Wine country recipe: molded salmon loaf

BORDEAUX, France--The best wine country visits invariably involve sitting down around a table and sharing a meal. Here's one, at the impressive Château Lamothe, an estate in the commune of Haux, atop a steep hillside in the Entre-Deux-Mers 20 miles or so upriver from Bordeaux.

Four generations of women are in evidence. the 88-year-old grandmother, who watches the youngsters, but also prepares the salmon mousse (recipe follows). Her daughter Anne Néel welcomes us with a pitcher of the newly pressed white wine, known locally as bourru. Her daughter, Maria Chombart, is the winemaker, responsible for the contents of the barrels in the cave below the chateau; her husband Damien runs the sales side. And their 9-year-old daughter Valentine created the "V" for the label of a jaw-dropping white wine (85 percent sauvignon gris) that the family served our band of thirsty journalists late last month.

Above: Fort Worth-based foor & wine writer Renie Steves helps herself to the salmon.

Mme. Néel provided these details; feel free to try it at home, she writes, but be sure to use Château Lamothe.

Salmon Loaf
serves 6

The day before: poach 1-1/2 lbs salmon in a court-bouillon (don't overcook!).Skin, debone and drain; then mix with:

1 glass dry white from Château Lamothe
1/2 finely chopped onion
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Now here's a problematic step. Mme. Néel's recipe calls for "1/4 l de gelée Maggi à double concentration," a product that doesn't exist in the US. The closest thing we've got is Knox unflavored gelatin, while Maggi has desirable aromatic qualities. So if I were making this dish tomorrow, I'd dissolve the gelatin in 8 ounces of the reserved fish stock.
About 6 ounces mayonnaise
About 6 ounces crème fraîche

Nap the inside of a fish-shaped mold with some additional jelly (aspic) and let it set in the refrigerator. Once the aspic has set, pour the salmon mix into the molds and chill for 24 hours. Unmold and decorate before serving.

To be enjoyed with a dry white from Château Lamothe, of course! Got that? Many more pictures, if you'd like to drool, on my Facebook page.

As always, we thank the winegrowers of Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur, who sponsored this trip.