Pastry with Quark and Salmon

The pastry with quark and salmon is a delicious and sophisticated dish, perfect for an appetizer or a drink. Here is the recipe to prepare them:

Ingredients

• Ready-made brisée pastry (1 roll)
• 200g of quark (or, if you prefer an Italian alternative, you could use robiola cheese)
• 150g of smoked salmon
• Chopped fresh dill (to taste)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• Capers (optional, for garnish)
• Lemon zest (optional, for garnish)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
2. Roll out the brisée pastry and with a pastry cutter or a glass, cut out circles or shapes of your choice.
3. Lay the pastry discs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, prick them with a fork to prevent them from puffing up too much, and bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until golden.
4. In the meantime, in a bowl mix the quark with the lemon juice, chopped dill, salt and pepper until you get a smooth and homogeneous cream.
5. When the brisée pastry is ready and has cooled down, spread a bit of quark cream on each of the discs.
6. Place a piece of smoked salmon on top of each pastry disc.
7. If you like, decorate with capers, grated lemon zest and more chopped dill.
8. Serve the pastries immediately or keep them in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve.

Curiosities

Quark is a fresh cheese of German origin, very similar to yogurt in consistency but with a more neutral taste. It is not very common in Italian cuisine, but can be replaced with creamy cheeses like robiola, which give a touch of Italian flair to the recipe. Quark is also known for being a lighter choice compared to other spreadable cheeses, making this dish not only delicious but also relatively light.