Salmon Wellington with Quark Pastry
Brendan Lynch approached the Bake Off tent like a laboratory—precise, methodical, and always ready to explain the science behind his choices. For Pie Week's Signature, he created a Salmon Wellington wrapped in Scandinavian-style quark pastry, a technique that had Mary Berry genuinely excited: "I've never had a quark pastry, and so this is really exciting." Brendan explained his formula with characteristic exactitude: "Equal quantities of butter, strong flour and quark. Half a teaspoon of baking powder. Normally they put in one to one and a half, but I'm reducing it because the more baking powder you put in, it loses its flakiness." Paul Hollywood approved the execution: "I think you've got a decent bake on the outside. You got a little bit of a crisp there." Mary praised both presentation and flavor: "Looks very nice on the plate when you serve it. And what lovely contrasting colors." ON BRENDAN'S PRECISION: Brendan's formula is unusually precise for a Bake Off contestant: "equal quan…
Source: Relaxed Recipes
Ingredients
- MAKE THE QUARK PASTRY
- Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to distribute even
- Add cold butter cubes. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, work butter int
- Add cold quark. Mix with a fork or your hands until dough just comes together—it
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a rectangle. Wrap tight
- PREPARE THE RICE
- Rinse rice under cold water until water runs clear
- Combine rice, water, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat
- Fluff with a fork, stir in butter, dill, chives, and lemon zest. Season to taste
- PREPARE THE MUSHROOM-SPINACH LAYER
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and cook until
- Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they release their liquid a
- Add garlic, cook 30 seconds until fragrant
- Add wine and cook until evaporated
- Add spinach in handfuls, stirring until wilted. Cook until any liquid evaporates
- Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a plate and cool completely. P
- PREPARE THE EGG LAYER
- Peel hard-boiled eggs and chop finely
- Mix with mayonnaise, mustard, and dill. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside
- PREPARE THE SALMON
- Season salmon fillet on both sides with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil
- If salmon fillet is very thick, you may briefly sear it in a hot pan for 1 minut
- ASSEMBLE THE WELLINGTON
- Preheat oven to 400°F . Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- On a lightly floured surface, roll quark pastry into a rectangle approximately 1
- Transfer pastry to prepared baking sheet
- Build the layers in the center of the pastry, leaving borders clear: First, spre
- Brush pastry borders with egg wash
- Fold the short ends of the pastry over the salmon first, then fold the long side
- Carefully flip the Wellington seam-side down. Tuck ends under neatly
- Brush entire surface generously with egg wash. Score decorative lines or pattern
- Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and seeds if using
- Cut 2-3 small steam vents in the top
- BAKE
- Bake 35-40 minutes until pastry is deep golden brown and crisp. A thermometer in
- Rest 10 minutes before slicing—this allows the salmon to finish cooking gently a
- TO SERVE
- Using a sharp serrated knife, cut into thick slices, revealing the colorful laye
- Serve with lemon wedges, crème fraîche, or a simple dill-cucumber salad