Salmon and creamed baby spinach en croute

Kathy Gunst/Here and Now

Recipe from Kathy Gunst at Here and Now
You simply roll out frozen puff pastry, place a piece of salmon in the center, top it with some spinach sauteed with cream, and that’s it. Refrigerate it up to several hours before baking and watch it puff up into buttery goodness with a gorgeous filet of flaky salmon in the middle, topped with creamy spinach. A quick sauce of creme fraiche, dill and lemon is served on the side.

If you want to cut the salmon into two pieces and cut the pastry into four pieces, you can make two individual portions of the dish. You can also double or triple the recipe for a crowd.

Serves 2 to 4, depending on how many other dishes you’re serving.

Ingredients

Yield: 2 to 4 servings

The creamed spinach:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 ounces baby spinach
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup heavy cream, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons for brushing the pastry

The pastry and salmon:

• One 14-ounce box all-butter frozen puff pastry, thawed but still well chilled
• Flour for rolling
• 1 pound salmon filet, preferably wild or organic

The lemon-dill sauce

• 1 cup creme fraiche, sour cream, or Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh dill or parsley

Preparation

1. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a large cookie sheet or baking tin.
2. Make the spinach: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the spinach and salt and pepper, and cook for about 3 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted and just soft. Add the cream and simmer for another 3 minutes until the cream thickens and is incorporated into the spinach. Remove and cool.
3. Lightly flour a clean work surface. Roll out half the pastry so it’s just a touch thinner. Place on the prepared cookie sheet. Place the salmon on top of the pastry (it should cover most of the pastry) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon the spinach on top. Roll the second half of the pastry out so it is also just a bit thinner. Lay it on top of the salmon and spinach, and use your lightly floured fingers, pinch the two pieces of pastry together. Fold the edges of the bottom piece of pastry up onto the top piece and use your fingers again to create a seal. Take a fork and use the tines to create a pattern along the edges of the pastry. Use a small, sharp knife to cut 4 slits into the pastry to act as air “vents.” The dish can be made up to 12 hours ahead of time, covered, and refrigerated.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the salmon from the refrigerator and place it on the middle shelf. Bake for 10 minutes.
5. Place the 1 to 2 remaining tablespoons of cream in a bowl. Remove the salmon from the oven and, using a pastry brush, brush the pastry with the cream. Place back into the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown. An internal temperature gently inserted in one of the air slits should register 130 degrees for the salmon. If the pastry is not browning enough, raise the temperature to 425 degrees for a few minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into pieces.