Maple Salmon with Creamed Leeks and Black Pudding ...

On a recent trip to one of my most favourite places in the world, Edinburgh I was lucky enough to be invited to a wonderful restaurant called The Dome. The building has a fascinating history that is well worth reading. If you plan on visiting the magical city of Edinburgh then definitely take note of this restaurant, located in the New Town on George Street, and make it a ‘must see’ stop on your journey. Not only were the staff warm and friendly but the food was delicious and their pre dinner martinis kicked ass. It must have been the Tanqueray No 10 Gin they used!

While perusing the menu in The Grill Room, what caught my eye right away was the Fillet of Salmon served on Spicy Black Pudding Mash with Local Mushrooms, finished with Truffle Oil. I adore salmon and mushrooms (never mind the added bonus of truffle oil!) so I knew I was on to a winner, but what worried me was that I had never tried black pudding. Feeling adventurous after the martinis I decided that spicy black pudding mash was something I needed to try.

It was the right decision!

The slightly crisp chewy texture of the black pudding worked really well in the creamy mashed potatoes. The slight spiciness also complemented the salmon and mushrooms beautifully. It wasn’t overpowering at all. Honestly it was one of the greatest meals I have ever eaten and it has been on my mind ever since.

Feeling brave even without the help of a martini (or two) I took a stroll to our local butchers and bought some black pudding. The only tip I was given was to make sure I removed the rind – otherwise I would be extremely disappointed in the overall dish and most likely would still be chewing on it several weeks later.

The salmon itself is really easy to prepare. Years ago while looking at the All Recipes website I found a recipe for Maple Salmon by one of their members – Starflower. Being a devoted lover of all things maple I knew I had to give this a try. In my recipe book this dish has 6 out of 5 stars. It is amazing. Here is Starflowers recipe for Maple Salmon from the All Recipes website page.

Maple Salmon by Starflower

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 pound salmon

Directions

• In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper.

• Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once.

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

• Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork.

Salmon Fillets Marinating in Maple Syrup Mixture

To accompany the salmon try this wonderful black pudding mash.

Luna Raye’s Black Pudding Mash

Ingredients

• 5-6 medium sized potatoes (King Edward or Maris Piper are good choices)

• Black Pudding (I used 3 medium sized slices which added up to approx ½ a cup after I cut them into squares – remember to remove the rind)

• Knob of butter

• Splash of milk

• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

• Get some salted water boiling and add the peeled potatoes.

• When potatoes are about ¾ of the way done (you can just start to get a fork into them) start on the black pudding.

• Add a wee bit of butter to a frying pan and when melted add the chopped black pudding. (o.k. I was a bit nervous so I think I may have overcooked it a bit as it did start to disintegrate slightly. I wasn’t able to maintain the ‘squares’ and keep the nice, perfectly formed pieces of black pudding that I had at The Dome)

• Once potatoes are cooked, drain them and put them back in the pot.

• Add a generous knob of butter and mash.

• When potatoes are fairly mashed add a splash of butter and season with salt and pepper.

• Give it a few more vigorous stirs before gently folding in the black pudding pieces. (It actually looked like a scoop of Oreo cookie dough ice cream!)

Black Pudding

To go alongside the salmon and black pudding mash I wanted to do my old time favourite Creamed Leeks. Tasty and super quick to prepare here is a link to my previous post or you can see the recipe below

Luna Raye’s Creamed Leeks

• 2-3 medium to large leeks finely chopped.

• Add leeks to pan with a knob of butter and stir over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the leeks have softened.

• Add 2 Tablespoons of double cream and salt and pepper to taste.

Yes it’s that simple!

Maple Salmon with Creamed Leeks and Black Pudding Mash

I will definitely make Maple Salmon with Creamed Leeks and Black Pudding Mash again. It’s the perfect meal for a romantic night!

Enjoy!

Honey Glazed Gammon Joint With Dauphinoise Potatoe...

In anticipation of my sister visiting us for the holidays my husband and I have been trying out some new recipes. One thing we both love is gammon but strangely we never cook it at home. This week we found a lovely gammon joint and decided to give it a try.

We weren’t sure how difficult it would be to cook. Some people prefer to boil it, some prefer to bake it while others go for a combination of the two. If you boil it first and then finish off the last part of the cooking time in the oven you can get a lovely caramelized texture to the fat especially if you use a honey or maple syrup glaze.

For us the ‘oven only’ option sounded best. We scored the fat in a criss cross pattern which helps expose more of the fat to the heat, allowing more of the fat to be rendered. The end result is meat that is moist and very flavourful. We stuck a handful of cloves into the gammon and then glazed it using local honey. That was it – then it went straight in the oven to cook for just under an hour (obviously cooking times vary depending on the size of the joint).

Gammon Joint with Cloves and Honey Glaze Ready for the Oven

I then started on the potatoes. I don’t have a mandolin (which my fingers are grateful for… ha ha ha yes pun intended) so I had to thinly slice several potatoes with a knife. This was tricky enough but what really helped me was a glass of sherry and taking my time.

The potato of choice was the maris piper. They have a lovely floury texture which is ideal for this dish. I put all the slices in a bowl, seasoned them with salt, pepper and minced garlic and then gave them a quick mix around. The slices were then layered in an oven proof dish and double cream poured over top. As I had some lemon thyme from the garden handy I added a few sprigs for good measure. Then I popped them in the oven for approximately 50 minutes (or until golden brown)

Dauphinoise Potatoes

Meanwhile the aroma from the gammon joint was incredible. It really made our mouths water. All in all the prep time between two of us was about 20 minutes. So it really is an easy meal to prepare. Most of the cooking is done without a lot of fuss in the oven – so you can sit back, relax and have fun (ideal especially if you are entertaining!)

I served up the gammon on some wilted spinach with a generous helping of the potatoes. It was delicious. The best thing was that we had some gammon left over – perfect for some home made beans the next day!

Whether you’re looking for a romantic meal for two or you want to impress friends and family – this is a meal you will be proud of and will find absolutely delicious!

Enjoy!

Honey Glazed Gammon with Dauphinoise Potatoes and Wilted Spinach

The recipe I used for the dauphinoise potatoes is from chef Mike Robinson and features on the brilliant BBC Food website. You can find it on their site but I have also included it below.

Ingredients

1 kg/2lb 4oz baking potatoes, peeled and placed in a bowl of cold water to prevent them from browning (use floury potatoes such as Russet, King Edward, Maris Piper or Desiree)

3-4 cloves garlic

500ml/17½fl oz double cream (you may need a bit extra)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method

Preheat the oven to 160C/320F/Gas 2.

Slice the potatoes into thin slices, about 2mm-3mm/0.13in thick. Place the slices into a bowl as you cut them.

Trim the ends off the garlic cloves but don’t peel. Grate the cloves on a grater. The flesh will go through the fine holes and the skins will be left behind. Scrape the grated garlic flesh into the bowl with the potatoes.

Season the potatoes, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Pour the cream over the potatoes and mix well again.

Place the potato slices into the gratin dish. They should come to just below the top of the dish. Press the potato down with the back of a spoon or your hands so it forms a solid layer. The cream should come to just below the top layer of potato (top up with more double cream if necessary).

Place the potatoes in the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, then check it. If the cream looks like it’s splitting, your oven is too hot, so turn it down a bit. When cooked, the gratin should be golden on top and the potatoes tender. If necessary, give it another 15-20 minutes.

Serve the dauphinoise as a side dish to roasted meat or poultry.