Salmon en Croute (Salmon Wrapped in Puff Pastry)

This is another one of my most-requested dishes, and I enjoy making it. Make sure you squeeze as much liquid from the spinach as possible, to avoid a soggy pastry. Serve with a dill cream sauce (I'll add a recipe for this later).

 Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. fresh leaf spinach

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 box puff pastry (2 individual packages), thawed in refrigerator

1 round Boursin cheese (plain or garlic-and-herb-flavored)

1 large fillet skinless salmon, about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs.

2 egg yolks, beaten

 Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with oil or butter.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan until hot, but not smoking. Add the garlic and sauté for several seconds. Add the spinach, then the nutmeg. Stir for several minutes until the spinach has wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Strain into a colander to drain of any excess water, and allow spinach to cool. When cool, squeeze as much water as possible out of the spinach.

Place one puff pastry sheet on top of the other, sprinkling a bit of cold water between the sheets to hold them together. Roll out the pastry to a 20x10-inch rectangle.

Crumble the cheese into small pieces, and lay the pieces along the center of the puff pastry lengthwise, leaving clear at least one inch at the ends.

Lay the spinach on top of the cheese. Lay the salmon fillet on top of the spinach, facedown, and brush the edges of the pastry with half the beaten egg yolks.

Wrap the pastry over the salmon, tuck in the edges at both ends, and turn the whole package upside down onto the baking sheet lined with foil. The seam should be underneath.

Brush top and sides of pastry with remaining egg yolks. Bake for 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before slicing. Serves 6 to 8.