Jasmine Tea-Smoked Salmon with Apple-Bay Sauce

• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 4 thin slices ginger
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh salmon fillet, skin removed, cut into 4 fillets
• 1 cup long-grain rice
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup loose jasmine or oolong tea leaves
• 3 star anise (optional)
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 6 to 8 ounces white wine
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 1 firm, juicy apple, such as Jonagold, Gala, or Honeycrisp, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh chervil or parsley, for garnish

1. To prepare the salmon, combine the white wine, water, sugar, salt, and ginger in a medium bowl.
2. Add the salmon fillets, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Line the bottom of a 10- or 12-inch cast iron skillet with aluminum foil.
4. In the center put the rice, sugar, and tea, spreading it out slightly.
5. Put the star anise on top.
6. Place a metal steamer basket on top of the rice mixture.
7. Take the salmon from the marinade and pat dry.
8. Lightly oil the steamer basket.
9. Place the salmon fillets in a single layer in the steamer basket.
10. Cut 2 large sheets of aluminum foil, each bigger than the skillet diameter, to make a generously overlapping cover for the skillet.
11. Overlap the edges in the middle by about 4 inches and fold over tightly twice to seal.
12. Then crimp down the outer edges of the foil all around the sides of the skillet so the center creates a tent to contain the rising smoke.
13. Put the tightly sealed skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes.
14. Remove the salmon from the heat and allow it to smoke off the heat for 5 minutes.
15. Place the salmon back on the burner over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, then remove it from the heat again for 5 minutes.
16. Repeat this process two more times for a total of 20 minutes on and off the heat.
17. When you remove the tent the salmon should be just slightly pink in the center, and a bit of the white protein (albumin) should be showing.
18. If the salmon is too pink for your liking, place it in the oven at 325F for 5 minutes.
19. To make the Apple-Bay Sauce, combine the shallot, white wine, lemon juice, and bay leaves in a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until reduced to 2 tablespoons, 3 to 5 minutes.
20. When the reduction begins to bubble, add the cream and reduce the heat to medium low.
21. Add the butter, one cube at a time, whisking in on and off of the heat.
22. Continue whisking butter into the reduction until the mixture starts to thicken.
23. To avoid the sauce separating, do not overheat.
24. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the apple.
25. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.
26. To serve, place each portion of salmon on an individual plate with 3 to 4 tablespoons of the Apple-Bay Sauce.
27. Sprinkle each fillet with chervil.

white wine, water, sugar, salt, thin slices ginger, salmon fillet, longgrain rice, sugar, loose jasmine, anise, shallot, white wine, freshly squeezed lemon juice, bay leaves, heavy cream, cold unsalted butter, salt, apple, parsley

Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/jasmine-tea-smoked-salmon-with-apple-bay-sauce (may not work)