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Smoked trout mousse

Served with horseradish and micro salad leaves

SMOKED TROUT MOUSSEServes 4

The mousse:
 4-8 ribbons of smoked trout (to line the ramekins)
2 smoked trout fillets
½ cup/125 ml full cream, chilled
1 tablespoon/30 ml butter at room temperature
Tobasco sauce, a few drops
2 tablespoons/30 ml fresh lemon juice
salt
1 sheet gelatin
1 tablespoon/15 ml water
1½ cup/750 ml chilled full cream
4 tablespoons/60 ml caviar (if caviar is not available, finely chopped chives will do)

The horseradish cream:
3 tablespoons/45 ml fresh horseradish, grated
1 tablespoon/15 ml white wine vinegar or lemon juice
1 teaspoon/5 ml sugar
1 tablespoon/30 ml fresh dill, finely chopped
1 cup/250 ml fresh full cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper

This horseradish cream also goes well with  beef, beets, chicken, eggs, fish, pork, salmon, sausages, shellfish, smoked fish, etc. Covered, the sauce will keep for 2 to 3 days in a refrigerator.

The garnish:
micro salad leaves and sprouts
horseradish cream
dill sprigs
small wedges of lemon

  • Have ready four ramekins lined with cling wrap with excess all round to cover the mousse, then line the inside of each ramekin with the trout ribbons, leaving the bottom open.
  • In a food processor, blend the trout, cream, butter and lemon juice and add salt to taste.
  • Soak the sheets of gelatin in a bowl of cold water and after 5 minutes, drain and squeeze out the excess water.
  • Heat a small saucepan on low heat and add the gelatin with one tablespoon of water.
  • Let the gelatin dissolve thoroughly, then remove from the heat and add to the trout puree.
  • Whisk the cream until stiff and fold into the trout puree. Taste for seasoning.
  • Fill the ramekins with the mousse, then cover with the overhanging cling wrap and chill the mousse for at least 8 hours or overnight.
  • For the horseradish cream, blend the horseradish, vinegar and lemon juice, sugar and dill in a food processor.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk the cream until stiff then fold in the horseradish mixture.
  • Season to taste, then strain if you prefer a smooth texture and refrigerate for 4 – 8 hours.

To serve:
Arrange the salad leaves and sprouts in the center of each serving plate and turn the mousse out onto the greens. Carefully peal off the cling wrap then spoon some caviar (or chives, if using) on top and drizzle the horseradish cream around the mousse. Decorate with a few sprigs of dill and the wedges of lemon and serve immediately.

STELLA's avatar

By STELLA

I have had no formal chef’s training. Classical piano was my parents’ choice, and that took care of the first 20 years of my life. Journalism and radio followed (my own choices, this time), and these opened many doors for me into different countries, people, cultures — and, of course, foods. In a six week series on radio I used it as a platform for my love of food and shared lots of interesting recipes and food news with listeners.
My earliest memories of food come from the family kitchen at home; I can still remember the wonderful smells of the dishes my mother prepared. I became aware of the flavors of her creations at an early age. Some I enjoyed and preferred, while others depressed me with their lack of interesting flavors. My mother was a good cook, but not a gourmet, and sadly this often showed. What I did appreciate was that she always involved me in the preparation, sharing her knowledge of nutrition, flavor, color, and the harmonies of each plate she dished up. She was also a genius with leftovers and quick meals when unexpected guests arrived. This is one of the things that stands out in my mind, and it inspired me to create wonderful dishes from leftover foods myself.

I carried on with the tradition of carefully planning meals to combine nutrition, color and flavor, while at the same time offering variety and elegant presentation. In the process, I developed a passion for seeking out the best available products, adhering to each season’s offerings, and treating it with the respect it deserves, which eventually became part of my daily culinary life and travels. I did these things not because I wanted to become a chef, but to satisfy myself, family and friends with creations of gorgeous food and exciting flavors. All of which, I hope, is reflected in this blog.

2 replies on “Smoked trout mousse”

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