PORTLAND, Maine — Spring is here, and summer is fast approaching, which means spending more time outside. If you're looking for the perfect appetizer to enjoy on the deck, maybe with a glass of wine, then Chef Peter Rudolph has you covered.
Rudolph joined us in the 207 kitchen from the Cape Arundel Inn and showed us how to make a Smoked Trout Mousse with homemade Flaxseed Crackers.
Seeded Crackers
Ingredients:
- 1 cup flax seeds
- ½ cup chia seeds
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ½ cup sesame seeds
- ½ cup poppy seeds
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
- ⅛ teaspoon celery seeds
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoons Aleppo pepper
- 1 tablespoon salt
- Maldon salt flakes for sprinkling
- 2 cups just-boiled water
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350f.
- Line a cookie sheet or casserole pan with parchment or wax paper, oil lightly, or use cooking spray.
- In a bowl combine all ingredients except Maldon salt flakes and water.
- Gradually add the boiled water, and stir to combine after each addition and before adding more water.
- Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes to hydrate.
- The water should be completely absorbed.
- Transfer the mixture to the lined pan and spread into a thin even layer using a flexible spatula.
- Sprinkle with Maldon salt flakes, press the salt into the mixture with your hands, and let sit for 20 minutes.
- Place in the oven for 1 hour, rotating once at 30 minutes.
- Leave the oven on and remove the pan from the oven, let cool for 10 minutes.
- Flip the cracker and remove the parchment or wax paper.
- Return the cracker to the oven for 30 minutes, or until it is completely dry and crisp.
- The cracker will be great for 2 weeks if stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Smoked Trout Mousse
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. smoked trout filet, skin removed, broken into medium size pieces. Hot smoked trout is best for this mousse, store-bought or homemade.
- 1 cup water
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce or tamari
- ½ lemon, zested
- 1 cup heavy cream, whipped to firm peaks.
- Herb garnish - dill or chives or edible flowers
Directions:
- In a food processor add the trout, black pepper, and soy sauce, and process until very fine.
- Gradually add the water until the trout mixture becomes a malleable paste, the consistency of soft cream cheese.
- Transfer the mixture to a container and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. It will thicken up as the trout absorbs the moisture.
- In a bowl or Kitchen-Aid mixer, whisk your heavy cream to firm peaks, careful not to overmix.
- Using a bowl and a flexible spatula, combine ¾ c of the smoked trout mousse and the whipped cream in approximately 1 cup increments, folding carefully and completely to combine.
- When the mixture is a light, fluffy, delicious-looking mousse, stop folding in the cream and get ready to assemble.
Plating
Select the perfect pieces of flax cracker, 1-2 bite sizes, 1”-2” squares or rectangles or triangles, no need to be perfectly uniform for your first attempt. Add an adequate spoonful of the mousse onto the cracker and top with a generous amount of the herb garnish.