Drink and a nosh: Great Gatsby and smoked salmon mousse

The "lost" stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald are going to be published this coming week. To get ourselves in the proper frame of mind, we'll be bingewatching "Z: The Beginning of Everything," about the fascinating but flawed Zelda.

Drinking also obviously seems appropriate when Fitzgerald comes to mind. Short of getting one of the delightful Zelda cocktails at the Commodore Bar in St. Paul, making the Gatsby cocktail seemed the next best alternative.

Great Gatsby
From seriouseats.com

Ingredients

2½ ounces freshly squeezed grapefruit (most of 1 grapefruit)

1 ounce Lillet Blanc

1 ounce vodka

1 orange slice for garnish

Method

Combine grapefruit juice, Lillet Blanc and vodka with ice and stir. Strain into an ice-filled glass and garnish with an orange slice.

Rating: Wonderfully refreshing, and dangerously drinkable.



Salmon mousse used to be the frugal appetizer that made use of canned salmon, or leftovers. Often it was made in one of those fish-shaped molds, with olives used for the "eyes." If I'd wanted to be entirely in keeping with the retro glam theme, I could have tracked down one of those molds that stylish housewives used back in the day. But it seemed a bit much for a gimmick I wasn't likely to make much use of.

Salmon mousse
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living Everyday Food, December 2007

Ingredients
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
3 tablespoons cold water
4 ounces smoked salmon, chopped

1¼ cups sour cream

1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Method

In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over the cold water. Let stand for 5 minutes to soften. Heat over low heat, stirring, just until gelatin dissolves (it becomes quite clear). Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine salmon, sour cream and lemon juice in a food processor. Season with salt. Pour in gelatin with motor running and mix briefly to combine. Pour into 8-ounce containers and cover, making sure cover doesn't touch the surface. Chill at least 2 hours before serving. Serve with crackers, toast points, or if you're being all G-free, pea pods would work as a dipper.

 

Rating: I wasn't sure what I would think about a dish that involves gelatin, it having been years since I tried such a thing. But it's not overtly gelatinous, it just gives it a more firm body instead of being a creamy dip. The smoked salmon is the most pronounced flavor, with some nice tang from the sour cream and lemon juice. We made short work of the first batch. It's a fast, make-ahead fix that you can pull out and people will inhale accordingly. Given its retro nature, I went with the most retro crackers I could find, but crostini would be a perfectly fine "modern" substitute.

Play along: It's not exactly period perfect, but it's mood perfect: To make yourself feel all Gatsby swank, listen to Shostakovich's Jazz Suites.