Decadence on a Dime: Smoked Salmon and Riesling

Throughout last week, mired in work, the tedium of teleconferences, doused constantly by cold spring rains, I was feeling rather down and out. When approaching an abyss of melancholy, the vortex of which lulling and cajoling into deeper states of desolation, it can be difficult to take a step back, gain some perspective, and take the initiative to pull myself up by my own proverbial boot straps; however, pull myself up I must, and I did. One strategy that offers, at the least, ephemeral comfort and solace is good food and good wine; on Tuesday, I treated myself to some simple smoked salmon and a bottle of very dry, not at all sweet German riesling. In pampering oneself, and finding a sense of internal personal calm and relief, one can then be open to be pampered by others, and find more easily sources of calm and relief in the external quotidian.

For the ladies, and the gentleman, who harbor some culinary confusion and are frequently confounded in the kitchen, smoked salmon is an effortless and easily elegant appearing date strategy; it requires minimum, at best, kitchen skills and is always delicious, especially when well paired with some wine. Toast some white bread, or bake some baguette rounds in the oven, whip up some horseradish sauce, with either full fat sour cream or almost equally lush Greek yogurt for the calorie conscious, dice some red onion, compile some capers, and you have an artfully arranged plate.

Again, the riesling was exceptionally dry and flavorful, without the overpowering, sickeningly sweet taste; definitely worth a sampling for those who have been reluctant with German whites, and the price was right at about 13$ for the bottle.