Anne's Christmas Menu 2019 – Starter – Leek soup with crispy stars and salmon

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 stalk(s) leeks (500 g)
• 200 g potatoes
• 1 tbsp butter
• 400 ml vegetable stock
• 300 ml milk
• 100 ml whipped cream
• salt and pepper
• nutmeg
• Cayenne pepper
• 3 dashes lemon juice
• 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry (150 g)
• 1 egg yolk (size M)
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 200 g salmon (ready to cook, without skin, possibly frozen)
• 1 tbsp oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 25 minutes

simple and festive

1. Clean and wash the leeks thoroughly. Peel the potatoes. Cut the leeks and potatoes into 1 cm pieces. 2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Sauté the leeks and potatoes over medium heat for 5 minutes. 3. Add the stock and milk, bring to a boil, and simmer covered for 20 minutes. 4. Purée the soup finely with a hand blender and pass through a fine sieve. 5. Add the cream and bring to a boil briefly. 6. Season the soup with salt, pepper, freshly grated nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and 1-2 squeezes of lemon juice. 7. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-assisted). Defrost the puff pastry for 5 minutes on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. 8. Cut out 12 stars (4 cm in size) from the puff pastry sheets. Arrange them on the baking sheet, leaving some space between them. 9. Whisk the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the stars with the egg mixture. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and sea salt. Bake on the middle rack for about 10 minutes until golden brown. 10. Cut the salmon into 5 cm pieces. Season with salt and pepper. 11. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Fry the salmon over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side. Season with a squeeze of lemon juice. Let it cool briefly and then roughly shred. Freezing tip: Let the soup cool completely and freeze (at least 4 weeks possible). Defrost the day before in the refrigerator or on a cold balcony, then slowly bring to a boil, puree again and season to taste. Defrost the salmon overnight in the refrigerator if necessary. Tip: The crispy stars can be cut out and coated 2-3 hours before baking. Then place in the refrigerator and bake 30 minutes before serving the appetizer.