Salmon Cream Cheese filled Choux Pastry Swan

This is an excellent first course with an array of flavours including avocado, smoked salmon, cheese and fire roasted red capsicum.

Ingredients

Choux paste

Smoked salmon cream cheese filling

Avocado and dill spread

Fire roasted red capsicum puree

Black cracked pepper

Sea salt flake

Method

Preheat oven to 200ºC. Make a choux paste and put it in a piping bag with a star nozzle. Pipe teardrop shapes for the body on a lightly greased baking tray and bake in the oven for approx. 20 minutes. With a flat nozzle pipe some small S shapes on a separate greased tray and cook for approx. 6 minutes. Allow cooling before cutting the body horizontal in half. Cut the top half vertical in half for the two wings. Pipe smoked salmon cream cheese mixture on bottom half. Place the wings and an S shape choux piece representing the neck. Place a smear of avocado and dill dip on a plate with small drops of fire roasted red capsicum puree. Drizzle some sea salt flakes and cracked pepper on top. Place the swan in the middle and serve.

Choux paste ingredients

150 g water

75 g butter

90 g plain flour

3 eggs (150g)

Method

Preheat oven to 200ºC. Place water and butter in a cooking pot over medium heat and bring to the boil. Stir in the flour and keep cooking and blending until the choux leaves the side of the pot. Add eggs one by one and mix between additions ending with a smooth and shiny paste. Pipe choux paste onto lightly greased baking trays and bake in the oven for approx. 20 minutes.

Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Dip ingredients

350 g cream cheese

150 g sour cream

150 g chopped smoked salmon

1 tbls finely chopped dill

40 g brown onion

Method

Place cream cheese, sour cream, smoked salmon, dill and onion in the food processor bowl. Pulse until the mixture is smooth and place in a serving dish. Serve immediately on round pieces of pumpernickel bread or chill covered until ready to serve with chips and crackers.

Avocado and Dill Dip ingredients

1 avocado (300g)

15 g chopped onion

1 tbls freshly dill

Method

Place the meat of the avocado in the food processor with onion and dill and pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve straight away with chips, crackers or cheese sticks. Refrigerate covered for up to 2 days.

Note: These swans can be made several hours before and keeps best covered in the fridge until being served.