Smoked Trout and Watercress Gougère
I love trout but there are times when you just feel like breaking away from the usual. Gougère (goo ghere) is essentially a holding pen for savoury fillings and is made out of choux (shoo) pastry. I also use the choux to make a crust on big venison stews...although there is no sugar in choux, it does tend to temper the somewhat acidic (?) nuances of staggy venison. Choux is the easiest of all pastries to make.
It is over a year ago now that I gave all my fishing gear away; fly tying gadgets, the whole kit and kaboodle...how I regret my tantrum!! I had a run of only catching rock and willow fish and got the pip well and truly...I know I will replace it all some day, I know I will...anyway, friends fishing up in the thermal lake district delivered to me a gorgeous brown...I was going to pickle it but I had had this idea floating around in my mind for a while.
I smoked the trout with manuka using orange juice, French rock salt and brown sugar for the cure.
Start with the filling...
400g smoked fish
1 good handful watercress
30g butter
20g plain flour
300 ml milk (I substitute 100ml of the milk with cream)
Rinse the watercress in water, pick over it for any discrepancies, then put in a saucepan (do not add anymore water than what is adhering to the leaves) cover the saucepan with its lid and gently cook until the cress is wilted. Drain any liquid off, squeeze out whatever is still there then cut into small pieces. Put aside.
Flake off the 400g of fish, being careful to remove any bones.
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Make the bechamel sauce by melting the butter, then adding the flour, cook for just a few minutes without letting the flour colour. Gradually add the milk and cook, stirring continuously until the sauce is velvety and thickened...if you drizzle some of the mixture across the top of the sauce and it leaves a trail, it is done.
Mix the fish and cress into the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
At this point having the oven wobbling its weary way to 200C. Grease an oven proof dish well with butter.
Now for the choux
185ml water
75g butter
120g flour, well sifted
1/2 tsp paprika
3 large eggs, beaten
3 sprigs of parsley, chopped finely
Heat the water in a good sized saucepan, and add the butter. Bring the water and butter to a rolling boil, remove from the heat, and mix in the paprika, flour and parsley, put back on the stove and start beating, as in continuously with a wooden spoon...as you beat well the dough will form a lump and come away from the sides of the saucepan and becomes shiny. Add the beaten eggs a third at a time and beat well between each addition...keep beating until smoothe and shiny. Leave to cool then pipe the choux around the edge of the dish, or you could use two spoons to make the border. Place in oven and cook for 45 minutes until the choux is well risen and browned...when the timer gets to 30 minutes have a look and see how the pastry is doing...
Remove the dish from the oven and spoon in the filling and return to the oven for another ten to fifteen minutes.
