The Brunch Issue
Salmon en Croute
Plate it
Gourmandise the Bakery
A
common saying within the food community is, “You eat with your eyes first.” And at Gourmandise the Bakery’s two locations in downtown Salt Lake and Draper, guests are devouring the salmon en croute for the visual appeal as much as the gastronomic satisfaction it creates. Gourmandise owner Vernon Hanssen explains that when they bought The Bakery in 2006, the salmon en croute had been on the menu since 2000 but only served on Fridays. “The dish was created at The Bakery as a way of combining the Catholic tradition of serving fish on Fridays with our desire to use French pastry techniques to reflect our bakery influence,” Hanssen recalls. “It became so popular that we had to respond to customer demands to have it every day.” Today, the salmon en croute is one of the most popular
STORY AND PHOTO BY HEATHER L. KING
brunch items on the weekend and can also be found on the dinner menu daily. The salmon en croute is a labor of love at Gourmandise the Bakery. Chef Clay Campbell and his team roll out the puff pastry and hand cut each piece into the shape of a fish. Inside, fresh salmon from Fog River Seafood in the Pacific Northwest is mixed with an earthy spinach cream sauce along with onion, garlic, salt, pepper and heavy cream and then sealed with another fish-shaped piece of dough before being painted with egg and baked. A delectable lobster sauce spiked with cayenne pepper and tomato paste add creamy richness to the entrée. Hanssen says that the use of heavy cream in this dish, along with many of the sauces on the menu, are key to Gourmandise’s success. “The liberal use of cream and unsalted, high-quality
butter is what characterizes French cooking,” he continues. “Our commitment to expensive ingredients and labor-intensive techniques are what sets our products apart. Who else would hand roll, hand fill and hand cut hundreds of fish every week?” The answer is few to none. Fortunately, diners in both the north and south ends of the Salt Lake Valley can enjoy this flaky, savory treat seven days a week at Gourmandise the Bakery. ❖ Gourmandise the Bakery 250 S. 300 East, SLC 801-328-3330 and 725 E. 12300 South, Ste. A, Draper 801-571-1500 GourmandiseTheBakery.com Devour Utah • march 2020 31
