I mentioned yesterday that my special for today would be a Caramelized Sweet Onion and Pancetta Tart.  Well, the dough is made, and the tarts are in the freezer ready to be baked off, but I need to make the filling.  So it looks as if Monday afternoon, I’ll be able to finish the tarts and serve them as a “special appetizer” for dinner service.

Instead today I made Pan-Seared Wild Alaskan Salmon with Roasted Mushrooms, Wild Rice, Leeks and Snap Peas in a Madeira Mushroom Broth with Fried Leeks.  Wow! what a mouthful!  When I write out specials for the wait staff, I try to communicate as much as I can so that they have a clear understanding of what ingredients are in the dish so that they can explain it to the customer.  Sometimes, we prepare a “line-up” of specials before service starts.  This means that we actually prepare the special and discuss it with the wait staff so that they can taste the flavors and see how the dish is presented.  But usually for lunch service (unless it’s a really difficult special), I just discuss the dish with the servers and answer any questions that they may have.   However, for dinner service there is always a line-up prepared for the front of the house employees prior to the restaurant opening for service. 

To start, it’s helpful if you have mushroom stock on hand.  If not, it’s really easy to make.  Wash and rough chop mushrooms (cremini and button) and set aside.  Rough chop celery, onions and garlic and sauté until soft.  Add the chopped mushrooms, some porcini powder, thyme, parsley, bay leaf and peppercorns and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer and cook for a couple of hours until the stock has a good mushroom flavor.  Stain stock and set aside.  This mushroom stock can be used for numerous dishes such as, mushroom risotto or mushroom soup and you can freeze any leftover stock for later use.

Cook the wild rice according to instructions.  I like use chicken stock (but you can use water) add a bouquet garni of fresh thyme, parsley, and bay leaf, as well as olive oil, salt and pepper.  When grains are tender, remove herbs, drain any excess liquid, and set aside and keep warm until needed.

Next, roast your mushrooms with oil, salt and pepper until golden brown.  You can use whatever mushrooms you like—just make sure that they have great flavor.   Meanwhile, trim and remove any strings from the snap peas (you can also use snow peas, petite green beans, asparagus, etc.) and blanch in salted boiling water and immerse in ice water to stop the cooking. 

For the fried leeks, trim leeks using only the white and light green parts and julienne into fine strands.  Blanch in boiling water and wrap in a towel to remove moisture.  Drop leeks into a deep fryer and stir with tongs to make sure that they separate and cook for about a minute until they start to turn a light golden color.  Remove, drain on a towel, sprinkle with salt and set aside.  Be careful when frying because they can go from a beautiful golden-green to burned trash in seconds.

To finish, you’ll need several pans going at the same time.  Heat a small amount of olive oil and butter in a sauté pan, add chopped leeks and garlic and sauté until soft.  Deglaze with Madeira and cook until reduced.  Add mushrooms, wild rice and snap peas to the pan and a small amount of mushroom broth, salt and pepper and cook on medium heat (tossing) until all the flavors are combined.  Reduce heat to low and keep warm.  Meanwhile, start another pan and add a small amount of mushroom stock, Madeira, butter, salt and pepper and reduce to a rich flavorful mushroom sauce.  Finally, pan-sear the salmon, finish in the oven and you’re ready to plate.  Don’t forget to top with your fried leeks and a drizzle of mushroom broth.

This dish is very flavorful and the colors are really beautiful.  I hope you enjoy!