Chef's recipe: smoked salmom mousse

Smoked salmon mousse

Ingredients for one mousse

4 leaves of gelatine
Hot water
12ozs salmon trout
Smoked salmon slices
½ cup (200g) melted butter
8oz sour cream
8oz cream cheese
Juice of one large lemon
Plenty of freshly ground or cracked black pepper

Method
Soak the four leaves of gelatine in hot water until soft
Squeeze dry
Melt butter in a saucepan, then stir in the gelatine and incorporate
Place salmon trout, sour cream, cream cheese, lemon juice and pepper in a blender/magimix. Blend together. Then slowly pour in the butter and gelatine.

Line a terrine with cling film and line with slices of smoked salmon. Pour in the mixture. Cover with cling film. Place in fridge and allow to set overnight.

Sauce gibiche
Chopped dill
Red onions
Boiled eggs, chopped
Capers, chopped

Method
Bind above ingredients with mayonnaise until of quenelle consistency
Serve with crackers

2009 Loire vintage

Bunches of ripe Gamay

Arrived in Touraine yesterday – weather is fantastic: blue skies and warm sunshine. It was still 25.5˚C at 6pm yesterday. Grapes looking fine – very healthy. It is so warm that Vincent Roussely is having to start picking his Touraine Sauvignon at 4am in the morning to ensure that the grapes are cool and to preserve the aromas.

More Gamay

Tasting: 2005 and 2006 in the Loire

21 September 2009

Last night we had a look at the 2005 and 2006 vintages – two quite contrasting vintages. The weather was settled and fine in 2005. This allowed producers to be remarkably relaxed and pick just when the grapes were ready. 2006 was quite different – it was a race against rot. For many producers this was the fastest vintage ever as they pulled out all the stops to get the grapes in before they were gobbled up by grey rot ripping through the vineyards.

A few climate figures from Tours illustrate the differences between the two years:

Total rainfall
2005: 400mm
2006: 684mm

Rainfall: August to November (2005 first)
August: 24 – 40
Sept: 19 – 95
Oct: 45 – 60
Nov: 31 – 59

Average max temperatures: July - October (2005 first)
July: 26.1˚C – 30.4˚C
August: 26.3˚C – 23.2˚C
Sept: 25.8˚C – 24.9˚C
Oct: 23.6˚C – 18.6˚C

Hours of sunshine (2005 first)
Total: 1929 – 1753
From January – October: 1750 – 1592

2006 was the wetter year with crucially well above average rainfall in the September, which provoked the rot. Overall it was cooler although with a very hot July. 2005 wasn't super hot but had a long period of even warm temperatures from July through to October.

Wines tasted:



Apéritif: Crémant de Loire, Domaine de Nerleux, Régis Neau £10.50
Attractively soft and creamy sparkler from Régis made from 70% Chenin Blanc and 30% Chardonnay and two years sur latte.

2006 Expression de Gneiss, Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine, Domaine de l'Ecu, Guy Bossard £10.50
Gneiss is a rock that is similar to schist containing minerals in horizontal bands. Guy Bossard went organic in 1975 and has been biodynamic since 1986. He vinifies his different soil types separately. The 2006 had attractive floral notes and some weight of fruit with long minerla finish. Rather overwhelmed by the creamy risotto, would, I think, have shown better with some prawns or oysters.


2005 Touraine Azay-le-Rideau, Pascal Pibaleau £10.30
This white made from 100% Chenin Blanc is somewhat of a rarity. Only 50 hectares are classified as Touraine Azay-le-Rideau. Annual production is 1800 hl with rosé accounting for 60%. Grolleau has to makes up at least 60% of the blend with Cabernet, Côt and Gamay allowed as the additional grapes. (I mistakenly said last night that more white than rosé was made.) There is no red Azay – instead reds are classified as straight Touraine. Well made floral, dry wine with some richness reflecting the vintage, hint of wool and a typical touch of acidity and bitterness in the finish to make it refreshing. Worked better by itself rather than with the salmon and risotto where the flavours didn't marry with the dish.

2005 Sancerre, Cuvée d'Antan, Domaine Henri Bourgeois

Served with: Scottish girolles risotto with roast organic salmon
This was a particularly successful dish – 'delicious' was a frequent comment.

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2006 Les Châtains, Saumur-Champigny, Domaine de Nerleux, Régis Neau

2006 Le Haut de la Butte, Bourgueil, Domaine de la Butte, Jacky Blot

2005 Coteau de Noire, Chinon, Philippe Alliet

Served with: English free range duck breast with potato torte and seasonal vegetables

2006 Chaume, Coteaux du Layon, Château-Pierre-Bise, Claude and Joëlle Papin

Served with Tarte Tatin with Creme Chantilly

One of two Tarte Tatins prepared by George

Report to be concluded ........

Ursula's Italian autumn favourites: 20th September 2009

Photos taken in the RSJ kitchen as Ursula, Penny and Alex prepared the dishes for Sunday lunch.

Ursula practising taking-off

Penny preparing courgette cases (above and below)


Ursula forming pizza balls

Penny rolling out the pizza bases

Zucchini flowers

Now for the pizza toppings

Ready for the oven

Delicious looking Pizza bianca with zucchini flowers straight from the oven

Alex slicing up cooked red peppers

Tray of baked tomatoes

Alex multitasking on the mini dog and bone, while stirring a pot on the stove


Yesterday's menu:

Pizza Bianca with zucchini flowers

Tomato Risotto & Panzanella salad

Stuffed courgettes

Mixed seasonal salad

Formaggio – Caciotta Castellina from the Veneto

Chocolate & hazelnut torta with chocolate sauce
(a speciality from Piemonte)

Ursula has promised me some of the recipes, which I will post when I get them. However, Sunday was Ursula's sixth wedding anniversary, so I may not get them until later this week.

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Ursula's next Sunday lunch is on 18th October featuring the ‘The Italian Classics’. Details here and here.