Salmon and Leeks: a match made in heaven

Keeping with the theme of my last post about endives, this week I'm featuring another fantastic winter vegetable: the leek. Although slightly less polyvalent than endives - I, for one, have never eaten raw leeks - they have one major advantage in the fact that they are adorable (see above picture). A close relation to the onion, leeks are wonderfully aromatic and can be used to flavor soups or stock. But personally, my favorite use of leeks is as an accompaniment to salmon.

The very first meal that Sébastien cooked for me was a salmon steak on a bed of fondue de poireaux - literally, "melted leeks." He had chopped the leeks into tiny rounds, then let them soften for a half an hour over low heat on the stove; just before serving, he had stirred in a spoonful of crème fraîche and seasoned with salt and pepper. All this, though, I didn't know until much later. At the time, I was marveling over the pale green vegetable that was so perfectly synergistic with my salmon, so creamy and smooth that I almost couldn't identify it.

Since then, leeks have become a staple in my winter cooking. That very same fondue de poireaux can be an elegant side dish accompanying a salmon steak; a quick week-night dinner with chunks of smoked salmon stirred in; or even the filling for a quiche, as I'll show in the following recipes. So stock up on leeks and read on.

Baked salmon steaks and leek fondue

Serves 2

2 salmon steaks

4 leeks

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup crème fraîche

fresh dill

lemon juice

salt, pepper, olive oil

1 Tbsp. dijon mustard (optional)

SALMON STEAKS:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously grease an oven-safe dish with olive oil. Place the salmon steaks in the dish; pour over white wine and season with lemon juice (the juice of approximately 1/4 lemon per steak). Brush a thick layer of crème fraîche on each salmon steak. Top with fresh dill and salt and pepper to taste. Place in the oven for approximately 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon.

LEEK FONDUE:

Thoroughly wash the leeks. Cut off the roots and the dark green leaves, keeping only the white and light green parts of the stalks. Slice in half, then into thin rounds. Place leeks into a large frying pan with olive oil over low heat and allow to cook, stirring frequently, for 20 to 30 minutes. Just before removing from heat, stir in a heaping spoonful of crème fraîche or heavy cream (approximately 1/4 cup), and if you would like, a tablespoon of dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

As I suggested in the introduction to this post, you could also make an easy weeknight dinner by adding chunks of smoked salmon to the leek fondue and serving as-is, or over pasta.

Another option is to use the leek fondue in a quiche - still paired with salmon, of course! Read on for the recipe.

Salmon-leek quiche

Serves 4 as a main dish, 6-8 as an appetizer

1 round pastry crust (Sébastien recently revealed that he doesn't like my home-made crust, so I won't go touting my recipe as of yet....)

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup crème fraîche or cream

4 leeks

4 slices smoked salmon, or enough to cover the bottom of the quiche

1 handful finely shredded cheese of your choice (I used gruyère)

salt, pepper, olive oil, dried chives or dill

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Roll pastry crust out into a quiche pan and poke the bottom of the crust several times with a fork.
3. Prepare the leeks as described in the above recipe for "leek fondue": wash, remove dark green leaves and roots, and cut into small rounds. Let melt over low heat for 20-30 minutes. Do NOT add cream at the end. Set aside.
4. Cut the salmon into chunks and disperse around the bottom of the pastry crust.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, milk, and shredded cheese. Season with salt, pepper, and your choice of chives or dill.
6. Spread the cooked leeks in the quiche on top of the salmon.
7. Pour over the egg mixture, making sure that the cheese is evenly distributed.
8. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the top of the quiche is golden brown.

This quiche comes out thick and fluffy, and makes a fantastic appetizer or main dish. Serve with a green salad for a balanced meal. And, of course, bon appetit!