Featured Recipe of the Month
(Also see the Recipe Archive)

It's no secret that wine takes on a whole new dimension when paired with food. So we've teamed up one of America's top chef's, Andre Rochat, Chef and Proprietor of Andre's French Restaurant of Las Vegas, and Catherine Fallis, Master Sommelier. Together, Andre and Catherine will create edible masterpieces and give you expert advice on how to perfectly match these culinary creations with complementary wines. Look for this column each month with new recipes and new ideas!

Caramelized Atlantic Salmon with Salmon Caviar,
Sour Cream, Lime and Potato Galette

Ingredients (Serves 6)

Preparation

The Potatoe Galette: Put the potatoes in a pot with enough cold water to cover them and add a little salt. Cook the potatoes thoroughly. While the potatoes are still hot, peel and mash them with a food mill. With a whip mix the potatoes, eggs, flour, cream, chive, salt and pepper. The mix should be soft but not liquid.

In a heavy bottom frying pan, bring the butter to a medium heat. With a serving spoon scoop the mix and place in frying pan to make galette about 3" in diameter. You can also use a blinis frying pan which would form the correct size of galette. Once the galette is brown on one side, turn it over and finish cooking slowly. Once cooked, keep the galettes warm until needed

The Sauce : In a small sauce pan heat up the lime juice. Add the cream and sour cream. Season (do not over salt as the salmon caviar will add its share). Add the lime zest. Do not add the caviar until the very last minute.

The Salmon : Mix all the seasoning ingredients in a bowl. Dip the top side of the salmon in the mixture. In a heavy bottom frying pan, on high heat, put a small amount of vegetable oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Place the salmon in it, the seasoned side down, and let it caramelize. Once caramelized, put the salmon, caramelized side up, on a pre-greased small sheet pan and finish cooking it in a 380 degree oven for 5 minutes.

Presentation: Place the warm potato galettes in the center of each hot plate. Place the salmon on the top of the galette, the caramelized side up. Now add the salmon caviar to the sauce, mix in gently. With a spoon pour some sauce around your salmon. Finish with a sprig of dill on the top of the salmon and serve.

Bon Appetit!

Wines for Caramelized Atlantic Salmon with Salmon Caviar, Sour Cream, Lime and Potato Galette

Salmon and Pinot Noir is like milk and cookies. One enhances the other. Pinot Noir is typically a lighter red than Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot for example, and has seductive raspberry fruit, high natural acidity, and sometimes a hint of mushroomy earthiness. Chef Andre's recipe has three components: the salmon itself, seasoned and then caramelized, its caviar-studded sauce, and the rich, creamy potato galette. Each component on its own is already rich, so the combination calls for a lighter wine with high acid to cleanse instead of to cloy the palate. The forward fruit of a young Pinot will contrast nicely against the touch of Cayenne pepper, and will complement the sweetness of the caramelized crust. The Pinots I recommend here are lightly oaked. Too much vanilla, toast, or char character will overwhelm the subtleties of the dish.

Barefoot Cellars Reserve Sonoma County Pinot Noir $14

Yes, this is the same brand that you see stacked up in Trader Joe's for $4.99 with the big footprint on it. But this wine is a giant step forward and, for California Pinot Noir of this character, an excellent value. Juicy, jammy, perfumed fruit mostly from Carneros and the Russian River Valley and a light hand with oak combine for an elegant, vibrantly fruited, and balanced wine.

Bourgogne Rouge Leroy Burgundy France 1997 $18

Light but vivid ruby color, aromas of earth, dark ripe cherries, exotic perfume, beguiling flavors - that is what I like in Pinot Noir from Burgundy. This stunner from Leroy is the best I have tasted recently and it is both affordable and ready to drink now.

Robert Sinskey Los Carneros Pinot Noir 1998 $26

Take a walk on the wild side, wild strawberry that is. Add lavender and clove aromas and a silky, seductive palate from this long-time Pinot producer and you will have everyone asking for more. Too much fruit and too soft a texture would make any wine over the top. In this case, vibrant acidity and light oak tannins provide balancing support.

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