Tomorrow in the early hours of the morning I will drive up north to visit my aunt and see some of my cousins. Just a few hours ago I had a pleasant surprise, a call from my cousin who will not be there. She said that her family would be missing me and the stuff I call trout paté, and she called to find out the ingredients to make the paté for herself and her family.
Here it is:
Juice of 1 lemon
8 oz cream cheese
about 2 tbs chopped fresh dill
Habanera, Tabasco or other hot sauce (I've also used ground red pepper flakes)
I smoked trout filet
Beat the lemon juice and cream cheese until the mixture is light and fluffy. Combine other ingredients and refrigerate overnight. This is one of those "to taste" recipes. A couple of people have said they tried making their own and it didn't taste like mine.
So as I was making up my own batch to take to tomorrow's dinner I started thinking about why that might be. My first guess is that people might be leaving out the hot sauce or not adding enough. Or perhaps they don't let it sit overnight. The flavors aren't the same unless the smokiness of the fish has time to work.
But then I started to philosophize - perhaps because I just finished watching "The Bucket List," or maybe because I've been wanting to post something about my life that is not a complaint about my job or a piece of (relatively) ancient history that I really should forget. My philosophical meditation is this: You have this short list of ingredients, and there is always some possibility that they will vary depending on brand, age, or quality. You have your own preferences. Perhaps people who try to make the trout spread are not trusting their own desires. Add less hot sauce. Add more lemon juice. Don't be so meticulous when you blend in the smoked fish. Leave some lumps in there - see how it feels. Not quite enough? Throw in a little chopped scallion or some pepper. It's up to you. But do let it sit overnight. Time helps.
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