Smoked salmon torte makes a wow centerpiece for Easter
Ham, deviled eggs, and roasted asparagus are usually on our Easter dinner menu, but this year we are having brunch instead, and while some of our dinner items will make it on the menu, the idea of adding some “breakfast-like” dishes is something I'm looking forward to. One of my favorite special occasion breakfast items is smoked salmon, and my favorite way to eat it is in a salmon torte.
Smoking is a process of preserving meat that has been used for centuries. To prepare for the long winters, people smoked their salmon in order to preserve the fish. And while the term smoked is used often when referring to salmon, there are actually two very different methods, one hot and the other cold.
Hot-smoked salmon is smoked with heat in the same way meat gets smoked. The fish often starts in a brine solution made of water, sugar and salt. Once rinsed and allowed to air dry, the salmon is placed in a smoker and gets cooked all the way through and ends up with a firm, flaky fish with a distinct smoky flavor. If you are lucky enough to have your own smoker, this is an easy fish to prepare at home.
Cold-smoked salmon is slowly exposed to smoke at a temperature of approximately 80 degrees for a few days, and is not recommended as a home project due to dangers related to possible bacteria growth. The salmon doesn't get cooked, so the flesh of cold-smoked salmon stays very moist and silky and has a beautiful translucent pink color. Cold-smoked salmon has a similar texture to lox, but has an additional layer of smoky flavor and is what we use most often to top our bagels and cream cheese.
While I enjoy both types of smoked salmon, the cold-smoked variety is the salmon of choice for the Smoked Salmon Torte.
The torte starts with two cakelike layers made by combining melted butter and flour, and stirring over heat a few minutes before adding milk and cooking until the mixture boils and thickens. Next, a mixture of eggs, sugar and salt are mixed together and tempered by whisking in some of the warm milk mixture before combining both and allowing it to cool. Egg whites and cream of tarter are whipped until stiff peaks are formed. Lastly, the cooled mixture is folded into the egg whites, being careful not to deflate the egg whites, before spreading into prepared pans. The recipe calls for two round cake pans, but I like to bake the mixture on a larger jelly roll style pan and cut it later into large rectangles to fit a favorite plate.
Just in case this process is more than you care to tackle there is a short cut I have used in a pinch — sliced soft bread. Cut crusts off slices of soft white bread and use instead of the “cake” layer recipe. You will need to piece them together to form your shape of choice, but once “frosted” you will never know the difference.
The smoked salmon layer is easy; combine softened cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, chopped green onions, shredded smoked salmon, capers and dill weed. Stir to combine and chill until ready to assemble your masterpiece. You may want to consider making a little extra for snacking because this is also delicious on bagels and crackers.
Now for the assembly; Place one layer of the “cake” on your serving dish, top with the salmon filling and remaining “cake” layer. Now frost with a mixture of sour cream, onion powder and lemon juice just as if it were a cake.
Decorate by rolling extra slices of salmon into flower-shapes and complete with a stem made from a green onion. Sprinkle with capers and extra dill.
This is a stunning side dish. It is served like a cake and looks beautiful on a plate, and whenever I have served this it has been a crowd favorite.
I will admit to preferring smoked salmon accompanied by all-the-fixings; cream cheese, capers, dill, and sometimes even some finely minced red onion. A bagel is the traditional place to build this masterpiece, but I found the Smoked Salmon Torte to be the perfect balance of creamy cheese, smoky fish, briny capers, and tasty dill for my Easter brunch. I hope you like it too!
• Penny Kazmier, a wife and mother of four from South Barrington, won the 2011 Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge.