Smoked Salmon Roulade and Chive Buerre Blanc

I love this dish, It's so simple to make and there's no cooking time involved! The roulades are great for summer and for a starter at dinner parties, it's fresh, classical, looks great and it's very very easy. It can be made in advance as well. Remember to roll them nice and tight!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Long cut Scottish smoked salmon x 1 side

Soft cheese x 250g

Lemon juice x 1 lemon

Chives x 1 small bunch

Butter x 150g (cut into 1cm cubes)

White onion x 1 small (finely diced)

White wine vinegar x 4 tblsp

White wine x 100ml

Cracked black pepper x pinch

Recipe:

For the Roulade

In a small mixing bowl combine the soft cheese, half the chives finely chopped, the juice and zest of half the lemon and a pinch of cracked black pepper.

On a sheet of cling film lay out the side of smoked salmon and spread the cheese mix evenly, covering the salmon all the way to the edges.

Here's the tricky part, start to roll the salmon from bottom to top (not head to tail) this is important as rolling it the other way would result in a rather lumpy roulade that you will struggle to fit on your plate! Once rolled wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

For the Buerre Blanc

In a small pan add the chopped onions, white wine vinegar and white wine and reduce over a low heat until syrup like. while still over the heat add a couple tablespoons of water and stir in a cube of butter at a time, waiting for each one to fully dissolve before adding the next. Chop the rest of the chives remembering to save a few nice sticks for garnish and add to the sauce, squeeze in the rest of the lemon and season to taste. At this point remember to keep the sauce warm or the butter will set. So think about preparing this sauce at the last minute!

To Plate Up

When portioning the roulade make sure it is nice and cold this will make it easier to cut. Trim off the ends and slice into about 1inch long pieces, this should be enough for three a portion. Arrange in the centre of the plate, maybe lay one on it's side? Drizzle the buerre blanc around and garnish with a couple of chive sticks.

Enjoy...