Roasted Vegetables and Pork Roast Dinner in a Bowl

This is yesterday's pork roast dinner in a bowl. The flavours are warm and rich in this puree. I made a lot of roasted vegetables with the pork roast. Squash, fennel, carrots and potatoes were placed alongside the cumin scented meat. After the meal I put all the leftover vegetables in my blender. I added water to the roasting pan and scraped up all the tasty bits and added this to the blender. A grating of black pepper and a dash of salt completed this soup. What could be easier?

Pork Butt (or also known as Pork Shoulder) Oven Roast

I like cooking with the less tender cuts. Quite often they have the best flavour. Traditionally a braise or other moist heat method, such as a slow cooker, is used but I have done this at 400F in the oven.

The recipe comes from a person I met on Chowhound many years ago. He is of Mexican heritage and shared this amazing and simple way to make a beautifully tender and juicy pork butt roast. I questioned placing the meat 'fat side down' but it works. This cut has a lot of fat marbling. When the roast is fully cooked, turn it over and serve it fat side up. Because it was on the bottom of the pan the fat side has nice carmelization. The pan juices and bits stuck to the bottom can be used to make a gravy.

This is a good 'cook once, eat three times' recipe. The leftover meat can be made into a wonderful pulled pork sandwich and the root vegetables can be pureed into a soup. Other ideas for leftovers are tacos, burritos, empanadas or a very flavourful hunter's stew.

Pork Butt Oven Roast

Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare the meat by rinsing and patting dry with paper towels. Drizzle with oil. I used sunflower oil because that is what I had but any vegetable oil would be fine. Season generously with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and ground cumin. Rub in all over.

Place meat in roaster fat side down. Cover and seal with aluminum foil. Bake at 400F for about 4 hours for a 5 lb roast. In the last hour add cut up vegetables such as squash, carrots, potatoes and fennel in the pan surrounding the meat.

Persimmon Bourbon Pecan Cake

Persimmons are intriguing. They are exotic and ugly at the same time. Well, they are beautiful but before you can eat them or use them, they must sit and ripen until they look like they should be thrown to the pigs. Imagine my delight when I saw them on sale 50% off because they were becoming over-ripe. Perfect.

I am by no means an expert on persimmons and my very trusted source David Lebovitz explains the differences nicely in his blog. My bag of half price persimmons contained one hachiya and two fuyu. I just combined them for this recipe.

You can certainly substitute flours, oils and sugars in this recipe. Just a note, however, cane sugar is much sweeter than beet sugar. I would increase the sugar to 1 cup if you are using beet sugar. And if alcohol is not in your diet, substitute with apple juice.

I bought these little silicon baking cups a while back and have never used them. Today I tried them with this dough. No greasing the mould, just fill full and bake. They come out of the mould with a little twist. Worked great. However there wasn't as much carmelization leaving a paler exterior.

This cake is delicious the day it is made but leaving it sit for a day or two allows the flavours and the moistness of the persimmons to develop.

Persimmon Bourbon Pecan Cake

3/4 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup sunflower oil
1 cup persimmon puree
2 large free range eggs
1 teaspoon pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon Indonesian Korintje Cassia Cinnamon
 1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups organic white flour
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Measure sugar, oil and persimmon puree into a large mixing bowl. Beat with whip attachment until well blended. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat again. In another bowl blend the remainder of the ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix only until blended.

Pour into prepared baking pans. Bake at 350F until done. A toothpick inserted will come out clean when the cake is done. The length of time depends upon the size of the pan. A 10 inch pan will take about 30 minutes to bake.

Drive in the Country...heading west

Can I call it a drive in the country if I never leave the Trans Canada Highway?

That question is soon answered after a leisurely coffee and I leave for my destination only two hours west. I love the winter colours of  blue skies, yellow dried grasses and white snow. Straw stubble is exposed through the snow and the colour tells me what crop was harvested on the land – wheat, canola, flax. A jumble of childhood farm memories flood in.

It is quiet on the highway and I enjoy the scenery. It is hardly flat, as most people think. I am intrigued by the Coteau Hills to the south. They continue to hold mystery for me as they hide the beautiful scenery of the Frenchman River Valley beyond. Some call it the bench. It is a part of the Missouri plateau. This landscape carries all the way through to Medicine Hat, my destination.

A summer time shot.

As I wonder if I will see any wildlife today, a herd of about 30 antelope bound across the highway causing a semi-trailer truck to make a quick stop. We watch as they clear the fence and continue north. It is very surreal when this happens. And it happens a lot. Not all are so lucky as today.

It is very difficult to see but there are about 100 antelope pasturing in this field. Even stopping my car puts them on high alert so there was no way I could get closer for a better shot. Yes, I know it looks flat here! There is a corridor along the highway that is flat!

The short winter days are leaving us and allowing sunlight earlier in the morning. As I leave Swift Current the sun is still close to the eastern horizon but by the time I cross the provincial border it warms my cheek.

There is a road marker just before Webb, SK. In 1980 there was a fiery crash that claimed the lives of 22 men in their late teens and early 20’s, mostly from Newfoundland and Manitoba. They were a steel gang bussing to work on the CPR. This remains one of the worst bus crashes in Canadian history. Reading the story brings tears. A memorial cross of rails was erected in 2007 in memory.

Maple Creek has a lovely set of custom made wrought iron signs on the roadside to lure travellers into town. Maple Creek is as quaint as a western town can be. Rodeos are held in most towns and the oldest in the province is not far from here. It is the Murraydale Rodeo. It isn’t professional but more like a community picnic. Children who are tough as nails chase frisky calves around the corral and ride horses as instincively as learning to walk.

CBC Radio 2 soon becomes staticky and I hit the tuner. Next up is CKUA public radio from Alberta. Lucky me. There is lovely classical music set to the stillness of the gently rolling hills.

On the west side of the Cypress Hills, straddling the Saskatchewan/Alberta border is the historic Reesor Ranch. I stayed overnight back in 2007. It is a working ranch where the kitchen serves coffee with heavy cream. As a city girl I had never thought to use anything richer than coffee cream. Laying on the virgin prairie and gazing at the night sky I saw a breathtaking display of constellations I hadn’t seen since I was a child on the farm.

I do my business in the Hat first before I explore. I chose to have lunch downtown rather than on the highway. It is only a 5-minute drive to this historic city centre. You can see the two economic booms through the architecture – 1912 and 1980’s. Although there are a lot of store vacancies the downtown is vibrant. As with all towns of this era the train runs right through it. I have never been on the other side of the tracks until today.

This pop-up park dressed up a vacant lot on main street. In a couple of months it will move to another site. This is a sign of an engaged community.

Today I am returning to the Medalta Pottery factory. My last visit was in the 1970’s when my father took me on a vacation west to Banff during my university break. He stopped here and we had the tour. Although my memory is foggy I can tell that much has changed. It is a very polished exhibit and a real asset to the community. The pictures say it all.

This is a true excavation of one of the kilns. Much was learned about the use and construction.

Interesting.

Lettuce and vegetables? Really?

A display of crocks in a kiln room.

The displays of the products produced at this factory was fascinating. There were commemorative pieces, huge pieces, custom pieces and then this, the restaurant-ware many of us grew up with.

This National Historic Site is also nurturing today's artists with a program of classes for all levels of skill. This gallery shows some of the recent works completed here.

It is now about 4pm and time to head home. Living in my corner of the province one should  travel with a passport. It’s only a couple of hours to the US border with a whole new, but not that different, array of adventures.  It is always a temptation but there are too many drives I haven’t made yet on this side of the 49^th.

Hearty Beef Barley Soup with a Classic Club Sandwich

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I have some of the best food when I visit my father in central British Columbia. His area is a magnet for the artistic and adventurous. I remember an outstanding Italian meal quite a few years ago. The Cariboo has a calling that many cannot resist.

Last year I visited and we noshed at another of his favourite places. The food was simple but simply delicious. I wonder if he knows how lucky he is. I have recreated the dishes in these recipes.

This soup recipe is delicious. I find that the pearl barley will thicken up this soup nicely without added flour. I tried adding the carrots with the celery and onions before pressure cooking but they were overcooked and tasted bitter. Leave the carrots to add later. The barley and carrots take about the same length of time to cook.

Beef Barley Soup

1 tbsp. olive oil 15 mL

2 lb. beef oxtails or short ribs 1 kg

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 leeks, chopped, white and light green parts

4 carrots , diced

1 c. yellow onion, chopped 250 mL

2 stalks celery, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves

3 bay leaves

10 c. low sodium beef broth 2.5 L

1 c. pearled barley 250 mL

Heat olive oil in pressure cooker and brown meat. Add leeks, onion, celery, thyme and garlic and 10 cups of water. Cook in pressure cooker for 15 minutes. Cool. Shred meat and remove bones.

Add barley and carrots and cook for another 15 or 20 minutes, until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot. Yield: 6 servings.

Classic Club Sandwich

3 slices bread for each sandwich

Mayonnaise

Bacon, tomatoes, lettuce

Thinly sliced cooked chicken or turkey, ham and cheddar cheese

Lightly toast the bread. Lay first slice on cutting board and spread with mayonnaise. Add sliced fresh tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, 2 strips of crispy bacon, slice of turkey and lettuce. Add second slice of bread and spread with mayonnaise. Layer ham, cheese and more lettuce. Spread third piece of bread with mayonnaise and place, mayonnaise side down on top. Slice in half diagonally and secure each with a skewer or long toothpick. Garnish with olives or pickles, if desired.

Pork Schnitzel Sandwich with Wild Mushroom Soup Warms a Wintry Day

There is nothing more Canadian nor more comforting on a cold winter's day than soup and a sandwich. Every café and bistro will have their daily special. Recently when I was in Edmonton I found such a restaurant, The Manor Bistro. It is a cozy circa 1920's house. The air was filled with the aromas of home cooking and the buzz of conversation.

The schnitzel sandwich intrigued me and it was love at first bite. The waitress told me that they brought this back from their menu from many years ago.

I have decided to recreate it at home. I am sure in the restaurant this is quickly deep fried but it works quite nicely just pan fried. I find that panko bread crumbs do not absorb as much oil as the regular bread crumbs.

I am pairing it with one of my favourite soups, wild mushroom. I foraged the mushrooms myself last fall and immediately tried them in this recipe. It has been stowed away in my freezer to warm a cold day. Dill pickles from the farmers' market completes my homey lunch.

Pork Schnitzel Sandwich

5 tbsp. olive oil, divided 75 mL

2 tbsp. sour cream 30 mL

2 tbsp. prepared horseradish 50 mL

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 - 1/2 inch thick (3 cm) boneless pork chops, about 12 oz. 350 g

1/2 c. unbleached all purpose flour 125 mL

2 large eggs

1 c. panko breadcrumbs

4 crusty rolls, halved horizontally

4 romaine lettuce leaves, torn in half crosswise

Whisk 2 tablespoons (30 mL) oil, sour cream, and horseradish in small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat 1tablespoon (15 mL) oil in heavy large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and sauté until it softens, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and cook until onion is golden brown, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Transfer to bowl.

Horseradish sauce and onion can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill.

Place flour in a shallow bowl. Beat eggs in another shallow bowl. Place panko in third shallow bowl. Place a rack on rimmed baking sheet.

Place pork between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Using flat side of meat tenderizer or mallet, pound to thickness of 1/4 inch (2 cm). Season pork with salt and pepper. Working with 1 pork chop at a time, dredge both sides in flour, shaking off excess; dip in eggs to coat. Transfer to panko and press to coat pork all over. Place on prepared rack. Can be made 1 hour ahead. Let stand at room temperature. 

Heat 2 tablespoons (30 mL) oil in heavy large skillet over medium high heat. Add pork to skillet and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side, adding more oil if needed. Drain on paper towels.

Spoon 2 tablespoons (30 mL) caramelized onion onto each bun bottom. Place pork, then top with lettuce. Spoon 1 rounded tablespoon (15 mL) horseradish sauce onto cut side of each roll top. Place roll tops on sandwiches and serve.

Wild Mushroom Soup

2 - 3 c. chicken broth 500 – 750 mL

3 leeks, well rinsed and dried

1 onion

1/4 c. unsalted butter 60 mL

3 tbsp. flour 45 mL

2 c. beef stock 500 mL

1 lb. cremini or brown mushrooms  400 g

1 oz. dried mixed wild mushrooms 30 g

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heavy cream

Fresh herbs such as chives or thyme for garnish, optional

Soak dried mushrooms in 1/2 cup (125 mL) hot water until soft. Save soaking water. Dice leeks, white part only, and onion and cook over medium heat in butter until soft. Add roughly chopped mushrooms, soaked dried mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms are soft. Sprinkle with flour. Stir and cook 5 minutes.

Add reserved mushroom soaking liquid, chicken stock and beef stock. Cook for about 30 minutes or until mushrooms are thoroughly cooked. Cool. Puree in batches in a food processor. Return to pan to reheat and serve. Garnish with heavy cream and fresh herbs.

Parmesan Crisp Amuse Bouche

I have been watching Gold Medal Plates all afternoon. Just got the hankering to make a little amuse bouche to have with a glass of French chardonnay before going out for dinner tonight.

The recipe for the poached dried apricots is here.

Parmesan Crisps

block of parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Grate half the cheese on the fine side of a box grater. Grate the other half on the coarser side. Mix together. Make little mounds of grated cheese about 2 inches apart.

Bake about 6 or 7 minutes at 350F until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let crisps cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

❤︎ I Heart Apples ❤︎

Back in the early 1970's Canada adopted the Metric System of measures and a whole new era began in Canadian kitchens. At least that is what we felt back then. In the early 1980's the Canadian Home Economics Association took it upon themselves to write a cookbook embracing and showing leadership in using metric measures in the kitchen.

I can honestly say this is the only Canadian cookbook I have ever seen that is entirely in metric. I wonder if we actually believed our ovens would display Celsius?

We all know the outcome. Imperial measures are still primarily used in the kitchen. My volume measures such as cups and spoons are dual. My kitchen scale can be read in both Imperial and metric but the oven is solidly Imperial. Hence, the Celsius oven temperatures in the book are quite useless.

As I thumb through the recipes of each province I see common threads. Bread. We all have some traditional form of bread, quick bread and pancake. Apples. Every province with the exception of Newfoundland & Labrador and, if you can imagine, British Columbia have recipes using apples. My how times have changed.

We are in the midst of the Apple Month Taste Off showcasing the beautiful apples of British Columbia. Click on this link to find some great food porn and delicious recipes.

I am making an apple recipe that my Mom used to make quite often. We loved it. There is always a tug to update and modernize but I have decided to make it exactly as I remember it. We never had ice cream in the fridge freezer. We never had a sabayon or a vanilla custard. It is simply and deliciously an apple.

This is my contribution to the Canadian Food Experience. Check out the other bloggers cooking along.

Baked Cinnamon Apples
1 apple per person
cinnamon
brown sugar
raisins
chopped walnuts
unsalted butter

Core the apples and place in a buttered baking dish. Fill each apple with a mixture of brown sugar, raisins, and walnuts. Pack the filling firmly. Generously dust the apples with cinnamon.

Bake at 350F until tender and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Serve while warm.

A Menu Inspired by the Movies and Romance....Enchanted April

This month our Virtual Supper Club celebrates a wedding anniversary. Susan and her husband are celebrating 34 years of marriage. We join together in presenting a romantic dinner with dishes taken from our favourite romantic movie.

I am making the appetizer for this dinner. Enchanted April  is set in Italy in a castle overlooking the rich blue Mediterranean. I have seen this movie a number of times and never tire of the story. The romance is not only in the beauty of the setting but in the realizations of the women that they have love in their life. Their bold move brought love back into their lives in surprising ways. It is a recipe for happiness: four women, one medieval Italian castle, plenty of wisteria, and solitude as needed.

Susan, I wish you many more happy anniversaries. I hope the menu we create makes this special time even more special.

My appetizer is made with this very unique burrata cheese from Puglia in southern Italy. It is a fresh cheese made with a buffalo or cow mozarella outer shell filled with more mozarella and cream. When it is cut open the thickened cream oozes out. The result is delicious and decadent. It is best served at room temperature.

Susan's main dish is inspired by Lady and the Tramp's pasta scene. She is making Chicken Puttanesca

Jerry is bringing soup and takes inspiration from There is a Girl in My Soup. Check out his lovely French Onion Soup

Sandi's side dish is inspired by Sweet Home Alabama. What is more Alabama than Brown Rice Shrimp Jambalaya

Val's dessert is Italian inspired by the movie Under The Tuscan Sun. Her yummy Lemon Panna Cotta is a wonderful ending to this meal.


Burrata and Apricot Appetizer

burrata cheese
1 c. dried apricots
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 vanilla bean
prosciutto
baby kale
poppy seed vinaigrette dressing

Place dried apricots and sugar in a heavy pan and with 1 cup with water. Simmer until plumped. Allow the apricots to brown as it simmers. Remove from heat and add vanilla bean, with seeds scraped out and pod cut into small pieces. Cool completely.

Plate the appetizer with a small bit of baby kale dressed with a poppy seed vinaigrette dressing. Top with half a slice of prosciutto topped with a stewed apricot. Drizzle with a bit of the apricot liquid around the plate. Add slice of burrata. Serve.

Einkorn Bread recipe

Making a good loaf of einkorn bread has eluded me until now. This is my third attempt to make a loaf with acceptable texture and tenderness and without adding white flour.

I read several web pages in search of a good recipe. What I didn't realize until now is that all einkorn flour is not the same. Many of the recipes I found were actually using 'white' einkorn flour. That simply means that the bran and germ of the kernel were not used. It is not 'whole grain'.

Remember that little tip for other grain flours like spelt and red fife. Another variable in the flours is the milling. Each mill has their own specifications. A coarser milled flour will not act the same a fine milled flour even with the same grain.

Another tip with einkorn is that as it is exposed to sunlight the batter darkens. It is best to cover your dough to limit exposure to light.

Find more information about einkorn on a previous post where I made a Steelhead Trout Tart.

Attempt #2 was visually appealing but so heavy and hard.

This was loaf #2. It looks great but it was heavy and hard with a very dense crumb. This is when I realized there were recipes for different types of flours. I mistakenly used a recipe for 'white' einkorn and the results were not good.

I do not have a picture of my first attempt. Let's just say it held promise as it came out of the oven but soon became a hard brick.





Whole Einkorn Bread

3 c. whole grain einkorn flour
1 1/2 c. water
1/2 tsp. instant yeast
1 tsp. fine salt
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. liquid honey

Mix flour, salt and yeast. Mix liquid ingredients in a large measuring cup before adding to the flour mixture. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix to incorporate all the flour. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or use a lidded bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and ferment for 12 - 13 hours.

When ready to bake preheat a lidded cast iron pot in a 450F oven for 30 minutes. Bake in the preheated pot with the lid on for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and continue to bake for 10 more minutes.

Remove from oven and from the pan. Cool for 1 hour before cutting.

Steelhead Trout Tart with Einkorn Crust

Please note update to the recipe below.

I have quite a stash of organic whole grain flours. During the summer market there is no time for experimentation. What better for a cold winter day than cooking something new. At the moment I am working with my einkorn flour.

Einkorn is an ancient variety of wheat. It is an original. It has not been hybridized. The gluten level is low. The flavour is nutty and rich.

The Healthy Home Economist summarizes beautifully

Einkorn is like most plants in that it is a diploid meaning it contains 2 sets of chromosomes.  About 2,000 years after einkorn wheat, emmer wheat was created by the hybridization of 2 wild grasses.  Consequently, emmer has 4 sets of chromosomes.  Kamut and Durum wheat are both descendents of emmer.
Spelt is the result of hybridization between cultivated emmer and another wild grass and so contains six sets of chromosomes.  Modern wheat is a descendent of spelt.
Note that while extensive hybridization of wheat has occurred over the millenia, there is currently no genetically modified wheat on the market.
As you can see, einkorn is the purest and most ancient form of wheat available as it only has 2 sets of chromosomes and is naturally very low in gluten!
- See more at: http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/the-4-reasons-why-im-switching-to-einkorn-wheat/#sthash.vfMXT8rx.dpuf

Einkorn is like most plants in that it is a diploid meaning it contains 2 sets of chromosomes.  About 2,000 years after einkorn wheat, emmer wheat was created by the hybridization of 2 wild grasses.  Consequently, emmer has 4 sets of chromosomes.  Kamut and Durum wheat are both descendents of emmer.
Spelt is the result of hybridization between cultivated emmer and another wild grass and so contains six sets of chromosomes.  Modern wheat is a descendent of spelt.
Note that while extensive hybridization of wheat has occurred over the millenia, there is currently no genetically modified wheat on the market.
As you can see, einkorn is the purest and most ancient form of wheat available as it only has 2 sets of chromosomes and is naturally very low in gluten!
- See more at: http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/the-4-reasons-why-im-switching-to-einkorn-wheat/#sthash.vfMXT8rx.dpuf

"Einkorn is like most plants in that it is a diploid meaning it contains 2 sets of chromosomes.  About 2,000 years after einkorn wheat, emmer wheat was created by the hybridization of 2 wild grasses.  Consequently, emmer has 4 sets of chromosomes.  Kamut and Durum wheat are both descendents of emmer. Spelt is the result of hybridization between cultivated emmer and another wild grass.

While extensive hybridization of wheat has occurred over the millenia, there is currently no genetically modified wheat on the market.

As you can see, einkorn is the purest and most ancient form of wheat available as it only has 2 sets of chromosomes and is naturally very low in gluten."

Steelhead Trout Tart with a Savory Einkorn Herbed Crust

In this recipe I have used my housemade steelhead trout gravlax. A purchased smoked salmon would work equally well.

 

For the Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups  einkorn flour
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 2 tbsp. fresh green onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more to grease pan
• 4 tbsp. ice water, plus more if necessary

For the Filling:

• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium leek, pale green and white parts only, rinsed and thinly-sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 c. whole milk
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tbsp. capers, rinsed
• sea salt, to taste
• few grinds freshly-ground black pepper
• oz.4  steelhead trout gravlax, pulled apart into small pieces

1. Butter a 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom.

   

   A few years ago I was visiting a friend in Atlanta. Upon opening her refrigerator I saw butter wrappers had been saved. This reminds me of my growing up. Now I save my butter wrappers to grease pans.

2.  Preheat the oven to 375° F.
3.  Add the flour, salt, green onions and thyme to a medium mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender or your finger tips, work the butter into the dry ingredients.
   
   
   
   
4.  Add the ice water slowly and stir with a fork until the dough starts to come together and look like wet sand. Test to see if it’s done by gently squeezing a small piece between your fingers: you’re looking for it to hold together and not crumble away. If it seems too crumbly still, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time.

   

   Roll as thinly as possible. This makes a very crispy pastry. I prefer to use parchment paper than flour on the counter top. The pastry is not so dry.

5.  Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment to 1/4 inch thick. Roll out into a 12-inch circle and fit gently into the pan. Let rest for 15 minutes. Trim away any excess and save the pastry to make crackers. There is no need to dock this pastry. It does not puff up and the holes only allow for leakage of the filling. There is some shrinkage upon baking.
6. RECIPE UPDATE: Because there is shrinkage during baking I have decided it would be better to not trim the pastry. Simply fold it back and trim with scissors and leave it at least 1 inch long all around. It can be trimmed after baking if necessary.
   

   

   Carefully press the pastry into the pan.

   
   

   

   Use the rolling pin to trim the pastry.

7.  Place pan on a small baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 25 minutes. Set aside while you prepare the filling.
   
8.  In a small sauté pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering and sauté the sliced leek until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for additional 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
   
9. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, capers, salt and pepper.
   
   
10. Spoon the leek and garlic mixture on top of the crust and lay the pieces of salmon across the top evenly. Then pour the egg mixture on top.
11. Set oven at 350F and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the filling is set. Let cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Roll excess dough very thinly, cut into crackers, dock and top with fleur de sel. Bake 7-9 minutes.