Dish 14: Smoked Salmon & Avocado Mousse Crostini

The dish

You might aware that I didn't have a lot of time, so instead of going for a bigger meal, I opted for the Smoked Salmon & Avocado Mousse Crostini (p. 100). Although they looked liked little appetisers, I figured I could make them just so they would fill a grown woman's stomach in terms of dinner.

I must say, I was weary of the amount of smoked salmon I needed, but if there is something I have already learned throughout this process, it is to trust Andy when it comes to flavour.

The preparation

This dish is perfect as a canapé, and it is actually what it ends up looking like... if you follow the recipe closely. If you do it right, you'll end up with small discs of baguette with a dollop of avocado mousse, some smoked salmon, and fresh dill.

Yeah, no such thing.

I did follow Andy's recipe for the bigger part.

I got my baguette...

I got my smoked salmon, and I got my avocado mixture going. This, dear people, involves blending with a stick blender. I can recommend not using a bowl, for you will undoubtedly splatter green muck onto yourself, and unless you are a parent of a teething baby, this is pretty much unacceptable.

Naturally this dish contains one of Andy's favourite citrus fruits, but most of it purely relies on the flavours that the ingredients offer. You don't use a lot of extra spices, you just combine amazing ingredients.

The result

It isn't brain surgery, but boy, is this delicious! As said before, I was afraid of the amount of smoked salmon you needed to use, but who knew that avocado and smoked salmon went together so well? Instead of getting an overdose of salmon, like I feared, the avocado almost neutralised its strong flavoured counterpart and made it into this delightful mix. 

It was like seeing your extrovert best friend hook up with a really quiet partner, and being absolutely astonished when it works. A match made in heaven. Don't forget to add the dill for this show stopper!

Next time

As this was such an easy one, next time I will attempt a proper real dish again: Crispy Skin Duck with Witlof (p. 172). 

Stay tuned and see you at our next elemental meal! (Is it getting lame yet? A little, huh?)