This is one dish which benefits from being made at least a day (if not two) in advance.  Leaving it to ‘set’ in the fridge makes it hold its shape perfectly when sliced and also leaves the way clear to have more time with your guests or prepare other dishes.

I served this beautiful Roulade for lunch on Christmas Day as part of a smorgasbord of various cheeses, homemade jellies, olives, crackers etc. and believe me, it went down a treat.   It not only looked superb and stunning, but was quite easy to make.  I gently teased the baking parchment off the roulade with a sharp knife and most peeled away easily.

INGREDIENTS:

Roulade:
250g baby spinach leaves
5 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon baking powder
50g Parmesan, finely grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Filling:
200g full-fat cream cheese
50g full-fat crème fraiche
1 lemon, finely grated zest and juice
A good handful of freshly chopped Dill
240g smoked salmon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

Line a swiss roll tin with baking parchment.

Wilt the spinach in a dry fry pan and when cool enough to handle, press out as much juice as possible.

Pop the spinach into a food processor together with 4 egg yolks, baking powder and plenty of salt and pepper. Pulse until finely chopped and well mixed. Pour into a large mixing bowl.

Whisk 5 egg whites until stiff. Gently fold the egg whites into the spinach mixture then tip the mixture into the prepared baking tin and spread to fill the tin.

Bake 180°C/Gas 6 for 8 to 10 minutes or until firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, place a large piece of baking parchment on the work surface and sprinkle with the Parmesan.   Carefully turn out the roulade on to the Parmesan and leave to cool.

Prepare the filling by mixing the cream cheese, crème fraiche, zest and dill together until smooth and then add some ground black pepper and lemon juice, to taste.

Carefully peel the parchment from the egg roulade and gently spread the filling over using a butter knife. Top the filling with an even layer of smoked salmon.

Turn out onto the Parmesan

Using the parchment to help, roll up the roulade as tightly as possible making one long roll.   I chose to roll the roulade starting from the long end so that I could have plenty of smaller slices, but rolling from the short end will give you much larger slices but fewer.  Trim the ends and wrap firmly in the parchment. An added layer of either cling film or tin foil will keep the roll snug whilst it rests in the fridge.

Carefully unroll the paper when ready to serve and cut into even slices.

Serve with plenty of lemon slices

This roulade is perfect as part of a smorgasbord but would also be lovely served with a fresh, crisp salad. Could be used as an appetiser, or as a light lunch. Perfect for any occasion.

NB: All photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared and served myself.