A white plate topped with a piece of salmon and vegetables
While practicing for the CMC exam, I remember reading about a candidate who developed delicious flavor for her seafood terrine by simmering fresh herbs in heavy cream. I practiced this technique repeatedly & learned this technique for when I prepare mousseline forcemeat.
A close up of a plate of food with a flower design on it

Salmon Fillet en Croute/ Salmon Terrine

This is an advanced recipe I practiced repeatedly with CMC Stephen Giunta during our years of preparation for the CMC exam. I love that it replicates the shape of a salmon fillet. I’ve made similar terrines with chicken, lobster, scallops etc. for many dinners and events -always a crowd pleaser. And I always simmer fresh herbs in the heavy cream for the delicious, delicate flavor!








This photo is a smoked trout fillet wrapped around the same salmon mousseline. This plate won a gold metal in Erfurt, Germany for the Culinary Olympics. I was a member of the CIA Olympic team.

Prep Time: 6o min

Cooking Time: 30 min 


Ingredients

Salmon Mousseline Forcemeat


1 lb.          Salmon, cleaned

3 ea          Shallots, peeled & minced

2 Tbsp    Butter, unsalted

2 slice     White bread, no crusts, cubed

8 tbsp.    Heavy cream

1 Tbsp     Fresh herbs (dill, tarragon, parsley, basil)

1 tbsp      Kosher salt

¼ tsp     Cayenne pepper

1 tsp        Paprika

¼ tsp     Nutmeg

1 ea          Egg yolk

1 1/2 ea   Egg whites


To prepare the Forcemeat

A close up of a white sauce with bread and onions

Step 1           Making the mousseline forcemeat

Sweat the shallots and diced bread in butter, add cream and fresh herbs and simmer until it is ‘roux-like’ in texture. Cool completely and grind with the salmon, place into a cold bowl and add the seasonings. Fold in a small amount of egg at a time so the eggs incorporate evently (over ice). Add cream slowly to incorporate, then poach a quenelle to evaluate for seasoning and flavor. Seafood is sometimes different in texture so the cream usually fluctuates by an ounce or so…


A piece of salmon wrapped in spinach leaves on a wooden cutting board.

Step 2           Wrapping the salmon fillet

I carefully lay rinsed, dried spinach leaves overlapping between two sheets of plastic wrap; roll firmly until the spinach becomes one, flat sheet. You may blanch the spinach if you like but it’s not necessary.

Carefully wrap the spinach around the salmon fillet. I like to get the salmon fillet very cold and I always season the salmon with salt and pepper, the salt helps to make the flesh a little firmer.



A piece of food is wrapped in plastic wrap on a table.

Step 3            Rolling the mousseline forcemeat

Spread the salmon forcemeat onto a sheet of plastic wrap (about 1/8th inch thick), cover with a second sheet of plastic wrap. I actually place chop sticks (one on the left side and one on the right side of the wrapped salmon forcemeat) as a guide to roll over the forcemeat until it is evenly flat. Then I unwrap the top sheets of plastic and lay the spinach wrapped salmon fillet gently onto the forcemeat.


A close up of a sandwich wrapped in plastic wrap on a green surface.

Step 4            Assembly and cooking

Using a palette knife, gently spread the forcemeat so it completely covers the spinach wrapped salmon fillet. Wrap the fillet in plastic and seal on both ends with string. I place the wrapped salmon terrine onto a sheet of acrylic with the side the skin was on, down so the natural shape of the salmon fillet remains.

It’s fine to poach on top of the stove or in the oven (in a water bath) at 250° F until the internal final temperature reaches 145° F.

I find the terrine slices better the next day. Enjoy! 


A white plate topped with a piece of salmon and vegetables

Slicing and presenting

The salmon terrine can be sliced thinly and overlapped or in a thicker slice which can stand up. Since this salmon terrine is assembled to replicate the actual shape of salmon fillet, I chose to serve one, thicker slice.

I like an emulsion style sauce made with pasteurized egg yolks, mustard, vinegar and oil. This sauce has diced pickles, lemon zest, fresh dill and pepper.

Salmon is delicate and pairs well with asparagus, cucumbers and tomatoes, dressed simply with lemon juice and salad oil.

Eggplant Caponata

By Tom Griffiths • July 27, 2026
The name "caponata" itself has a fascinating origin story. One popular theory suggests it derives from capone, the Sicilian word for mahi-mahi. Historically, wealthy Sicilian aristocrats enjoyed a sweet-and-sour fish dish. Because seafood was too expensive for the working class, local home cooks substituted fish with affordable, meaty eggplant. Over time, this creative peasant food evolved into the beloved antipasto we celebrate today, often rounded out with celery, olives, and capers.

Children's lunches cooked by Chefs

By Tom Griffiths • July 23, 2026
From Talk to Action: A Chef’s Challenge for School Lunches 

Dessert; Lemon Cheesecake

By Tom Griffiths • July 22, 2026
The legendary New York-style cheesecake was famously popularized by Lindy’s Restaurant , an iconic Theater District deli opened in 1921 by German-immigrant Leo "Lindy" Lindemann and his wife Clara . A NY-style cheesecake has a dense but velvety cream cheese base, citrus zest, and a distinct cookie-dough pastry crus t. For years, I took the bus into NYC to work in amazing restaurant kitchens. On one bus ride I met and became friends with a manager at the legendary Lindy’s Restaurant. One day, he did the ultimate honor: he shared the closely guarded, original cheesecake recipe with me. This new recipe is directly inspired by that legendary Lindy’s classic, capturing its iconic velvety richness and signature flavor profile, but re-engineered for a modern, protein-packed lifestyle.  Why This Recipe Delivers High-protein swap : Cottage cheese provides a clean, protein-packed base that replaces heavy fats without sacrificing richness. Silky texture : Blending the batter thoroughly ensures a velvety smooth consistency that rivals any NY-style cake. Savory-approved : Simple, foolproof assembly that requires no pastry-chef precision to get a perfect bake every time.

Rigatoni with Pesto & Asian Greens

By Tom Griffiths • June 28, 2026
One of the great pleasures of my career is spending time each year working as a Culinary Educator aboard a cruise ship alongside my wife. She teaches baking & pastry while I focus on savory cooking and culinary techniques. Our travels take us to fascinating ports around the world, providing opportunities to explore local markets and study regional cuisines. I have a particular affection for the Mediterranean and always make it a point to seek out local variations of pesto, one of the world's great culinary treasures. One evening aboard ship, the pasta station served rigatoni with a choice of pesto, marinara, or Alfredo sauce. The cook prepared each order by reheating the pasta in hot water and then finishing it briefly in a sauté pan with the selected sauce. I watched in disbelief as he prepared to heat the pesto exactly the same way. "Horror!" flashed through my mind. Pesto is not a cooked sauce. Heating it aggressively dulls the fresh basil aroma, darkens its vibrant color, and diminishes the delicate flavors of basil, garlic, pine nuts, and extra virgin olive oil that make pesto so special. I may have startled the cook when I quickly called out, "Please don't cook my pesto!" Instead, I asked him to simply toss the hot rigatoni with the pesto off the heat, allowing the warmth of the pasta to gently release the fragrance and flavor of the basil. The result was exactly as pesto was intended to be enjoyed—fresh, vibrant, aromatic, and unmistakably Mediterranean.

Chicken Sauté, Fines Herbs & Champagne Cream

By Tom Griffiths • May 13, 2026
As chefs, we spend years mastering sauté work. I remember my early days working the sauté station for lunch in a French restaurant in NYC. We served over one hundred guests in an hour-and the food was excellent — a dozen hot pans on the flat top, stocks simmering, mise en place of freshly chopped herbs, minced shallots, butter for mounting into sauces à la minute. There is rhythm to good sauté cooking. You learn quickly that great sauté work is not about rushing — it is about organization and control .

Beyond Sweet Basil: An Herb with History, Health, and Global Range

By Tom Griffiths • April 23, 2026
Beyond Sweet Basil: An Herb with History, Health, and Global Range 

Dessert; Italian Wheat Pie

By Tom Griffiths • April 11, 2026
Our Easter and Christmas meals were feasts... my mother's family all met at Aunt Flora's home in Jersey City to enjoy and celebrate the holidays. Dinner began with platters of fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, olives, Italian bread, then a pasta course (manicotti or lasagna for the religious holidays), a roast or sausages with plenty of vegetables and traditional Italian desserts with dark coffee.We ate Italian Easter Wheat Pie one day each year—and it was never store-bought. My Aunts brought Easter cookies and baked goods-the wheat pie was my favorite. I loved the slight 'bite' of the wheat and flavors of cinnamon, vanilla and citrus. My father sometimes let me have a sip of his espresso with the dessert. I'm not sure if my mother used lard for the pie crust-she was a fan of butter and Crisco but the crust was always flaky.

Roast Leg of Lamb

By Tom Griffiths • April 8, 2026
There are certain dishes that stay with you—not just for their flavor, but for what they represent. For me, roasting a leg of lamb over Pommes boulangère is one of those meals. I don't recall having lamb at any occasions growing up so this was a dish that I proudly introduced to our family. As a young cook, it was something I could prepare with limited experience, and it provided deeply satisfying results. The lamb roasts in the oven over a bed of potatoes, onions, and garlic, allowing its natural juices and fat to baste the vegetables below. It's actually a simple preparation but becomes a complete, delicious meal—the potatoes absorbing flavor and becoming just as important as the roast itself. These days I'm developing delicious recipes using spice blends such as Ras el hanout, Baharat, Za'atar, Togarashi and even Harissa. I also love roasting leg of lamb outdoors on a grill or rotisserie. I like the subtle smokiness from applewood or dried herbs when I'm roasting lamb outdoors.

Potatoes Boulangère

By Tom Griffiths • April 8, 2026
There are certain dishes that stay with you—not just for their flavor, but for what they represent. For me, Pommes boulangère is one of those dishes. As a young cook, it was a delicious meal I could prepare for my family with my limited culinary experience. I often return to this preparation when roasting whole chicken, pork, or lamb—letting the potatoes, onions, and garlic absorb the natural juices from the protein as it cooks. The potatoes becomes more than a side dish; it’s the foundation of the meal.

Holiday Au Graten Potatoes

By Tom Griffiths • April 7, 2026
There are countless versions of Potatoes au gratin , many of them heavy with cheese. I prefer a more restrained approach—using little or no cheese—so the flavor of the potatoes remains the focus rather than being masked. Milk produces a lighter, more delicate gratin, while light or heavy cream creates a richer, more structured dish. Both are valid—it simply depends on the desired outcome. One constant, however, is nutmeg. Used sparingly, it acts as a quiet “secret weapon,” adding depth without calling attention to itself. This recipe is inspired by Xavier LeRoux, one of the finest chefs I’ve had the privilege to work with. His method includes an extra step—gently simmering the potatoes in cream before baking—which yields a noticeably superior result. The potatoes begin to release their starch into the cream early, ensuring a more uniform texture and a fully integrated dish from the first bite to the last.