Recipe: Salmon Kinda Dukish

Salmon Wellington with lobster mushroom duxelles and Saga cheese sauce + baked chips

Duxelles:

- ~1/4 cup dried lobster or oyster mushrooms
- 1/2 cup each red and white wine
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup shallots
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- thyme
- salt and black pepper

Bring white wine and broth with the bay leaf in it to a boil in a small pot, remove from heat and pour into a cup. Place the dried mushrooms in it for 15-20 minutes. Strain and finely chop the mushrooms and reserve the broth. Remove the bay leaf.

In the same pot, heat olive oil and add shallots. Saute for 1 minute over medium heat and add red wine. Heat until about half the wine evaporates (a few minutes) and add the mushrooms. Heat for another minute, then add the broth. Reduce over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the water is gone and you're left with a stuffing-consistency mixture.

Saga sauce:

- 2 oz Saga cheese (a soft, blue-veined chese; substitute gorgonzola or bleu cheese)
- 1-2 tbsp milk
- 1 tsp cream cheese (optional)

Blend the three ingredients with a fork. Add enough milk to give it a yogurt consistency.

Chips:

- 1 large potato, washed and brushed, not peeled
- Cajun spice mix (cayenne, paprika, onion powder, black pepper, salt...)
- olive oil

Slice the potato thinly on a mandolin slicer. Brush a large, shallow baking pan with olive oil and arrange the slices in it on one layer. Sprinkle with spice. Bake at 425 F for 15-20 minutes. Watch them - they will burn easily.

Putting it all together:

- 1 salmon fillet or steak
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
- 1 egg white

There are lots of steps to this recipe; you should be multi-tasking. First start defrosting the puff pastry as you make the duxelle. Make the sauce whenever, throw the Wellington in the oven with the chips.

Pre-heat the oven to 425 F. Place the salmon on a shallow pan and put in the oven for no more than 5 minutes, just to stiffen it a little. Remove and set aside to cool.

Spread the puff pastry sheet on a pastry cloth and roll it with a rolling pin into a square large enough to fold around the fillet (the pastry might be too big; just trim off the excess). Spoon the duxelles in a shallow, even layer in the shape of the fillet in the middle of the pastry square. Place the salmon on it and top with about half the Saga sauce. Fold the sides of the pastry sheet over the fillet and close it; make sure there are no holes for the sauce to leak out of. Also, work on a well-floured surface so the pastry doesn't stick.

Place the Wellington on a greased, shallow baking pan and brush with the egg white. Bake at 425 F for ~20 minutes or until golden.

Serve with the chips and the rest of the Saga sauce. Yay!

P.S. Duke Ellington = Kinda like Wellington => 'Kinda Dukish', which is an Ellington (not Wellington) song. Got it?