Salmon and Savoy Cabbage Mille Feuille

As seasonal, show-stopping dish for a light lunch. The beautiful and rich greens of the savoy cabbage and the light and delicate salmon melt in your mouth with each delicious bite. At Le Farmhouse, we love trying new recipes, and have been thinking about a salmon and savoy cabbage mille feuille for some time. After seeing these cabbages in the market on Saturday, we knew we had to give it a go!

Pray for miracles, but plant cabbages – Ken Follett, Pillars of the Earth

Have you have ever seen the movie Les Saveurs du Palais (2012) (or "Haute Cuisine") starring Catherine Frot? If you do, you will no doubt savor every second of the scene in which she prepares a mouth-watering and beautiful Chou Farci au Saumon ("Salmon-stuffed Cabbage"). Here's a link to watch. The savoy cabbage ("chou vert") in the market in Apt on Saturday caught my eye, and so I decided to take the plunge and give this recipe a go with a few twists based on what I have available. It is called a "mille feuille" - a thousand sheets - as a reference to both a famous french dessert and because the technique used to make this involves layering the sheets of cabbage leaves and salmon.

This was the first time making this dish, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. And of course, I have many ideas of things I want to try to enhance it for future lunches. Bon appétit!

Salmon and Savoy Cabbage Mille Feuille

Ingredients

• 2 Savoy cabbages

• 150g (5 oz) smoked salmon (in pieces or slices)

• 300g (10.5 oz) thinly sliced fresh salmon (ask your fishmonger to do it for you)

• 250ml (1 cup) heavy cream

• ½ lemon

• 1 clove garlic

• 1 shallot

• ½ bunch of dill

• ½ bunch of chives

• Salt, to taste

• Pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Prepare the cabbage leaves: Detach about twenty of the largest leaves from the cabbage. Use a knife to remove the thick central vein. Save the rest of the cabbage for another recipe. Wash the leaves and blanch them for 5 minutes in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain them afterward.

2. Prepare the millefeuille: Butter a round cake mold or oven-safe bowl and line it with the blanched cabbage leaves.

3. Layering: Alternate layers of fresh salmon slices, cabbage leaves, and smoked salmon until all ingredients are used up. I added the chopped dill and crushed garlic in one of the layers. Note, you do not need to add salt as the smoked salmon adds enough flavor.

4. Baking: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Bake the millefeuille for about 30 minutes.

5. Cooling and serving: Let it cool slightly, then unmold it onto a serving platter.

6. Prepare the sauce: In a bowl, mix together the heavy cream, finely chopped chives, juice of half a lemon, salt, and pepper. (Optional: I sautéed one small shallot in butter with a clove of crushed garlic and mixed in as well - as I wanted a more savory sauce).

7. Serving: Accompany the millefeuille with the sauce. Cut it into slices like a cake to serve.
   

Enjoy this delightful Salmon and Savoy Cabbage Millefeuille, inspired by the markets of flavors of Provence and the film "Les Saveurs du Palais"! Bon appétit!