Smoked trout pâté with horseradish cream and melba toasts
Smoked trout pâté:
- 8 ounces skinless hot-smoked trout fillets
- ½ cup crème fraîche
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon cream-style horseradish
- squeeze of lemon juice, to taste
- small handful of fresh dillweed, 4 small fronds reserved for garnish and the rest chopped
- 8 slices white or brown bread
- 8 slices cold-smoked trout
- few handfuls of salad leaves
Instructions:
This easy, prepare-ahead first course is ideal for entertaining.
- Put all the ingredients for the pâté into a food processor and pulse until well mixed. Leave the mixture coarse for a rustic texture. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper, then spoon into individual ramekins or ceramic pots and garnish each with a frond of dill.
- To make the melba toasts, preheat the broiler and toast the bread lightly on both sides. Cut off the crusts, then, holding the toast flat against a chopping board, slide the knife between the toasted edges to split the bread horizontally. Cut the split bread into triangles and arrange untoasted sides up on a baking sheet. Toast under the broiler until the triangles are golden and crisp and the edges have curled slightly.
- Serve the individual pots of pâté with the melba toast and a couple of slices of smoked trout draped over a handful of salad leaves.