Looks like the spring holiday season got the best of my blogging. Easter and Mothers Day have come and gone and we had some great brunch business at Roux. We tried out a couple of new items on Mother’s Day – both remind me of summer. Hush Puppies and Smoked Trout Dip. They were both a hit and might make it onto the menu.

Hush puppies make me think of setting up fish camp with my grandfather at Center Hill Lake in Tennessee. My dad, mom, brother and I would go for a few days, my grandfather stayed for a week or more. Lunch was usually sandwiches or hotdogs. Dinner was always the fresh catch: usually Crappie, Bream or Bass, and even Turtle. We cooked on open fires and Coleman stoves. We bathed in the lake, and they only intrusion was the occasional passing bass boat. But I couldn’t get enough of the fresh hush puppies fried in an old cast iron skillet; luckily we had them every night at the lake.

Trout, I’ll admit was not on any menu I had growing up. It’s a definite North Carolina staple and very popular in the mountains. Our Smoked Trout Dip at Roux is made with horseradish and cracked black pepper to give it some bite. Here’s the recipe enjoy.

NC Smoked Trout Dip

1.5 lbs of NC Smoked Trout, flaked
8 oz cream cheese (room temp)
8 oz sour cream
½ small red onion finely diced
3 T prepared horseradish
juice of 1 lemon
Salt and Cracked Black Pepper to taste

In a food processor blend cream cheese, sour cream, onion, lemon juice and horseradish until smooth. Add trout, salt and pepper and pulse slowly so that you don’t puree the trout. Serve with toast points and crackers.