Cute carrot cones filled with salmon mousse

Crispy wafer cones are filled with a goat cheese salmon mousse and topped with a sprig of dill, creating a platter of beautiful “carrots” to serve your Easter guests.

These cute carrots are actually crispy cones filled with a creamy goat cheese salmon mousse. While this recipe has a lot of steps, by making the mousse and cones the day before, you can save on prep time and throw a low-stress, elegant Easter brunch.

The first step is to whip up your salmon mousse. This mousse uses goat cheese, rather than cream cheese, for a tangy, grown-up flavor. Once it’s made, store it in the refrigerator at least one hour so it gets nice and firm.

The carrot cones are tuiles, a gourmet wafer that you can make in your own kitchen. Start by making a stencil. It needs to be a hard, thin piece of plastic, like the lid to a lettuce container. Find a bowl or dish that’s four inches in diameter to trace onto your stencil, then cut out the circle.

Use a flexible spatula to spread the batter into your stencil, making sure to use a Silpat or parchment paper. I recommend starting with one tuile to get the hang of it.

Bake the tuiles for four minutes, then set the cookie sheet on the door of the oven. This keeps the tuiles warm and flexible so they don’t break.

Flip over your first tuile with an offset spatula.

Now place your cornet mold (also called a cream horn mold) along one edge of the tuile and carefully roll the tuile around it. The tuiles are VERY hot, so touch lightly and be careful not to touch the hot pan. You can have them seam side up or down, but I find that I like the look of the seam up, because it lets the mousse peek out of the cone better.

Bake the tuiles on their molds for an additional three or four minutes.

Remove the cookie sheet and use a hot pad to carefully move the cones (still on their molds) to a paper towel-lined plate.

Let them rest for one minute, then remove from the mold. You can now start another batch of tuiles.

Let the cones cool completely before filling with the mousse. You can store them unfilled in an airtight container for up to two days.

For crispy cones, assemble the carrots 30 minutes or less before serving. Simply use a bag with a pastry tip to pipe the mousse into each cone (you may have some mousse left). Poke a sprig of dill into the center of the cone, and you’ve got a complete carrot.

Salmon mousse carrot cones

Design inspired by Hungry Happenings; tuile recipe adapted from The French Laundry Cookbook

Makes 8

Ingredients and supplies:

For the salmon mousse

• 4 ounces smoked salmon
• 10 sprigs fresh dill, divided
• 8 ounces creamy goat cheese (chevre)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

For the tuile cones

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool
• 2 large egg whites, cold
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Orange (or yellow and red) food dye paste
• Stencil
• Cream horn molds
• Silpat or parchment paper
• Pastry bag and star tip

Directions:

1. Finely chop salmon and two sprigs of dill, in a food processor.
2. Add goat cheese, lemon juice and pepper. Pulse until combined. Scoop the salmon mousse into a bag fitted with a pastry tip, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, then clean the food processor and dry well.
4. Process the butter in your food processor until it is very creamy, like mayonnaise. Add the egg whites, salt, sugar and flour. Pulse until it’s incorporated into a lump-free batter, using a spatula to scrape the sides down if necessary.
5. Add food dye to the batter, pulsing again until you get a nice bright orange. I dipped 2 toothpicks in red dye and two in yellow, then swirled them through the batter.
6. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
7. Place your stencil on the sheet and use a flexible spatula to spread batter evenly across the stencil. Remove the stencil, and you should be left with a circle. Repeat as room allows, only making as many circles as you have cream horn molds.
8. Bake in the oven for 4 minutes.
9. Remove promptly, setting the sheet on the open oven door.
10. Use an offset spatula to flip your first circle. Place a mold on the circle, with the tip of the mold touching the edge of the circle. Carefully (they’re hot!) roll the tuile around the mold. Repeat with remaining circles and molds. Place them seam side up if you can for a fancier presentation, but (if you’re having trouble getting them to stay) seam side down will work.
11. Bake an additional 3-4 minutes, until just starting to brown at the edges.
12. Remove from the oven, and use a hot pad to remove the cones (still on their molds) to a paper towel-lined plate. Let sit for 1 minute, then remove the molds and let the tuile cones cool.
13. To assemble the carrots, pipe your salmon mousse into each cone. Lay the cones on your platter and insert a sprig of dill into each. Serve within 30 minutes for best results.

More Easter recipes

Asparagus frittata
Curried deviled eggs
Whole wheat dinner rolls