Around Christmas, my dad (a dentist) usually gets one or two gourmet gift baskets from his patients. And every year, the entire family (Dad, Mom, brother and me) has fun rifling through the little boxes and bags of treats we would never buy for ourselves. The cookies, chocolates and assorted candies always go first, and then the nuts and crackers.
A few items – hot pepper jelly, cheese spread and smoked salmon – are often left behind. These “goodies” usually get stored in my parents’ pantry where they’ll sit for years on end … unless of course my mom manages to pawn them off on me.
And that’s exactly what happened this past December, when she sent me home with the infamous smoked salmon pillow pack. “Surely I would find a use for it,” my mom argued. And, nearly five months later, I did, while flipping through my newest cookbook, Whole-Grain Mornings, by Megan Gordon.
Megan’s book is divided into four seasons and I naturally jumped to the spring chapter, which features a beautiful smoked salmon and crème fraîche tart with a cornmeal millet crust. And wouldn’t you know it, the recipe called for 4 ounces of smoked salmon, about the same amount sitting in my cupboard. I had to make it – if only to put my present to use.
With a few slight tweaks to the original recipe, my smoked salmon quiche was a success. And while the custard is very flavorful, the crust is what makes this dish unique. The millet (a mildly sweet and nutty grain that I had never used before) adds a welcome crunch that contrasts nicely with the smooth and creamy filling.
Recipe adapted from Whole-Grain Mornings.
- ½ cup fine-ground cornmeal
- ¾ cup white whole-wheat flour
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
- 3-4 tablespoons ice water
- ¼ cup millet
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup minced shallots
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup whole or two percent milk
- ¼ cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 3 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
- 1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 ounces smoked salmon, torn into small pieces
- In a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour and salt. Add the butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles coarse meal. Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time and mix with a fork. When the ingredients start to come together, add the millet. Use your hands to lightly knead the dough in the bowl until it forms a loose ball.
- Press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of greased 9-inch round tart pan. Transfer the crust to the freezer and let chill for at least 30 minutes and up to a day.
- Heat a small fry pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the shallots and sauté for 3 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 1 minute. Remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, mascarpone cheese, eggs, capers, tarragon, dill, salt and pepper.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Place the prepared crust on a baking sheet and bake crust for 15 minutes.
- Spoon the shallot mixture in an even layer on the bottom of the prepared crust. Then arrange the salmon pieces on top of the shallots. Carefully pour the filling over the shallots and salmon and bake for 30-35 minutes, until slightly puffed and golden, and the tip of a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the quiche cool for 15 minutes on a rack before removing from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
