piece of plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the mixture.
9.    Chill at least 3 hours, or over night.
10.    Remove the rillettes from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve with crostini, Melba toast or pita chips.

Crostini:

1.    Preheat the oven to 400º F.
2.    Place the sliced bread onto a baking sheet.  Brush each slice with a little olive oil.  Bake until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.  Set aside.

TIPS & TRICKS

Tips & Tricks:
•    Poaching fish is a wonderful way to cook fish for this recipe or for a simple meal. I like to use fresh wild salmon. If not available you can use frozen. If using farm-raised salmon try to purchase one without color added. General rule: for every inch of thickness of fish the cooking time is 10 minutes. So if you have a thinner piece, like ½ inch thick poach it for 5 minutes. It will continue to cook once it is removed from the water. 
•    The rillettes can be made 3 days in advance.