Old dogs and puppies: learning new things

A few entries ago, I wrote a bit about the pizza making party that we had with our friends Matt and Matt, and how I learned something.

Cooks are learning things all the time. You keep your senses open, and you pay attention. Maybe you taste something done a bit differently than you do it, or perhaps something totally new that opens up your taste buds completely. You just have to be ready for it, and you have to not be skeptical.

Guy and I refer to two of our friends as "the puppies. " They're very energetic people, but together, in our apartment, that energy seems to magnify, and it's really like the house is filled with young puppy dogs. It's very endearing, very charming, sometimes very exhausting, but always wonderful.

David, one of the pups, was off in Spain for a while and we missed him so deeply. We're glad he's back, and he came back with memories of something he ate that was wonderful. He described it as a crostini of Greek yogurt, salmon and white truffle honey.

Think about those ingredients for a minute or two. Yogurt and honey? Absolutely yes. Yogurt and salmon. Uh huh. Salmon and honey. Doesn't strike you as right does it? Well, think about it a minute. In gravlax, the "cure" that preserves the salmon frequently has sugar in it. Salmon is also a very fatty fish, and fat and sugar do work together very well. Just think of frosting.... But the three of them together seems rather antithetical, at least to this old dog.

But David was really excited about this crostini, and I decided we should make a variation on it.

You can get Greek yogurt in the United States, but the bottom line is, yogurt here is very different than in Europe. It's not as rich. When I was in Germany, I remember yogurt containers proclaiming loudly and proudly "VOLLFETT!!!" or "full fat." Look for that in a US grocery store. Even the Greek yogurt you can buy needs to be allowed to sit to separate it from liquids before you use it. But there was an alternative: mascarpone, that wonderful, full fat Italian cheese that is sort of like a rich man's cream cheese.

Now, onto the fish. I will confess, I am a true salmon snob. I'm not much of a fan of salmon to begin with, and I only eat it, when I do eat it, on the West Coast. So I bought some smoked trout to use in its place. I didn't know that David was not a fan of smoked fish, and in his gentle way, he let me know he wanted to use the salmon. Well, it's his recipe, so if he would bring it, fair enough.

And he did. A gorgeous piece of sockeye, which is the variety running on the West Coast right now. And we put the crostini together two ways: with salmon and with smoked trout. I loved them both. If you like stronger flavors, you'll like the trout one better. If you like cleaner, fresher flavors, you'll prefer the salmon. Try them both.

First, make your toasts. We had a loaf of whole wheat baguette, but you could use any type you like. Cut thin slices, say a third of an inch and toast them in a preheated oven. Keep an eye on them . You dont' want them too brown, or too crispy. Take them out before you think they'll be ready, because as they cool, they'll get crispier. When they're cool, you can get started constructing your crostini, but while you're waiting, slice the salmon into small pieces or if you have smoked fish, break it into small chunks.

Smoked trout almost always comes as a whoel fish. The flesh will separate very easily from the skin and bones, and you can remove the tail and head by simply bending them back until they break. For fresh salmon, you'll probably have to skin it. That's done very easily, by making a horizontal cut, where the flesh meets the skin, and then, grabbing the edge of the skin and pulling. You don't have to be a Swiss engineer about this, because you're going to cut the fish into smaller pieces.

Now you're ready to go. Spread a nice layer of mascarpone on the bread. If you're using the salmon, now is a good time to sprinkle on some salt. No salt needed with the smoked fish. Next, put your fish on top of the cheese, and finally, take your truffle honey, and drizzle a small amount over it. White truffle honey, like any white truffle product, is not inexpensive, but a little goes a long way. Be generous though.

And you're done. In the time it takes to make toast, you've made a wonderful "tapa" or snack, or apertif, or whatever you want to call it.

And I have a new recipe. And I'm going to use it. Thanks David. It's one of the best things you could have brought back to me from Europe.