Blinded by the Wine....Tasting

It’s wine tasting time again and our friends, Grant and Sherri, throw the best party every year! This year everyone was asked to wear hats to add an extra bit of fun to the festivities! You arrive at the front door with a bottle of red or white wine; it is bagged in a brown bag and labeled with a number. The number, wine name and person who brought it are placed on a master list to be referred to later when the top three favorite wines are announced at the end of the tasting. Appetizers and wine are shared with all “connoisseurs” rating their favorite wines from 1 to 5. It is a blind tasting but thankfully with all the great food that is served, we are not blind from all the tasting! Here’s a tasty little appetizer I brought to share with the gang.

Smoked Salmon Mousse Terrine

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces thinly sliced smoked Wild Alaskan salmon
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, like Sriracha  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped dill, extra to sprinkle on top
• 1/4 cup chopped capers
• Toasted baguette rounds or crackers, for spreading

Directions:

Line a small loaf pan with plastic wrap. Lay about 2/3 of the salmon over the plastic wrap, overlapping each slice slightly and hanging the ends over the edge so that they are long enough to cover the top of the mold after the mousse in poured in.

Chop the remaining salmon into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and sour cream until creamy and well combined. Add the hot pepper sauce and salt and stir well. In a small ramekin, heat the lemon juice in microwave for 15 seconds until hot enough to melt gelatin. Sprinkle with the gelatin, stirring until the gelatin is dissolved. Stir into the cream cheese mixture. Fold in the chopped smoked salmon and red onion, dill and capers. Spoon the mousse into the loaf pan and fold the overhanging salmon strips over to completely enclose the mousse. It will be like a wrapped package when you are done.

Cover with the plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 3 hours. To unmold, unwrap the plastic from the loaf pan and invert the pan onto a serving plate. Gently shake to release the mold and unwrap completely. Lightly score the salmon so that it will be easier to break through the salmon to the mousse inside when serving. Sprinkle chopped dill on top of mold. Serve with toasted baguette or crackers.

Cheers! Great food, fine wines and wonderful friends!