Welcome back, Geeky Gluttons, to another episode of Munchies & Minis!
For those just joining us, Munchies & Minis is a live Twitch cooking show where I make a tabletop or Dungeons & Dragons-inspired snack and then paint a miniature. To kick the first season off, I decided to start @RaineRysa‘s #52WeeksofDnD fanart challenge. Two weeks ago we made some Feywine Raisin Cake for the challenge word “Magic.” This last week I skipped ahead to the challenge words “High Society.”
I’m not abandoning “Ratfolk,” folks. An internet outage combined with frustrated calls to Comcast delayed the timing of the recipe I had in mind for that challenge. However, the show must go on, and go on it will with a dish that looks fancy despite its simple preparation.
So for this challenge I once again consulted Power Score’s “Great List of Food and Drinks” and found “Smoked Salmon and Wild Berries” listed under the “Wealthy” section. I believe this is also from Dragon Magazine’s Build-an-Inn article from the nineties.
Since this episode is not only about making a D&D food item, it’s about learning new techniques, I chose to make smoked salmon crostini with gorgonzola compound butter and herbed blackberry jam.
One of the marks of high society cuisine is taking something fairly common and elevating it. Blackberries wind their way around every wooded roadside. Salmon can be fished from the harbor. Combine them with some ingenuity, and you’ll find yourself eating like a high society noble on a pauper’s salary. These techniques I am about to show you look and sound fancy, but are actually a lot simpler than they seem.
Want to learn how to make some High Society Smoked Salmon for your adventuring party? Watch the video or find out how to get the recipe card below!
High Society Smoked Salmon
Get the Recipe!
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High Society Smoked Salmon
Equipment: Oven, pastry brush, baking sheet, stovetop, stockpot with lid, aluminum foil, pie plate, and metal steamer basket.
Ingredients:
- 8 oz. baguette, sliced into 1/2″ rounds
- 1/2 lb salmon fillets with skin on
- 1/2 Tb stone-ground mustard
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
- juice and zest of one lemon
- kosher salt
- 1/2 cup blackberry jam
- 2 Tb chopped fresh mint, plus more for garnish
- 1 Tb fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese crumbles
- handful of apple hardwood chips
Instructions:
Smoke the Salmon:
- Pat the fillet dry with paper towels. Brush mustard on the flesh side of the salmon, then coat it with ground coriander and a pinch or two of kosher salt. Set aside.
- Line the inner bottom of your stockpot with aluminum foil and place the apple wood chips on top. Place the pie plate on top to cover the chips, then the steamer basket on top of that. Put the pot on the stovetop.
- Spray the basket with cooking spray then place the salmon fillet on top, skin-side down. Cover the pot and seal the edges with more foil. Turn the heat on the stovetop on high and set two timers, one for 30 minutes, one for 7 minutes. Turn the ventilation hood on its highest setting. When 7 minutes is up, reduce the heat to low and let cook until the second timer goes off.
- Remove the pot from heat and remove the foil and lid while wearing oven mitts. Let cool with the cover on.
- When cool, flake the salmon into a bowl and stir in the lemon juice.
Make the Toppings:
- Stir the jam, thyme, a tablespoon of mint, and a pinch of kosher salt into a small bowl and refrigerate.
- Blend the butter and blue cheese together in a separate bowl and set aside
Make the Crostini:
- Turn the oven on a low broil then toast the bread rounds on a foil-lined baking sheet for 2 minutes on each side. Let cool while the salmon finishes smoking.
- Spread a 1/2 tablespoon of the butter mixture on each round and dollop with a heaping teaspoon of herbed jam. Distribute the flaked salmon next, then garnish with chopped mint and lemon zest.
- Serve your adventuring party like the classy folks you all are.
I hope that this episode inspired you to start a culinary campaign of your own. Next week I’ll be tackling the #52WeeksOfDnD challenge word “Ratfolk” with some cheesy pasta Rat King Fritters!
Make sure to join me live Wednesday on Twitch from 7 pm – 9 pm EST. OR you can catch the archived episode on YouTube.
