Recipe: Parcel of Leek and Smoked Salmon

1- Cut the leeks in four on all its lenght starting 4 inches from the root. Wash them thoroughly and tie them in small bundles of two or three leeks.

2- Bring to the boil a big pot of salted water (7g per litre), put your bundles of leek to cook, until they get soft to the touch (or prick them with the tip of an office knife, it should get into the flesh easily)

3- Cool them down in iced water. When cold, press the leek with your hands (clean of course!)to get rid of the excess water and set aside.

4- Trim the tip of the leek and cut them in half. Place them in a bowl, season with the French dressing. Cover with some cling film and put in the fridge.

5- Take 8 dariole molds or tea cups, line the inside of the mold with a little oil and a brush.

6- Cut 8 discs of smoked salmon and place them at the bottom of your molds or cups.

7- Take your leeks out of the fridge and cut some strips long enough to cover the inside of your mold and 2 to 3 cm (1 inch) in width. Line the inside of each mold with these strips and set them aside in the fridge.

8- Bring 1 dl of cream to the boil, season it with some salt and pepper. In the mean time, soak the sheets of gelatine for few minutes in some water, press them and whisk them into the hot cream. Set aside.

9- In a large salad bowl, blitz coarsly the trimings of smoked salmon and the rest of the leek. Mix in the gelatin and cream mix (lukewarm) into the smoked salmon leek mix. Fill up your mold with this mix. (Make an extra parcel if you have some mix left over.)

10- Put them in the fridge, to set, for at least 3h00.

11- Next, bring the rest of the cream to the boil, add in the curcuma and the lemon juice. Season well with salt and freshly ground pepper. Let this sauce reduce for a little while. Set aside to cool down.

12- Halve all the cherry tomatoes in their width. Core them and fill them up with some salmon roe.

Arrangement

On a nice black plate, take your parcel out of its mold an place it at the centre, pour some of the cream of curcuma around it. Place 4 halves of cherry tomatoes next to the parcel. Sprinkle a little bit of crushed pink peppercorn on the top of the cream sauce. Place a small bunch of dill or bundle of chives on the top of the parcel to add the final touch to your starter.

Tasty and easy to the eye, this starter makes a dish with a little difference to start your Christmas or new year dinner party. The big advantage of this recipe is that it can be prepared the day before allowing you to take it easy on the day of your party.