Fresh and Smoked Salmon, Spinach & Dill Terrine, Watercress & Quail's Eggs

Recently I have been working. A lot. With barely time to wash my clothes (the machine is spinning as I type) I haven’t had a chance to do much of my own cooking. What with catering for several canapé events, a couple of buffet lunches this weekend and the little café that offshoots from the kitchen I work at, the last week has been a whirlwind of juggling numbers, my time and dozens of different new recipes and techniques. So much so that my head is still spinning.

So I thought I’d share a recipe for a terrine I made a couple of for a buffet lunch being held in the city today (thankfully I won’t be attending!).  With no experience of making a fish terrine before my only inspiration were those little packets of smoked salmon and cream cheese parcels you buy as a treat from somewhere like M&S. With these in mind I lined a ring mould with smoked salmon and then filled it with smoked salmon, fresh salmon and spinach cream cheese layers to create a stripy look when cut. I hope it worked!

I have given rough measures/quantities as I found it easier to guestimate as I went along.

• Oil and line a medium ring mould with clingfilm, making sure to leave some overhang.
• Cut long, wide strips of Smoked Salmon and lay them in overlapping lines in the mould, making sure to keep the ends long to fold over once the terrine has been filled.
• Next, blitz any smoked salmon cutoffs and a bit more with a handful of Dill. Add in about 200g Cream Cheese, a few tbsps Sour Cream, the juice of 1 Lemon and lots of pepper.  Remove to a bowl.
• Next blitz about 500g Raw Spinach, 200g Cream Cheese and  a pinch of Nutmeg. Remove to a bowl.
• Poach 1 or 2 Salmon Fillets. Flake the salmon.
• Now fill the terrine with a layer of half the smoked salmon mixture, then half the spinach mixture then the flaked salmon, the remaining spinach mix and finish with the smoked salmon mix.
• Fold the smoked salmon ends to cover the bottom and pull in the cling film to cover.
• Leave overnight to set.
• Invert onto a large plate. Fill with lots of Watercress, a handful of Quail’s eggs and some deep-fried Capers.