And The Winner Is: Sofia from Francis Ford Coppola Winery

Arriving on the red carpet, is Sofia, her delicate rose complexion complemented by a cool platinum sheath of satin falling in folds around her Jimmy Choo’s and crowned by a unique vintage necklace of pearls and white gold filigree punctuated with a single sky-blue diamond.

Oscar dreams aside, Sofia Blanc de Blancs bursts with rich pear, honeysuckle, and exotic passion fruit aromas. Crisp apple, melon, and juicy tangerine flavors fill the palate, with notes of bright lemon and honey evident on the refreshing, mouth-tingling finish and is a unique blend of 70% Pinot Blanc, 20% Sauvignon Blanc, 10% Muscat Cannelli. A light sparkling wine with an elegant, feminine flair, each bottle is gift-wrapped in pink cellophane styled after a peony. Celebration-ready and perfect for gift-giving.

For our Oscar Party, I’m pairing Sofia Blanc de Blancs with an elegant Smoked Salmon Mousse.

Salmon mousse can be made with smoked salmon, which I adore, or poached salmon. With Don’s sodium restriction, I have to steer clear of smoked and cured fish (and meats) as sodium is a key component in the curing process and also acts as a preservative. You’re free to use packaged smoked salmon, of course, but poaching fresh wild salmon in white wine seems to lend an extra luxurious touch and results in a velvety, pink confection that all your guests will be raving about! Red carpet here we come 🙂

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Oscar Worthy Salmon Mousse

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

7 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

An elegant appetizer that lends itself to a number of gorgeous presentations and can be prepared a day or two in advance.

Servings: 12 appetizer servings

Ingredients

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup broth from poached salmon
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh Meyer* lemon juice
• 1 red cherry chile pepper diced
• 1 teaspoon creamy horseradish
• ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt*
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
• 1 pound finely flaked poached fresh salmon*
• 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

1. To poach salmon: heat 1/2 cup of good quality white wine (I used a Dr. Loosen Riesling), 1/2 cup of water, sprinkle of dill and a few thin slices of yellow onion in a saute pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, place salmon fillets, skin-side down on the pan. Cover. Cook 5-7 minutes or to desired doneness. Be careful not to overcook - gently press with a fork, if the salmon flesh is opaque and begins to flake, it's done. Remove salmon from the poaching liquid - reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid for the mousse. Remove the skin and, using a fork, flake the salmon into tiny pieces.
2. Add gelatin to the cold water in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the boiling broth from poached salmon and whisk the mixture slowly until the gelatin dissolves. Cool to room temperature.
3. Whisk in the mayonnaise, lemon juice, horseradish, paprika, salt, dill and chives. Stir to blend completely and refrigerate until the mixture begins to thicken slightly, about 15 minutes.
4. Fold in the finely flaked salmon. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until it is thickened to soft peaks and fluffy. Fold gently into the salmon mixture. Transfer the mixture to a 6 to 8 prepared ramekins, or decorative mold. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Recipe Notes

Allow 4 hours to chill the mousse.
*I used NoSalt sodium-free salt alternative for a low-sodium diet. I prefer sweet Meyer lemons, but regular lemons are fine, too, and for the salmon, a wild sockeye fillet, skin-on, if it's available.

Shown served with toast rounds, thinly sliced Campari tomatoes and English cucumber garnished with thinly sliced Meyer lemon and pomegranate arils (optional).

Other options for presentation: serve small Campari or Pearl tomatoes filled with Salmon Mousse or endive leaves with a dollop of Salmon mousse garnished with dill, chives, and/or pomegranate arils.

Just having a little fun. But seriously, with Oscar night upon us, now is the perfect time to head over to Von’s/Pavilions.

Von’s is featuring Francis Ford Coppola Wines in their current “Taste Before You Buy” promotion with Peter Dills – coming to a store near you!

* Vons/Pavilions wine sale is going on now and concludes on April 1, 2014.

Disclosure:  I received bottles of Coppola Sofia Sparkling Wine, Director’s Cut Pinot Noir and Claret to enjoy. As always, opinions expressed are my own. Side note: I liked the wines so much, that I have already taken advantage of the Von’s sale to purchase Coppola wines and foresee several more buying trips before April 1st.