Slow-Roasted Salmon with Rosemary-Scented Apple Puree and Root Vegetable Medley
The uniqueness of this recipe is in the slow cooking of the salmon, creating unbelievably silky, moist results. Since the smoking point of butter is higher than oil, do not substitute olive oil for the butter in roasting the salmon. The accompanying sauce is delicious and easy to make and the light sprinkling of horseradish at the end gives the whole dish a wonderful kick.
Yield: makes 4-6 servings
SALMON
2 pounds salmon, center-cut
4 tablespoons. butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
SAUCE
¼ cup potatoes, peeled, ½” dice
½ cup clam juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 tsp salt
¼ tsp. white pepper
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
APPLE PUREE
1 each cinnamon stick
2 each cloves
1 tablespoon butter
2 each fresh rosemary sprigs
2 each golden delicious apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
2/3 Cup white wine
ROOT VEGETABLE MEDLEY
¼ cup carrots, julienned
¼ cup turnips, julienned
¼ cup red beets, julienned
2 tablespoons butter, melted
½ teaspoon salt
1-inch piece Fresh horseradish
To prepare the salmon:
1. Pre-heat oven to 250°F.
2. Cut the salmon into 4 to 6 fillets of equal sizes, making sure all pin heads are removed.
3. In a small roasting pan or oven-proof sauté pan add 2 tablespoons of melted butter and brush to distribute evenly. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper evenly over the bottom of the pan.
4. Place salmon fillets on top of the butter and sprinkle remaining salt and pepper. Brush fillets with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Place in the oven uncovered, and cook for 12-14 minutes.
To prepare the apple puree
5. Make a sachet by placing the cinnamon stick and cloves in a 6” square piece of cheesecloth and securely tying with twine.
6. In a medium size pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and rosemary over medium-high heat. Cook 1 minute until rosemary is fragrant, and then remove the sprigs with tongs and discard.
7. Add apples and sachet to butter, cover, and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.
8. Uncover the apples and add the wine. Bring mixture to a simmer and cover. Allow to cook for 10 minutes or until the apples are soft.
9. Remove the sachet with tongs and discard. Place the apple mixture in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.
10. Return mixture to pan, cover, and allow to sit until ready to use.
To prepare the sauce
11. Place the potatoes in cold salted water just to cover, bring to a boil, and cook until tender, approximately 8 minutes. Drain potatoes and set aside.
12. In a small saucepan, combine clam juice, olive oil, and 1/3 teaspoon salt over medium high heat. Bring to simmer and let cook for 1 minute. Add mayonnaise, and blend the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. Add chives and potatoes. Remove from heat, cover and let sit until ready to use.
To prepare the root vegetables
13. Prepare a bowl of ice water, set aside.
14. Boil 1 quart of water and drop the julienned carrots and cook for about 1 minute. Remove immediately and plunge into the ice water. Repeat the same for the julienned turnips and beets separately.
15. Remove from ice water once cooled. Set aside.
16. In an 8” oven-proof sauté pan, add 1 tablespoon melted butter and ¼ teaspoon salt.
17. Place carrots, turnips and beets in pan, drizzle with remaining butter and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
18. When the salmon fillets are 3 minutes from being done, add the pan of vegetables to the same oven for a final heating. Remove both after 3 minutes.
To plate and serve:
Place salmon fillets on a platter and top each fillet with 4-5 juliennes of each vegetable. Place spoonfuls of the apple puree around the fillets and drizzle the sauce over and around the fillets. Grate the horseradish over the salmon with a light sprinkling.
Copyright © 2009 Hubert Keller. All rights reserved.