Trout and watercress paté

A quick and easy cold fist course, full of flavour and colour. Smoked trout comes as fillets in vacuum packets.

Serves 6

Ingredients

100g (4oz) soft butter
175g (6oz) full fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon creamed horseradish from a jar
Juice of ½ a lemon
300g (10oz) trout fillets
A few drops of Tabasco
25g (1oz) fresh watercress plus more for garnish
Lambs lettuce
6 ripe pears
Wedges of lemon to garnish
6 tablespoons French dressing

Achieving the perfect results

1. Measure the butter, cream cheese, horseradish and lemon juice into a processor. Whiz until smooth.

2. Remove any tiny bones and the skin from the trout, discard and break the flesh into pieces, add to the processor. Add the Tabasco, watercress and season with pepper and whiz again until just blended.

3. Spoon into a bowl.

4. Arrange lambs lettuce on six individual plates. Peel and core the pears and cut each pear into four equal slices lengthways. Arrange three pear quarters per plate in a star shape on top of the lettuce. Spoon a good tablespoon of the pate into the centre of each plate and garnish with a wedge of lemon.

5. Spoon over the dressing and serve with toast or melba toast.

Preparing ahead
The paté can be made up to the end of step 3 up to two days ahead. Not suitable for freezing.