As The Seasons Change

During a recent conference in Western Pennsylvania, I had a wonderful Smoked Salmon Mousse as an appetizer. It was a Chef's Special one evening at Helen's Restaurant at the Seven Springs Resort. The Mousse was light and creamy. It was served with pieces of crisply toasted & slightly sweet currant bread, along with cooked, sweet onions for a topping. While, the chef would not share his recipe (according to the not too friendly waitress), I decided to find my own recipe and try this for my Suday Small Bites. It was a hit with company last weekend, though there are definitely things I would do differently next time.

The recipe for Salmon Mousse came from Recipe Goldmine, and the recipe for Pickled Onions came from http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pickled_red_onions/

Salmon Mousse

1 T green onions,finely chopped
2 T plus 1/4 cup sweet butter,softened
2 - 5 oz. smoked salmon
1/4 Cup cream cheese
1/4 Cup Sour Cream
2 T Lemon Juice
1 T Vodka
1/4 Cup heavy cream,whipped

Saute onion in 2 T butter (I only used 1 T) until golden. Add Salmon, stir and remove from heat.Place Salmon mixture in processor. Add sour cream, 1/4 c butter, and cream cheese. Process until smoothe. Add lemon juice and vodka and pulse briefly to combine. Remove mixture to bowl and fold in whipped cream. Spoon into a mold or small plastic bowl.Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Serve chilled but not cold.

Pickled Onions

1 lb. red onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 c white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar

Blanch onions in a saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain in colander. Combine sugar and vinegar in another saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add blanched, drained onions to vinegar mixture. Simmer for one minute. Transfer to a glass container and allow to cool ( I added 1 small, boiled beet for color). Cover and refigerate. Will keep for several weeks.

I served the mousse on strips of toasted Cranberry Bread. The combination of sweet, tart and slightly salty (salmon) was really good! I would try to lighten this recipe next time by using whipped cream cheese, low fat sour cream, and less butter. I thought that the pickled onions were a bit too tangy - would probably dilute with some water next time.