Saturday, January 15, 2011

Savory Salmon Mousse Eclair "Hot Dogs" for the International Incident Hot Dogs Party


iip-hotdog

Welcome to the very first International Incident Party of the year, hosted as always by the effervescent and lovely Penny aka Jeroxie. But before I talk about what I've brought to the party, I'd like to direct you to her post about the Queensland floods. Many of you reading this may have friends or family affected by the tragedy; for those of us in North America this may bring back memories of Hurricane Katrina and the  ensuing devastation to the Gulf Coast. If you'd like to help, Penny's post outlines some things of the things that you can do - no matter where in the world you are. So please make sure to check it out.

And now, on to my dish. You may be wondering what savory eclairs and salmon mousse have to do with hot dogs.  But, when you break it down, what is a hot dog, really? It's simply ground meat with seasonings on a tube-shaped bun. And that is precisely what we have here! Plus, a hot dog is such a summery food, and I think my interpretation brings an element of picnic to what is usually a backyard barbecue kind of dish.

For the "buns" I used Michael Ruhlman's ratio for pate a choux dough from his book Ratio, which Poppa Trix got me for Christmas. (Coincidentally I also had to make pate a choux the very same day for the French Fridays with Dorie gnocchi dough. Weird.)  The proportions are 2 parts water, 1 part butter, 1 part flour, and 2 parts egg, plus a pinch of salt. I started with 8 ounces of water and took it from there:
I piped the dough into eclair "hot dog bun" shapes:
I know, it's kind of "ew" at this stage
I baked them at 425 F for 10 minutes, then lowered the heat and baked at 375 for about another 20 minutes, until they looked like this:

Meanwhile, for the salmon mousse, in a food processor I whizzed together equal parts (8 oz) canned wild-caught red salmon and neufchatel. To this, I added the juice of half a lemon, 2 tbsp capers, 3 heaping tbsp chopped dill, a pinch of sweet paprika, and salt and pepper. I then whipped 1/4 cup of heavy cream until it was very light and fluffy, and folded this into the salmon. I realize that classically this may not be a true mousse in the sense that I didn't use gelatin and set the whole thing, but I was going for something lighter:
To assemble my hot dogs, I cut the center out of the eclairs and piped the mousse (using a Ziploc bag) into the buns. For toppings (every hot dog must have toppings!) I used red onion and cucumber slices. Poppa Trix declared these to be "his favorite thing ever." But he says that a lot, so judge for yourself. In the meantime, go and see what everyone else has brought to the hot dog party!






34 comments:

  1. It may sound strange, but this is the most serene hot dog I've ever seen. :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. This hot dog looks so classy ... perfect for those English Afternoon teas.. to have together with scones! Perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I very nearly made choux 'buns' too but I'm glad I didn't as mine wouldn't have looked as good as these ones you've made. And how ingenius of you to think of a salmon mousse dog! This hot dog just oozes pure decadence, and yet I agree with Leaf saying that your dog has a Zen quality to it. That's not an easy balance to achieve and you've done it perfectly, Trix!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is quite the party love the dogs and great job!

    ReplyDelete
  5. oh wow this amazing :-) your such a creative cook I am in awe

    Rebecca

    ReplyDelete
  6. These are brilliant! I love the buttery decadence of the pate a choux, and the salmon mousse filling is so unique and delicious. These would make for great appetizers.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I can almost taste these, they look so beautiful. An interesting interpretation. I am really impressed by your beautiful photography too, it is captivating. And as an Aussie, I think it is very thoughtful of you to make mention of the terrible disaster that has occured here in QLD and is still hitting other states.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love your take on the hot dog theme. It looks light and tasty. I used choux pastry in my dish too :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. This will fit into a summer tea party in replacement to the usual white bread sandwiches.
    Thanks for spreading the word about Queensland. The clean up has started and it is so heartbreaking to see so many lost their homes and some family/ friends.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh Trix, these are the most elegant hot dogs ever. Ever ever. And you have used total WIN flavours. Did you make these especially for me? :D

    ReplyDelete
  11. You know, Trix, this is what English ladies did for luncheon in Edwardian times... they often had sandwiches in little eclairs and called them Carolines.... so nummy and the choux is sooo easy to make (and make you look like a master- his recipe is fool-proof). I love your salmon... will try at my next fancy luncheon (and raise my pinkie when sipping my tea!).

    ReplyDelete
  12. fun and fab... who would have though, only you my dear - good job on your pastry skills, you've become the chef now, huh.... and the salmon spread with the neufchatel, dill & capers ...wow, what a taste sensation, I am salivating

    ReplyDelete
  13. That's the most elegant "hot dog" that I've ever seen ... looks incredible! I love that salmon spread - and that pastry...wow!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great idea, and such gorgeous execution! I remember hot dog day at school...yours would work for adult hot dog days! Grab a cart and start going from cubicle to cubicle...world wide hand-held food domination is yours! Theresa

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ooooh La La!! Classiest hotdog I've ever seen ;) Love 'em...such a fabulous idea.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ok Tootsie, you really floored me with this one. Beautiful and OHSO elegant! Come visit and cook me some.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh Trix it's absolutely fabulous! Well done on the choux pastry - it's gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  18. The pate a choux as a bun is brilliant Trix, just brilliant. A very elegant hot dog version.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Where do you come up with such wonderful ideas??
    I love visiting your blog because it's always an inspiration!
    Happy New Year Trix;-)

    ReplyDelete
  20. You are so inventive and creative! I just love this spin you put on the hot dog!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I always thought hot dog is a sausage in a long bun...how boring....haha. You have made it more creative. Love it.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love your take on this month's IIP! They look so delicious and pretty too:) You always come up with such great recipes and creative ideas, that's why your blog is so great.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Between you and Cherrie, I have a hankering to make choux pastry! Your take on hot dogs not only looks beautiful, but it sounds absolutely delicious as well and would make a great appetizer or buffet dish. Wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Great twist on classics Trix! They're gorgeous and you have such a way with food presentation. Who woulda thought dogs could be so classy??

    ReplyDelete
  25. Fantastic...I have seen a few of the entries to IIP, and this one is shear joy :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. that's awesome! very creative and elegant for a "hot dog". i guess it is summer where Penny lives, but i also prefer my turkey dogs in the summer.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Wow, Trix, what a truly unique make-over of hot dogs! I love the idea of a savory eclair and the salmon mousse filling sounds amazing! 5 Stars!!!

    ReplyDelete
  28. wow, that is a very interesting translation of the phrase "hot dog"! can't say it doesn't look spectacular though! thanks for posting :)

    -meg
    @http://clutzycooking.blogspot.com
    @http://myscribblednotebook.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  29. Beautiful! Quite the classy hotdog!

    http://happensafterfive.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  30. This is the freshest take on "hot dog" indeed! I kept on scrolling back up to look at them! The texture for sure takes this treat another lever!

    Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  31. This looks like a sandwich for Marie-antoinette's crowd. Eaten at Le Trianon. Then off to frolic with her lover behind the bushes.
    Lovely, great shots as always.

    ReplyDelete
  32. wow what a fab idea! I've tried savory muffins and savory scones, but hey...savory eclairs if an amazing idea! Also cos i'm not that much into eclairs with cream and choc.

    ReplyDelete
  33. This must be the classiest take on a hot dog that I've ever seen! :D

    ReplyDelete