Salmon Wellington
This is a very fancy and yummy dish for special occasions.
Serves 8
Eight 6-ounce salmon fillets, cut about 3/4 inch thick
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 Tbsp milk for glaze
PASTRY:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, cold and cut into pieces
8 ounce package cream cheese, cold and cut into pieces
2 cups flour
FILLING:
3 Tbsp butter
8 ounces marinated artichokes, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 pound mushrooms, finely chopped
1/4 cup Madeira wine
Salt and Pepper
WHITE WINE SAUCE:
6 Tbsp dry white wine
4 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp finely chopped shallots (or onion)
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/2 tsp. salt
White pepper
2 Tbsp finely chopped chives or parsley
Make pastry: In food processor with metal blade, mix butter
and cream cheese until blended. Add flour and continue mixing
until well incorporated. Shape into 8 flattened balls, wrap
in plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours (or up to a
week).
Make filling: Melt butter in skillet and sauté' artichokes,
onions and mushrooms until lightly browned. Add Madeira and
cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season
to taste. Remove to bowl and chill (may be refrigerated up
to 2 days or frozen).
Roll out a pastry ball until fairly thin and will cover a
piece of fish with 1/2 inch to tuck in under the fish. You
don't want the pastry to be too thick or the fish will overcook
before the pastry is done. Place salmon fillets on a greased
baking sheet. Tuck in the thinner parts of fillet underneath,
making all the fish the same thickness. Divide the filling
into 8 portions and spread evenly on top of each salmon fillet.
Cover each with a rectangle of pastry. Tuck 1/2 inch of pastry
under fillets; trim off excess and make sure corners aren't
too thick. Do not cover the entire bottom on fillets or dough
will be soggy. Brush top and sides with egg yolk glaze. Reroll
scraps of pastry and shape into decorations (holly type leaves
are nice for Christmas). Place decorations on Wellington and
glaze entire pastry again. May be refrigerated up to 8 hours.
White Wine Sauce:
Place wine, vinegar and shallots (or onion) in saucepan. Bring
to boil, lower heat and simmer until slightly thickened and
reduced to approximately 4 Tablespoons. Slowly whisk in the
cream. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens
to desired consistency. This will take quite a little time.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in chives or parsley
Reheat before serving. If sauce becomes too thick, think down
with additional wine or cream. Serve hot.
Before serving, bring Wellingtons to room temperature for
1 hour. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake Wellingtons for
20 - 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden and fish is
moist and flaky. Spoon a small amount of sauce on each plate,
place Wellingtons on sauce and pass remaining sauce.
