LUDOVIC DIEUMEGARD

Smoked Mackerel Rillette, Pickled Beetoot, Horseradish Cream, Cucumber & Toasted Soda Bread
(Serves 4 people approx)

Ingredients
400g smoked mackerel
Juice of 1 lemon
100g Philadelphia (or any cream cheese)
4 tbsp chopped chive
50 ml red wine vinegar
2tbsp sugar
1tsp salt
2 beetroot (cooked)
100ml double cream
1 tbsp horseradish (jar is fine)
1 cucumber split in half lengthways then sliced to a 2mm thickness so you have D shaped slices
Salt and pepper

Method
The Pate:
Take the mackerel, check it for bones – you can leave the skin or take it off as you prefer. Blitz it to a paste with lemon juice. Add the cream cheese then pulse it, along with the chopped chive and season to taste.
Ideally, you need to leave for 2 hrs in the fridge to set a little before serving.
For the beetroot:
In a little pan, put your red wine vinegar, sugar and salt. Simmer for a few minutes until it’s sticky. Blitz your beetroot and add the sticky vinegar syrup to it.
For the horseradish cream:
Whip the cream, add the horseradish and season to taste

Now to build:
Take a ring – approx 5-6cm in diameter (an old tin of tuna, opened on both sides with the contents removed and rinsed is fine)
Inside your ring, place your D shaped slices of cucumber (flat side down). Coat the inside of the ring with them, slightly overlapping.
Then place your mackerel rillette in the ring (about 1.5cm deep)
This can be placed in the fridge until you are ready to serve. Don’t put your beetroot on the top until the last minute as it will discolour the whole thing and turn it pink.
At the last minute, place a thin layer of beetroot on top then a tbsp of horseradish cream.
Serve with 2 slices of your bread (Any brown bread is fine but Soda Bread is always better with this type of dish, but always needs to be used on the day that it’s baked)