Salmon in Pastry with Ginger and Currants

Monday, 7th May 2007

This was based on an old English way with salmon and adapted by George Perry Smith in his restaurant in Bath.
Even though the ingredients sound strange they taste delicious together.

Ingredients  (Will serve 6 to 8 people)
For the pastry:
    500g (1lb) white flour
    2 teaspoons salt
    275g (9oz butter), cold water
For the flavoured butter:
    110g (4 oz.) butter
    30g (1oz) currants
    4 pieces of stem ginger in syrup
    salt and pepper
For sauce messine:
    Handful of fresh tarragon and chervil
    2 shallots
    1 good dessertspoon dijon mustard
    3/4 pint of cream
    2 teaspoons plain flour
    Salt, pepper
    Juice of 1 lemon
    1 egg yolk
For the salmon:
    1 1/4 kg (2 1/2 lbs) side of salmon     boned and skinned
    1 egg plus a little milk for an egg wash

Method
First make the pastry Cube the butter and either process with the flour in a processor or rub in by hand and then add in the water to make a short crust pastry.

Soften the butter for the stuffing and chop the ginger finely and mash up together with the currants Cut the salmon in two and spread with this mixture like the filling in a sandwich then sandwich together. Roll out the pastry and wrap neatly around the salmon. Put onto a baking tray with the seam side down and paint with the egg wash. Cook at gas 6, 200C,400F for about 40 mts.

Put all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender and blend until smooth then tip into a small saucepan and cook over a gentle heat until it starts to bubble at the sides and thicken. Take off the heat and serve warm with the salmon.