salmon rillettes {ffwd}
Over the past year or so, I’ve grown to love rillettes as a pre-dinner appetizer or part of a picnic lunch. What are rillettes? It’s the French word for a pâté-like paste traditionally made from pork. I tried my hand at pork rillettes over the winter. In Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table, she offers three different versions of rillettes made with fish. Previously, we’ve made rillettes with sardines and tuna. This week, salmon was on deck.
Salmon rillettes is the most colorful of the trio. It’s yet another recipe I’d describe with the word “confetti”. The pale coral of fresh salmon provides the base for flecks of deep coral from smoked salmon, red from a chile pepper, light purple from shallot, a sprinkling of yellow from lemon zest, and a flash of fuchsia from pink peppercorns. The preparation was simple. Small chunks of salmon are barely poached in diluted wine with some lemon peel, a sliver of the chile pepper, and some coriander seed and white peppercorns thrown in the pot. The salmon is then mashed with the other ingredients along with softened butter and lemon juice before packing it into a ramekin to firm up for spreading.
Confetti of Color
This spread is quite versatile. I enjoyed salmon rillettes spread on crackers for a light lunch. Tonight, we’ll enjoy it again as an appetizer. If there’s anything leftover, it will be part of the picnic lunch I’ve planned for tomorrow.
I did find that the smoked salmon overpowered the poached salmon both in flavor and texture. Next time I make this, I would adjust the proportions by doubling the fresh salmon and halving the smoked so the fresh fish could shine.
Mise en Place
To see what the other Doristas thought of salmon rillettes, you can check out their links here. The recipe is, of course, in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table, or you can find it on-line here.
piperade stir-fry {ffwd}
After cooking over three-quarters of the recipes in Around My French Table for French Fridays with Dorie, I’d characterize the recipes as falling into one of two camps. One would be a set of classic French recipes that are broken down into steps that make it less intimidating and very doable for a patient home cook. These have expanded my cooking horizons into uncharted territory. The other category are super simple recipes that delicious and serve as a launching off point for a multitude of variations for the creative cook. This week’s recipe for Piperade Stir-Fry falls into the second category.
This quick side dish goes with anything and takes little effort to put together. Strips of multi-colored bell peppers are stir-fried. The flavor is boosted by adding vinegar which caramelizes as it boils away. Finally, a handful of slivered red onion, a dab of minced garlic, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and Voila!
I loved the vibrant colors and the tangy undertone of the vinegar. I used red wine vinegar, but this would be amazing with balsamic vinegar. I served the peppers with roasted chicken, but it would be just as good with steak or fish. The piperade stir-fry would also complement olives and other nibbles on an appetizer platter. I look forward to adding vinegar to other vegetables as the summer progresses. I’m thinking sugar snap peas, green beans, carrots, and other firm vegetables.
To see what my Dorista friends thought of their peppers, check out their links here. This one hardly needs a recipe, but you can find it in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.
A Plateful of Happiness 