10:02 AM 3/22/98
rfc gwiv

Beet and Smoked Trout Salad with Chive Oil

 4  Servings

            CHIVE OIL

1/2	cup fresh chives, chopped
1/2	cup canola oil, or vegetable oil

	BEET SALAD

3	cups rice vinegar
1/4	cup sugar
2	tablespoons mustard seed
1	tablespoon anise seeds
1	tablespoon cumin seeds
2	beets, large, peeled, sliced crosswise 1/3" thick
1	tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1	tablespoon olive oil
            salt and pepper
3/4	pound smoked trout, skinned & coarsely flaked
4	cups mesclun mix, or mache
2	teaspoons lemon zest, finely grated

     1. MAKE THE CHIVE OIL: In a blender, puree the chives with the
canola oil. Scrape the oil into a small bowl and season with salt.
(The chive oil can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Let the oil
return to room temperature before using.)

     2. MAKE THE BEET SALAD: In a large nonreactive saucepan, combine
the vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, anise seeds and cumin seeds with 4
cups of water. Boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 15
minutes. Add the beets, reduce the heat to moderately high and cook
until tender, about 30 minutes. Let cool in the liquid. Transfer 2
tablespoons of the beet cooking liquid to a small bowl and add the
lemon juice.

     3. Light a grill or heat a lightly oiled grill pan or cast-iron
skillet. Pat the beet slices dry with paper towels. Brush each slice
on both sides with the olive oil and grill for about 2 minutes per
side, or until lightly charred. Transfer to a large plate and season
with slat and pepper.

     4. Arrange the beet slices in a circle on 4 plates, overlapping
the slices slightly. Scatter the trout over the beets and drizzle
about 1 tablespoon of chive oil and 2 teaspoons of lemon-beet juice
around each plate. Mound the mache in the center of the beets,
sprinkle with a little chive oil and the lemon zest and serve.

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If you REALLY love a bunch of people, make them this fancy salad from
The Salamander Restaurant:


                                 The Salamander Restaurant's
                               Smoked Trout in Vinaigrette 
                          with a Tiny Herb Salad and Avocado
                                            (Serves 8)

 

For Herb Salad:

2 bu chives
2 bu cilantro
2 bu mint
1 bu thai basil
2 oz grainy mustard vinaigrette

-cut chives into 1 - 1 1/2" barrels
-pick leaves of other cleaned herbs
-coarsely chop 4 Tb and reserve
-reserve whole leaves for finishing dish

For Avocado:

4-5 ripe avocados
1 oz extra virgin olive oil
1 oz fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper
2 Tb sweet herbs (reserved from above)

-peel and coarsely mash avocado
-season and combine with olive oil and lemon
-stir in sweet herbs (a combo of chives, cilantro, mint and thai basil
coarsely chopped)
-take approximately 15% of the mash and puree it smooth (thin with a
little water if necessary), reserve in squirt
bottle to decorate plates

For trout:

1 - 1 1/2 # smoked trout fillet (2 oz per portion), or more
1 small carrot, cut in brunoise
1 celery stalk, peeled and cut in brunoise
3 shallots, brunoise
1 red pepper, brunoise
1 small zucchini, brunoise
2 Tb sweet herbs (reserved from above)
4-5 oz grainy mustard vinaigrette

-quickly saute brunoise in olive oil (just 1-2 minutes), season and
chill to cool completely
-combine vegetables with trout; dress with vinaigrette, add herbs and
season

For Vinaigrette:

5 oz extra virgin olive oil
2 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz grainy mustard

To Assemble:

-in a 4" ring, mold salad on chilled plates with avocado mash on bottom,
trout in middle layer and then dress the
herb salad and layer it on top
-garnish plate with design of avocado puree, wisps of julienne carrot
and scallion and a dusting of cracked
pepper and ground coriander.


Or for Sunday brunch, howzabout a:

Smoked Trout and Potato Frittata 

                                  Prep: 15 min, Cook: 30 min. 

     4 new potatoes, unpeeled, scrubbed and thinly sliced 
     6 eggs, beaten 
     1/4 cup milk 
     1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 
     3 Tbs. olive oil 
     1 small onion, diced 
     6 ounces smoked trout or white fish, skinless, boneless and flaked 

Preheat oven to 300F. Place potatoes in a steamer basket over boiling
water. Cover pan and steam 7-8 minutes or until
potatoes are tender. Remove steamer basket, run potatoes under cold
running water. Drain and pat dry. Combine next 3
ingredients and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Heat olive oil
in a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Saut
onion about 5 minutes. Add potatoes and saut another 2-3 minutes.
Remove skillet from heat. Let stand 10 minutes. Transfer
cooled potatoes to a glass pie plate. Sprinkle smoked fish over
potatoes. Pour egg mixture over potatoes and fish, covering
evenly. Bake about 15 minutes or until frittata is set. Do not overcook.
Cut into wedges to serve. 


It sounds like this poster has the right idea:


                            Smoked Trout Napoleons 
                         Dato/Date:
                                17-08-96
                                      av/by: 
                                            Lasse Jenssen
(lasse@graficonn.no) 


                                     Oppskrift - Recipe


Ingredienser-Ingredients: 

     1 sheet Quick Puff Pastry, 9 by 11 inches 
     6 ounces cream cheese 
     2 cloves garlic, chopped 
     1 tablespoon lemon juice 
     1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill 
     1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 
     1 pound smoked boneless trout 
     1/4 pound arugula 
     1 large vine-ripened tomato, seeded and chopped 
     1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced 


Framgangsmte-Description

Preheat oven to 375. 
Place puff pastry on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about
20 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. 

When cool, place pastry on a cutting board and cut in half lengthwise
and then into thirds crosswise. 
Split each of the pieces in half and set aside. 

In a food processor or mixer bowl, place cream cheese, garlic, lemon
juice, dill, and thyme. 
Process until cream cheese is softened. 

Take the bottom of each piece of pastry and spread about 2 tablespoons
of the cream cheese mixture gently on each piece. 
Distribute the smoked trout among the 6 pieces, then arrange the arugula
on top of the trout. Top the arugula with chopped
tomato and cucumber, then place a pastry top on each piece. Serve
immediately. 
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you could try using the trout in a salad, with some boiled chopped eggs,
some boiled chopped potatoes, dill, chopped leek or onion, mayonnaise
and some cucumber. Add some pepper or if on daring mode is on add some
thinly sliced jalapenos. 

Another way is warming the trout in the oven and serving it with boiled
potatoes and a cold dill sauce (mix mayo with some lemon juice, dill,
salt and pepper).

Or make a  Trout mousse with some avocado, bits of trout, onion/leek,
hard boiled egg and a bit of mayo/sour cream, spice with dill, parsley,
cilantro, garlic and pepper.

