Submitted by editor
For the town hall meeting where Alisa and James try to drum up enthusiasm for the Challenge, Chef Ben Niemann whipped up these 100-mile canapes using locally produced ingredients. Note that you'll need to make the gravlax three days ahead of time to give the salmon enough time to cure.
24
For the salmon:
Fresh salmon fillet, skin removed
Local salt
Big Leaf maple syrup
Fresh dill, chopped
For the dill chèvre:
1/2 pound chèvre (225 g)
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped (60 mL)
For the rösti potato "cracker":
6 potatoes
About 12 tablespoons flour (180 mL)
Local seasonings, as desired
1 cup rendered duck fat (250 mL)
The Gravlax
Rub both sides of the salmon filet with a generous amount of salt. Drizzle thoroughly with big leaf maple syrup and lay on some chopped fresh dill. With your hands rub everything gently into the flesh.
Lay the salmon on a tray and a sheet of parchment paper. Cover the top of the salmon with another sheet of parchment, lightly wrapping the fillet.
Put it in the fridge for about three days to cure. Depending on the size of the salmon used it may take a little more or less to time to find the optimal curing point. The salmon will be edible longer than the three days in the fridge but will continue to cure and parts of it will cure faster than others, perhaps becoming too salty. A nice soft, cured texture is what you are looking for, not exactly raw but not like jerky either. Experience will quickly show you your favorite gravlax texture.
The Dill Chèvre
Mix the dill into the chèvre.
The Rösti Potato "Cracker"
Grate the potato, unpeeled, with the largest holes of a box grater. Wrap handfuls of the grated potato in cheese cloth or a kitchen towel and twist, squeezing out as much water out of the potato as possible.
Thoroughly mix in 2 tablespoons flour to 1 cup of dried potato. Also mix in a pinch of salt and any other appropriate seasoning you may have at your disposal (like ground dried peppers, etc.).
Place the potato mixture on a flat surface and press it into an evenly flat, compressed sheet about a 1/2 inch thick. Using a 2-inch round, sharp-edged instrument (such as a cookie cutter or tin can) cut the potato into rounds. The remnants can be reformed and also cut into rounds.
Deep fry in rendered duck fat at about 425° F (220° C). Alternatively, the crackers may be fried in a hot pan with a 1/4-inch layer of duck fat. Remove the rounds when crispy and golden brown. Lay onto a layer of paper towel to drain the excess fat.
Assembling the Canapés
Pipe a small amount of the cheese onto the center of the cracker. Slice the gravlax as thinly as possible and roll the slice lengthwise. Wrap this roll around the cheese on the cracker leaving some of the cheese exposed at the top. Top with a sprig of fresh dill.
Please note that these recipes for the 100 Mile Challenge have been provided by users who may not be professional cooks. Food Network Canada has not tested these recipes and therefore cannot make any representation as to the results.
network. A Paperny Films production.