Downton Abbey Smoked Salmon Mousse

My good friend Gayleen and I recently exchanged Christmas gifts (belated, but no less appreciated). We have both enjoyed Downton Abbey, and she knows I love to cook, so this is what I got:

I tried out a couple recipes today. Since the Smoked Salmon Mousse recipe is already a page posted on Barnes & Nobles' website, I suppose there's no copyright infringement in including it here as well. Besides, as a teaser, it may entice you to invest in the book itself. Photo of MY preparation of the recipe (at right) -- I had crackers on hand, not crostini this time. Photo of the recipe in the book (...with silver platter and crystal goblet!) is below.


Note: I'm not sure why it's called Smoked Salmon Mousse as there's nothing smoked or smokey in it (aside from the fact that the paprika I have in my pantry happens to be smoked paprika)...though I'm inspired to try smoked salmon instead of poached the next time I make this as that sounds delicious!

With recipes for upstairs service, downstairs dishes, and a whole section on Afternoon Tea at Downton, I'm anxious to try more!

Thanks, Gayleen! :)

Downton Abbey Cookbook: Crawley Sisters' Stuffed Mushrooms

This is another recipe from the Downton Abbey cookbook I got for Christmas...

Salted Caramel Sauce with Bourbon

I already have a basic caramel sauce -- buttery, lightly salted, fairly thick. I LIKE it. But I was intrigued by a couple others I've seen lately. The bourbon in this one is very apparent. I like bourbon, but...not sure if I like it this much in my caramel sauce because I LIKE my caramel! But depending on what I'm serving it over, that might be a nice twist.

This recipe comes from the Food Network magazine: Cook 1 1/2 C sugar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, swirling the pan but not stirring, until dark amber, about 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1 C heavy cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Whisk in 2  tablespoons bourbon. Let cool completely; transfer to jars to refrigerate. Makes about 2 cups.

Lavender & Fleur de sel Caramel Sauce

After making the Salted Caramel Sauce with Bourbon which had a good kick from the bourbon, I tried out this lavender & fleur de sel version. In this one, I could use a bit more lavender; it's there, but it's subtle. It's always a risk, bumping up florals; you don't want it to taste like soap or a mouthful of perfume. But next time with this one, I'd bump up the lavender a bit, or maybe just smash them up more before adding them to release more flavors.

The original recipe for this one is from Martha Stewart:
Heat 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, and 1/4 cup corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves, 3 to 4 minutes. Bring to a boil, and cook, washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming, until medium amber, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and add 3/4 cup heavy cream. Return to heat. Cook, stirring, until combined. Remove from heat, and stir in 5 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon lavender, and 1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel. Let stand for 15 minutes. Strain. 

Granita

A Fresh & Frosty Happy New Year to you! (new DECADE)

Simple is sweet. You can dress up a granita, or just go 'naked'. Sometimes simple and classic is just as good. In it's simplest form a granita is nothing more than frozen fruit juice (That's it; your complete ingredient list is fruit juice. I used cran-raspberry). As it freezes, the juice is raked with a fork about every 30 minutes so it sets up in large chunky crystals...a classic frozen dessert easy to make withOUT an ice cream maker!

Dress it up if you want...go for mixed fruit juice flavors; add a splash of lemon or lime to brighten sweeter juices with a touch of zestiness; add a little extra sweetness from sugar, honey, maple or another syrup; or add herbs or spices -- even a kick of chile or pepper. Splash in some liquor if you want, but don't go too heavy handed since too much alcohol will keep it from freezing.

Have fun experimenting!