Life on the estate Asparagus mousseline with marinated salmon

To make this nutritious starter, begin with a

gravlax marinade: choose a fresh salmon steak,

cut from the dorsal part of the fillet and remove

the pin bones.

 

For the salmon:

Mix together the sugar, coarse salt, dill and

pepper. Using the palm of your hand, cover

the salmon steak with this mixture and leave to

marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Rinse to remove all the salt, dry carefully, wrap

in cling film and refrigerate.

 

For the asparagus mousseline:

Choose a bunch of asparagus spears that feel

firm but supple and smell like ripe wheat.

Peel them, cut 5cm (2in) off the tips and

immerse these for 3 minutes in boiling salted

water. Halt the cooking process by draining and

plunging the tips in a bowl of ice-cold water.

Drain, pat dry and set aside. Do the same with

the remaining part of the asparagus spears, but

cook for 10 minutes.

Put both the tips and the spears into a blender

with the eggs, cream, salt, pepper and Espelette

pepper and blend until smooth. Strain the

mixture through a fine sieve to remove any

unwanted fibres.

Butter four individual ramekins and pour in the

asparagus mousseline. Cook them in a bainmarie

at 140°C (284°F). After 30 minutes, the

mousseline should have set.

 

To serve:

Turn out a mousseline onto the centre of each

plate. Peel the asparagus and cook for 3 minutes

in boiling salted water. Drain and leave to cool.

Cut each spear in half and carefully arrange

them upright around the edge of the mousseline.

Cut the salmon into wafer-thin slices and

arrange these in triangles or strips around the

asparagus mousseline. Serve with a few drops of

traditional vinaigrette on the salmon carpaccio.

 

Chef ’s tips:

If you don’t have tweezers suitable for removing

the pin bones from the salmon, you can use a

vegetable peeler.

To test whether your asparagus is fresh, check the

base: it should be moist not dry.

 

Wine-food match:

We recommend that you pair this dish with a

MOULIN D’ISSAN 2015.