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Linguine with caviar, smoked salmon, and a brandy-cream sauce | The quantities used for this recipe I leave to your good judgement - obviously, if it won't fit in the pot it will be wasted. In general, start with small amounts, taste it, and add more if required - you can always add more but you can't take it back out.
Linguine with caviar, smoked salmon, and a brandy-cream sauce. This is a rich and satisfying pasta, which you can do as either a main course or as an apppetizer; it's a favourite for romantic evenings.
Basic Ingredients
The proportions are for the dish as a main course - halve them for an appetizer
double cream - about 1/4 cup per person
linguine - use a small bundle per person - touch your index finger to your thumb - that circle is what I mean by a pasta bundle, so a small bundle is an amount that does not fill the circle
smoked salmon - about 1 slice per person, maybe more if you want - the more you use, the richer the sauce - chop it into chunks about postage stamp-sized
caviar - about 1 teaspoon per person - you can use beluga, of course, but I use lumpfish roe usually as it is much cheaper - don't use salmon roe, as you already have that taste - I can recommend a brand called Erie Gold, pickeral roe from Lake Erie and produced in Kingsville, Ontario
shallots - about 1/2 per person, very finely chopped (use a garlic crusher if you have one)
garlic - about 1/2 per person, very finely chopped (use a garlic crusher if you have one)
brandy - not much, maybe about 1 shot (roughly 25 mls) per person
parmesan cheese - about 1-2 tablespoons per person
salt and pepper - just a pinch of each, to taste
olive oil - about a teaspoon per person
Optional Ingredients
chives - about 1 teaspoon per person, finely chopped - they make a nice garnish
capers - about 1 teaspoon per person, either whole or roughly chopped - use the kind preserved in vinegar, not the salted kind - the acidity cuts through the cream to make the dish a bit lighter
Preparation
Prepare the shallots, garlic, and salmon, plus the chives and capers if using them, and set them aside
Cook the linguine - follow the instructions on the packet - it takes roughly 10 minutes, so get started on the next step when it is about half-way done. When cooked, drain it and set it aside.
Put a frying pan on a medium heat and add the olive oil, shallots, and garlic. Saute for about 2-3 minutes, till they are soft, but be careful not to burn them.
Add the brandy - for a flourish, you can flambé the shallots and garlic.
Add the cream and the salmon, plus the capers if using them - reduce the mixture till thick enough to stick to the stirring spoon but runny enough to fall off the spoon
Add salt and pepper to taste
In a warmed mixing bowl, combine the linguine with the cream sauce, the caviar, and the parmesan cheese - toss well, and serve onto plates, then garnish with the chives.
This dish is quite rich, so it works well with a simple salad with a vinaigrette dressing. I serve it with bread as well, good crusty stuff like a baguette. As for wine, I suggest something white, perhaps a chardonney, or maybe a riesling.
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