Smoked Trout & Herbed Yogurt on Beet Tuiles

Bite-size, vibrantly coloured, delicate tuiles are a stunning canvas for herbed yogurt and smoky fish topped with feathery micro-greens. Ovenbaked beets, rather than boiled, are best as they are firm and not watery. In place of the trout you could use hot smoked or candied salmon, or thinly sliced smoked or cured salmon.

BEET TUILES

¼ cup (60 mL) chopped cooked beet, about 1½ oz (45 g), half a small

1 egg white, at room temperature

1 tbsp (15 mL) butter, melted

¼ cup (60 mL) all-purpose flour

⅛ tsp (0.5 mL) salt

⅛ tsp (0.5 mL) freshly ground pepper

HERBED YOGURT

½ cup (125 mL) plain Greek yogurt or sour cream 1½ tsp (7 mL) Dijon mustard

1 tsp (5 mL) chopped fresh tarragon or basil

1 tsp (5 mL) chopped fresh chives

Salt and freshly ground pepper

5 oz (140 g) trimmed skinned smoked trout, about one 6½ oz (185 g) fillet

Microgreens

1 For the tuiles, preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 2 or more large baking sheets with reusable nonstick baking mats or line with foil and lightly spray foil with nonstick cooking spray (see TIP).

2 Combine beet, egg white, butter, flour, salt and pepper in a mini-chopper, small food processor or in a cup to use an immersion blender. Purée until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and let stand for 15 minutes.

3 For each tuile, spoon ½ level tsp (2 mL) batter onto prepared baking sheet and use a palette knife or the back of a spoon to spread into a thin circle about 2¼ inches (5.5 cm) in diameter. Space the tuiles at least ½ inch (1 cm) apart.

4 Bake, 1 sheet at a time, for about 7 to 8 minutes or until tuiles are bubbling around the edges, look dry and are evenly firm and starting to crisp.

5 Let cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack until firm, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

6 Repeat with remaining tuile batter to make about 40 tuiles. If reusing baking sheets, wipe off excess butter with a paper towel and let baking sheet cool between batches (if using oiled foil, leave a thin layer of oil/butter on the foil to coat). Cooled tuiles can be stored in a cookie tin at room temperature for up to 3 days. 7 For the herbed yogurt, combine yogurt, mustard, tarragon and chives in a small bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper (keeping in mind that the smoked trout is salty). Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

8 To serve, arrange tuiles on serving platter(s). Spoon about ½ tsp (2 mL) herbed yogurt on top of each tuile. Break smoked trout into small pieces and place on yogurt then garnish with microgreens. Serve immediately.

Makes about 40 TIP

The beet tuile batter is too moist to bake on parchment paper (it wrinkles and doesn’t bake up crisp) so it is best to seek out a reusable baking mat, such as a Cookina reusable Parchminum or Baking Sheet or a silicone baking mat. The oiled foil works in a pinch but does make it a little trickier to spread the tuile batter.

WHAT TO SERVE

Henri Bourgeois Les Baronnes Sancerre

VINTAGES ESSENTIALS 542548, $27.95

Great Lakes Canuck Pale Ale

LCBO 242545, 473 mL, $2.80