Off Topic Question

16 years ago

Hello Everyone,

If I may, IÂd like to ask some advice on a non-preserving / harvest question.

IÂm serving a five course Christmas dinner. Prior to getting the first course underway, IÂm planning on serving an Amuse Bouche as guests sit down (fancy "stuff" they give you in expensive French restaurants to make you feel like youÂre getting a special treat! LOL).

IÂm planning on serving a small champagne granita (sorbet) with a smoked salmon, brie and mushroom phyllo (home made of course). IÂd like to rest the phyllo on a complimenting sauce or coulis.

I was thinking of Dijon mustard or a sweet red pepper jelly. IÂm not a big smoked salmon fan so IÂm not sure if my choices are good or off base. Any other suggestionsÂ IÂm leaving my dinner fate to the fine palates here on the Harvest Forum.

Any input would be appreciated!

Bill

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Comments (5)

readinglady
16 years ago
Based on that menu, I'm sure whatever you come up with will be lovely. It seems presumptuous to try to improve on it.

So some miscellaneous thoughts, take them for what they're worth:

1. Are you sure you want to serve a food you don't care for? (smoked salmon) It's hard to assess the dish if you don't. I assume this salmon is dry-smoked? Those phyllo would also work with shrimp and then a tomato-vodka sauce would be terrific.

2. Is the granita a palate-cleanser?

3. Color - visually very similar between the granita and the phyllo pastries.

Pepper jelly would be very pretty but flavor-wise for some reason doesn't quite do it for me in this dish. But that's just me.

I keep thinking that kind of smoked salmon phyllo needs a CrÃ¨me FraÃ®che type of sauce, something tangy and herb-y, like shallots, chives, parsley, dill, capers, something green.

Or for color a roasted pepper sauce with cream or a the tomato-vodka sauce I mentioned.

Another possibility is to serve the phyllo pastries first with something as unctuous and traditional as a tarragon mayonnaise beside and then follow up with a palate-zinging granita like a pomegranate or grapefruit-campari or blood orange. Think of the color! (And just drink the champagne, LOL.)

Carol
bejay9_10
16 years ago
Wheeeeeee -

Just a thought for the smoked salmon - sour cream with fresh grated horseradish and a touch of dillweed - maybe?

Bejay
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User
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the responses Carol and bejay.

Carol, yes the granite is intended as a palate cleanser. I really like your grapefruit-campari suggestion. Great idea!

ItÂs not that I hate dry smoked salmon, itÂs just not something that I yearn for very often.

The phyllo is really a small bite size purse. I think IÂll use bejayÂs sour cream and dill suggestion for contrast as IÂll be serving a caramelized leek soup as a first course. The green and white sour cream dill will look good on the small red plate IÂll be serving the phyllo on.

Thanks again,

Bill
User
Original Author
16 years ago
Hi All,

Just wanted to say thanks again for the suggestions. I settled for the following lemon dill sauce to accent the salmon phyllo purse:

1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh dill

Mixed the first five ingredients until smooth and then stirred in the dill. It made 2/3 cup and it was a huge success!

Getting back on topic for this forum, I also put out a jar of my Chile Cranberry Sauce (made with the assistance of the good folks here) with the turkey. RAVE reviews!

Just for fun, I printed dinner menus that sat on everyoneÂs plate when they sat down at the table. I know, a bit over the top and our friends think weÂre crazy but it did get them all fired up for dinner! IÂve attached it below.

Habanero peppers for the cranberry sauce and leeks for the soup were from our garden and the garlic, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and turnip used were all grown within 5 miles of our home at a local farm. I need a bigger garden for next yearÂs dinner! LOL

Overall, we made too much food but everyone had a full belly and a great time. After dinner, I sat back and was struck by how fortunate we were for the friends and bounty. Shortly thereafter, the size of the kitchen cleanup job struck meÂ so I had another glass of wine and settled back into the spirit! LOL

Hopefully, everyone else had a great Christmas as well.

Bill

{{gwi:969884}}
melva02
16 years ago
Bill, any chance you would share the recipe for the salmon phyllo purses? I have a ton of phyllo in my freezer, my last batch of spanakopita was missing a little something, and I don't want to resort to sweets (well, maybe one batch). Beautiful dinner, sounds fantastic!

Melissa