Cook-Off Time again! Another challenge was presented and I joined in the fun!  We were given an ingredient bag and we had to come up with 1-2 dishes to make and present to the group via The Ready Steady Cook Club.

The ingredient bag this time was:

• Salmon
• Swede (which I had to substitute Turnip since I couldn’t find Swede)
• Leeks
• Spinach
• Passion Fruit

I have never cooked with Swede or Passion Fruit before so I wasn’t sure what to expect with those 2 ingredients.  I even had to ask “what in the world is a swede”?!!  Like always, I was up for the challenge.  So, I did a little digging to find out more about this Swede.  I found out that a Swede is considered a root vegetable, also called rutabaga in North America.  The Turnip as well as the the rutabaga, swede, or neep are all root vegetables that may have originated as a cross between the cabbage and the turnip. The roots are prepared for human food in a variety of ways, and the leaves can be eaten as a leaf vegetable.   The turnip is mostly white with an interior flesh that is entirely white.  The outer part of the turnip is generally purple, red, or greenish in color, wherever the sun has hit the turnip.  Both the turnip leaves and its roots have a pungent flavor similar to raw cabbage or radishes.  However, when cooked the flavor becomes milder.  I couldn’t find Swede in our supermarkets so I substituted with a Turnip.

The Passion Fruit was a bit easier to find in my local supermarket.  We are fortunate enough to have a great supermarket in our area that carries all types of exotic fruits.  Any time I need an ingredient that is different or something you don’t hear of often I can usually check out this local store and they will most likely have it.   Passion fruit is cultivated commercially in tropical and subtropical areas for its sweet, seedy fruit and is widely grown in several countries.  It has a soft to firm, juicy interior filled with numerous seeds which are both edible.   The fruit is both eaten and juiced; passion fruit juice is often added to other fruit juices to enhance aroma.

Passion Fruit

For this cookout challenge, I thought why not put these ingredients together to make 1 dish.  So I came up with a Salmon Tart using a puff pastry which I incorporated the fresh spinach, leeks and turnips.  I added some cheese and fresh garlic and dill.  I chose to make a passion fruit sauce to serve on the side.  The sauce had a nice sweetness to it which paired so nicely with the salmon tart.  We drizzled some of the sauce right over our slices of the tart.  By the end, I was dipping my tart crust into the sauce because I loved it so much.  I have to be honest, I was very skeptical while making this recipe.  It was an incredibly busy week with my kids having off for Spring Break, having family in town for the Easter Holiday (which my husband and I hosted) so I didn’t have a lot of time to plan for this cook off.   I kept telling my husband that I didn’t think this one was going to work out so well.  Well, I was wrong.  I got the dish in, in the nick of time.  It turned out to be a sweet and savory dish, a perfect combination of flavors!  The tart itself got crispy and golden brown and had so much flavor from the sautéed leeks, turnips and salmon with fresh garlic.  Finishing off the dish with the passion fruit sauce really brightened up the flavors.   We were pleasantly surprised and very happy with our tasty dinner.  It truly is amazing working with different ingredients and seeing how well they can pair together.   I love discovering new ingredients to try and figuring out what I can do with them.

Mangia! Enjoy!

Salmon Tart with Passion Fruit Sauce

Makes approximately 6-8 slices

Ingredients

1 Puff Pastry Sheet

Flour, to roll out pastry dough

2 Salmon Steaks (about 4 oz. each)

1-2 Tablespoons, Fresh Dill, chopped

2 Leeks, cleaned & white parts only

1 Turnip, peeled and julienned

2 Cups, Fresh Spinach

S&P

2 Tablespoons, Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon, Butter

1 Teaspoon, Tamari

2 Cloves, Fresh Garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons, Parmesan Cheese, grated

1 Cup, Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

1 Egg, beaten

Passion Fruit Sauce:

2 Passion Fruits

1 Tablespoon, Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons, Lime Curd *see recipe below

Few Lemon slices and fresh dill for Garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 Degrees.  Line a baking sheet with a Silpat sheet or some parchment paper and set aside.

Roll the puff pastry out with some flour and place the dough onto the baking sheet.

Cut the ends of the leeks off and slice them.  Place the chopped leeks into a bowl of cold water and let them soak for a few minutes.  Move the leeks around in the water; this will help to remove any dirt that sits in the leeks.  Once they are clean, remove the leeks and pat dry with a paper towel.

Heat a skillet on the stove over medium high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of oil and butter.  Once heated through, add the leeks and turnips and cook for about 10 minutes, until the leeks and turnips start to soften up.  Season with S&P and add 1 garlic clove (minced) and cook for another minute.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Sautéing Turnips & Leeks

Season the salmon with a drizzle of olive oil, S&P, fresh dill and garlic.  Heat a skillet over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place the fish skin side down.  Cook just until the fish is cooked about 1/4 of the way up.  Flip the fish, add a splash of Tamari and remove from pan.  Place fish onto a cutting board.  Remove the skin from the fish, and cut into large pieces.

Sautéing Salmon

Spread the leeks and turnip mixture over the pastry dough.  Top with the fish and grate the parmesan cheese over top.  Add the mozzarella cheese and crimp the edges of the pastry around the tart.  Brush the edges with an egg.   Bake in the oven until the pastry is nice and golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.

Ready for the Oven

While the tart is baking make the passion fruit sauce.  Cut the passion fruits open and scoop out the insides along with seeds.  Place the fruit into the food processor or blender and add the lemon juice.  I added some lime curd that I had made and was leftover from a dessert I made.  Puree the mixture until nice and smooth.

Passion Fruit

Remove tart from oven, place onto a cutting board.  Cut into squares and serve with a side of the passion fruit sauce.  Garnish plate with some lemon slices and fresh dill.

Salmon Tart

 

Notes

Lime Curd:

1 Stick, Butter, softened

1 Cup, Sugar

2 Eggs

+2 Egg Yolks

4 Limes, Juice (about 1/3 cup)

Lime Curd

In a standing mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time until all incorporated.  Add the lime juice and mix well.  Transfer the mixture to a small pot and place on stove over medium heat.  Whisk the mixture and gradually increase the heat until the curd reaches 170 degrees (place a thermometer into the mixture to check the temp).  It should be very smooth and yellow in color.  Remove from heat, transfer to a mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Make sure the plastic wrap is touching the curd to keep all air out.  Then place another piece of plastic wrap over the top of the bowl.  Place the bowl in the fridge up to 2 hours to chill.  The curd mixture will get nice and thick in the fridge.

You can make the Lime Curd ahead.  It can be made and stored up to a week in advance or store it even longer in the freezer.  It is great in desserts or as an addition to sauces.

 

Mangia! Enjoy!