Smoked salmon roulade with crème fraiche and salmon pearls
These little roulades are super elegant and great served at a cocktail party with champagne.
For the crepe batter
2 cups plain flour
Pinch of sea salt
A few good cracks of freshly ground black pepper
2 free range eggs
1 litre milk
4 tablespoons butter
½ bunch dill, chopped
For the assembly
60 slices smoked salmon.
2 bunches finely chopped chives
100g jar of salmon roe
300g sour cream
½ bunch dill fronds
Lemon wedges to garnish
Place a heavy mixing bowl on a damp folded tea towel. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl, then make a well in the centre. Whisk together the egg milk and butter, then pour into the flour well. Gently mix and slowly pulling at the wall of flour and incorporating it into the liquid until you have a smooth batter. Fold in the chopped dill. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
Place a 22 cm crepe pan over medium heat and spray with a little oil. Ladle the smallest amount of crepe batter into the pan to get a very thin crepe. Gently swirl the crepe so the batter is even and runs out to the edge. Cook for one minute or until little bubbles appear and the sides start to pull away from the pan. Using a spatula gently flip the crepe over. Cook for one or two minutes or until the batter is set, then slide onto a plate. Cook the remaining batter in the same way oiling the pan each time and stacking the crepes on top of each other. They can be left to cool covered with plastic wrap for a couple of hours although it is best to make the roulade whilst the crepes are fresh.
To assemble the roulades, lay the crepes down on your workbench and smear each one with a tablespoon of crème fraiche. On each crepe lay three slices of smoked salmon covering as much of the crepe as possible. Sprinkle with the chives and season generously, then roll up tightly. Now, this is the important bit: lay 10-inch square piece of plastic wrap on the bench. Place one roulade in the centre near the bottom and roll up. Twist one end of the plastic very tightly and tie a knot, then do the same with the other end to form a very tight little log shape. Continue with the remaining roulades then refrigerate until needed.
To serve remove the plastic from each roulade, trim the ends off, then cut each into 6- 8 pieces. Top each piece with a little dollop of crème fraiche, salmon roe and a sprig of dill.
Serve with dainty lemon wedges.