Pâté au Saumon (Salmon Pie)
My grandmaman always made the best pies. Maple sugar pies, blueberry pies, raisin pies, etc. She always had a freezer full of homemade pies. But the one I used to ask her to make the most when I was younger is this dinner pie. It’s a simple pie, just mashed potatoes and a package of salmon. Of course grandmaman made her pie crust from scratch. That is on my bucket list of things to learn how to make. One day, when I have more free hours in a day, I will conquer it. For now I keep it simple and buy the ready made pie crusts.
Grandmaman used to make this pie around Easter time, for those meatless Fridays during Lent. But this pie is great for any day of the week. It’s easy to make and it tastes great.
You can boil your potatoes on the stove-top, but I actually boil mine in the microwave with my Pampered Chef Rice Cooker. Only 10 minutes and they are fork tender.
You want the mashed potatoes to be moist, but not watery. You don’t want a soggy pie crust.
I did end up adding a light egg wash over the crust before putting it in the oven to to get it to have a golden glow.
Typically in Quebec, they just slap on some ketchup and call it a meal. And I am ok with that. That is how I grew up eating it. But, this time I wanted to fancy it up a bit, so I made a a creamy lemon dill sauce to accompany it.
Since Chobani was kind enough to send me some of their tasty Greek style yogurts to sample, I wanted to incorporate them into the sauce. If you haven’t tried their yogurt yet, I highly recommend you try it. And no they didn’t pay me to say that. I have been eating their yogurt for a while now and like it better than the Yoplait I used to eat. It does have a slightly sour aftertaste, but the the texture is smoother and the flavored ones don’t have that overly sweet taste that the other yogurts have. I have used it in smoothies and some of my desserts with great results. Even my little ones like Chobani.
I was really pleased at how creamy this sauce came out. I think it would make a great veggie dip also. I just put it on my slice of pie cold, but you can warm it up a little in the microwave if you like.
You can serve this up with a side of veggies, or a salad. Either way, it makes for a delicious meal. And for those of you that are curious, yes my grandmaman is still alive and very healthy. She just happens to live in an assisted living type facility and does not have a kitchen in her small apartment, so she doesn’t cook anymore. I miss her pies.
Pâté au Saumon (Salmon Pie)
by The Sweet Chick
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Keywords: bake entree salmon mashed potatoes greek yogurt lemon Easter pie French Canadian
Ingredients (6-8 servings)
For the pie
- 4 or 5 medium potatoes
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 (5 oz.) package pink salmon (skinless, boneless)
- 2 – 9inch ready made pie crusts
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper to taste
For the sauce
- 1/2 cup Chobani greek yogurt, plain
- 1/3 cup mayonaise
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
For the pie
Preheat oven to 375º F.
Peel and cut potatoes into halves, place in a medium pot and cover with water.
Bring water up to a boil over medium high heat on stove top and boil for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
Drain potatoes and place in a large bowl. Mash potatoes until no longer lumpy.
Add butter and milk and mix by hand until completely blended. Then add salt and pepper to taste. (I am usually a little heavy on the salt.)
Add in the salmon and mix until all incorporated.
In a 9 1/2 inch pie plate, place the first pie crust at the bottom and fill with the potato/salmon mixture.
Next, place the second pie crust over the mixture. With your hands or a fork, go around the entire pie and press the two pie crusts together at the edges to seal. Cut off any excess crust with a knife.
Cut 3 or 4 small slits in the top crust to vent.
In a small bowl whisk the egg and with a pastry brush, brush a thin layer over the top pie crust.
Place pie in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is a golden color and flaky.
Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
For the sauce
Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until well blended, then serve with the pie. If you want you can warm up the sauce in the microwave for 15-20 seconds or until desired temperature is achieved.
Churro Macarons
Who else but me would combine Spanish and French desserts into one tasty treat. Ever since I made my Conversation Heart Macarons, I have been thinking up other crazy macaron flavors. With Cinco de Mayo around the corner, I thought a churro flavor would be appropriate. I’ve made Churro Cupcakes, Churro Crepes, Churro Donuts, Churro Puff Pastry, so why not in a French macaron form. Trust me, you are going to like these.
There are really not a lot of ingredients for these macarons, but they do take a bit of time and patience to make. You have to measure, sift, whip, and let sit 30 minutes before you even put them in the oven. They are not an everyday treat, but are great for special occasions. They can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge.
Even though it has cinnamon on the inside, I wanted the macaron to have a coat of cinnamon sugar on the outside. To adhere the sugar, I used a simple glaze. For the filling I was going to do just dulce de leche, but it was a little to rich for me, so I had to come up with another idea. I found a recipe for dulce de leche buttercream that worked out well. It is so good, I just wanted to eat it with a spoon. Of course that wasn’t enough. I still wanted the taste of pure dulce de leche in the macaron so I first added a thin coat of dulce de leche, then topped it with some buttercream before smooshing the two macarons together.
Now I know at this point all you want to do is eat one, but again you have to wait. These Churro Macarons need to sit in the fridge at least 24 hours to acquire their delicious flavor. I tried one on the day I made them and they were a bit hard, but by day 2-3 they were just right. The shell was crunchy and full of cinnamon sugar flavor. The inside of the shell was soft and chewy and the filling was amazing. I will say they are on the sweet side, but these are to be savored not chowed down like a pack of cookies. These are perfect with a cup of coffee, espresso, or cappuccino. Each bite is to be eaten slowly and enjoyed thoroughly. I just ate another one while writing this post and it still tastes phenomenal on day 5. These macarons were totally worth the effort.
Churro Macarons
by The Sweet Chick
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 10-13 minutes
Keywords: bake dessert snack cinnamon dulce de leche egg whites almond flour Cinco de Mayo macarons French Mexican spring
Ingredients (30 macarons)
For the macaron
- 7 oz. powdered sugar,divided
- 4 oz. almond flour/meal, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 large ( 4 oz.) egg whites, room temperature (I used 4 oz. egg whites in a carton)
- 3 1/2 oz. granulated sugar
For the topping
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- 3 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon sugar (store bought or homemade)
For the filling
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup + 5 tablespoons dulce de leche
Instructions
For the macaron
Prepare circle templates (1 1/2 inch circle, 1/2 inch apart) and line baking sheets with parchment paper, placing template under parchment.
In a food processor, pulse 1/3 of the powdered sugar and all the almond flour to form a fine powder. Then sift sugar mixture 2 times.
Sift remaining powdered sugar 2 times also. In a large bowl combine almond flour mixture, remaining powdered sugar and cinnamon.
Add egg whites to stand mixer bowl with whisk attachment. Whisk whites on medium speed until foamy. Then gradually add the granulated sugar. Once all sugar is added, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase mixer speed to high and whisking until stiff, firm, glossy peaks form.
Next sift the powdered sugar mixture 1/3 at a time over the egg white mixture and carefully fold using a large silicone spatula until mixture is smooth and shiny. Repeat process for the remaining 2/3 of the powdered sugar mixture.
Place the macaron mixture into a piping bag with a round tip ( I used Ateco # 804). With piping tip 1/2 inch above the template , pipe 1 1/2 inch circles onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. Once finished gently tap baking sheet on your work surface to release and air bubbles and help form the “feet” of the macarons.
Let macarons stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Go read a book or surf the web.)
During this time, preheat oven to 375°F. Macarons will be ready to bake when they no longer stick to your finger when lightly touched. (Do not forget to remove the template paper before baking.)
When ready, bake the macarons at 375°F for 10-13 minutes (Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn). Rotate baking sheets halfway through to promote consistent baking. Macarons will be ready when they are crisp and firm.
Remove from oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes. Then carefully remove the macarons from parchment paper and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
For the topping
In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk to a thin spreadable consistency.
Brush the tops of each macaron with a light coat of glaze and sprinkle with about an 1/8 teaspoon or less of cinnamon sugar each.
Set aside and let the glaze dry.
For the filling
In a stand mixer, beat the butter until fluffy.
Add the powdered sugar and salt and mix until well combined.
Then add 1/4 cup dulce de leche and mix until fully incorporated. Place the mixture in a piping bag or Ziplock bag with the tip cut off.
Using the remaining dulce de leche, spread on thin layer (about a teaspoon or less) on half the macarons.
Then over that, pipe on a bit of the dulce de leche buttercream.
Place the remaining macarons over the filled ones and carefully sandwich together.
Place macarons in the fridge and wait 24 hours before eating. (I know it’s torture, but you can go lick the bowl of buttercream instead.)
Notes
Macarons can be kept sealed in an airtight container up to 1 week in the fridge.
McCormicks does sell a premade cinnamon sugar mix, but if you want to make your own, you can find my recipe here.
For the dulce de leche, I used Gaucho Ranch brand that I found at World Market. I like it because it is thick.
Macaron recipe adapted from Sur La Table Mango Macarons
Dulce de Leche Buttercream Frosting by Cupcake Project
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