Word is beginning to spread that I tour as somewhat of a gourmet! This is one of the beautiful courses my hosts, the Douglas family, served on October 26, 2007 in Ashland, VA. It is served with basmati rice and fresh asparagus and rates as one of my favorites! Submitted by Jack Douglas

Ingredients

2 c. fresh apple cider
1 pt. heavy cream
2 dashes of cayenne pepper
(to taste)
1/4-1/3 c. real maple syrup (not maple flavored syrup)
1 fresh whole nutmeg
Red or black salt, crushed
2 tbsp. cornstarch
Serve with:
Steamed asparagus
Poached salmon

Instructions

Add apple cider, heavy cream, cayenne pepper (to taste), maple syrup and salt to heavy saucepan and simmer until liquid starts to slightly bubble around edges. Do not allow the sauce to boil.
Temper the 3 tbsp. of cornstarch with several spoons of the hot mixture then add that back to the liquid stirring until mixture begins to thicken.
Grate about 1/3 of the nutmeg into the mix.

To Serve:

Pack 1⁄2 c. of cooked basmati rice and carefully un-mold the rice into the center of the serving plate so it keeps the shape of the measuring cup.
Spoon the thickened Apple Cider Cream Sauce around the center of rice out to the edges of the flat bottom of the plate.
Place 3-5 steamed asparagus spears to one side of the rice and one or two pieces of the poached salmon on the other side. The salmon can be poached the afternoon before the dinner and warmed in a 300 F oven just before serving time.
Grate some fresh nutmeg on the salmon and add just a little of the crushed black or red salt on all the ingredients. For cinnamon lovers a slight dash to both the sauce and the finished plating will add another dimension to this recipe.