The Mille-feuille of fresh salmon au beu

The Mille-feuille of fresh salmon au beurre rose.          By the Chef on Safari



The Mille-feuille is based on three essential ingredients – Fresh smoked Salmon, a subtle pastry crème and fresh cranberries.



I had just finished tiding the kitchen of a client with whom I had just cooked an evening meal for.  The number of guests was 6 mainly family but also some of his colleagues from his place of employment, when the host came in and asked if I could tell him how to recreate the entree that they had all just enjoyed.  Well I said that if he would like to join me over a coffee I would explain the creation of the Mille-feuille of Fresh Salmon.

Well for a start there is no premixes used in the dish it’s all fresh ingredients, although with the fresh cranberries you could use whole free-flow frozen. 



Mille-Feuille of Fresh Salmon au Beurre

(Mille-Feuille De Saumon Frais au Beurre Rose)



6 Serve.



Cut some thinly rolled puff pastry into rectangles measuring 10 x 7 cm and bake them in the oven.  Arrange some thin slices of fresh salmon on 3 of the pastry rectangles and place them on top of each other, spreading each layer with a mixture of fresh pastry crème and lemon juice seasoned with chopped tarragon, salt and pepper.  Cover with fourth rectangle of puff pastry. Blend some butter with crème and mix with cranberry compote. Coat the cold mille- feuille with this butter.





Pastry Crème

Crème Patisseriere



Split a vanilla pod (vanilla bean), boil it in 2 cups milk, and then take it out.  Beat 3 egg yolks with 80g caster sugar; when the mixture has turned white, add 40g Cornflour.  Then gradually add the boiling vanilla flavoured milk, whisking all the time. Put the mixture in saucepan over a gentle heat and boil for 1 minute, whisking vigorously.  Pour the crème into a deep bowl and leave to cool.





Cranberry Compote



12oz Fresh Cranberries                                        zest of 1 orange

¾ cup Caster Sugar                                                  ½ tsp Vanilla

3 Cups Water                                                            Pinch of Salt

Pinch of Cayenne                                                  1/8 tsp Cinnamon

2 Tsp Cornflour                                                  ¾ cup Fresh Orange Juice



Place the cranberries and zest in a pan.  Peel, seed and coarsely chop the orange.  Add to the pan with the sugar, water, vanilla, salt, cayenne and the cinnamon.  Bring to the boil over a medium heat; reduce the heat to low, simmer for 10 minutes.  Dissolve the Cornflour in the orange juice.  Add the mixture to the berry mix and stir to blend.  Simmer 20 minutes until thick.  Cool completely.  Will keep for 3days in the refrigerator.





When serving make sure the plate is either at room temperature or slightly chilled.  Place the Mille-feuille slightly off centre of the plate and add a pinch of green salad and thinly sliced red onion.





Well after a bit more of a chat, another coffee and the securing of another night to look after his family and friends, I stepped out into the cool of the evening. Driving home I thought about how much chefs are respected in this world and how much of a gypsy lifestyle we all live. 



Where will I be tomorrow, I don’t know somewhere out there cooking for someone who needs it I guess, maybe I’ll still be looking for that perfect dish.  Who knows, because I don’t?