smoked salmon canapes

I know, I know, it's been a long time since I've updated. I've been having difficulties finding a balance between work and school to have some time for myself, and my cooking. Yes, I'm finally employed once again, and to add to that full time schedule, I've taken up the idea of a night class after almost three years since finishing college. Once I get home, turning on the computer is the last thing I want to do. But here I am, on a sunny Sunday morning, tapping away at the keyboard. 

These canapes were part of one of my favorite photo spreads in the book. Simple, classic, and clean. Smoked salmon always conjured up ideas of a fancy tea party or hors d'oeuvres platter. Smoky and salty, the seemingly raw slices would just melt in your mouth. And when I visited New York a couple of years ago, I fell in love with a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel around the corner from my friend's dorm. There are still days when I think about that round little breakfast sandwich, with a cup of coffee of course. What could be more perfect?

These, however, were a much more aesthetically pleasing take on the classic, grown up and dressed up. I practically doubled the amount of salmon in the cucumber triangles above, wanting a greater salmon to cream cheese ratio. I'm not a big fan of cream cheese, generally spreading it thin, just enough to add some creaminess and moisture. That's one of the best thing with food, you can always adjust to your palette. 

  

I liked the salmon flower more, with its assertive herbaceous and lemony flavor. Plus, it was just so much cuter, dainty and perfect for a tea party. The salmon and cucumber was definitely cleaner tasting though, with the cucumber adding a nice fresh crisp bite. Perhaps, a combination of the two would be the best combination of flavor and texture. 

Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese and Cucumber Canapes


makes two dozen

1 cup roughly chopped smoked salmon
1/2 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp prepared horseradish
12 slices of wheat bread
2 large seedless cucumbers, peel on

In a small bowl, use a fork to combine the salmon, cream cheese, lemon juice, and horseradish. Set aside, covered in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Toast bread slices until dry and toasted slightly. Cool.

Generously spread each bread slice with the salmon cream cheese. Using a mandoline, thinly slice the cucumbers lengthwise about 1/8-inch thick. Arrange the cucumber slices, overlapping slightly, on each bread slice. Trim the crusts. Slice each canape in half on the diagonal with a sharp knife. Finish remaining ingredients. Serve slightly chilled.

Smoked Salmon Flower Canapes


makes 2 dozen

12 slices of wheat bread
3 oz dill butter, at room temperature (recipe below)
6 oz thinly sliced smoked salmon
24 small sprigs fresh dill

Toast bread slices until dry and toasted slightly. Cool.

Spread each bread slice with the butter. Arrange a single layer of smoked salmon over each slice. Use a 2-inch flower-shaped cookie cutter to cut out 24 canapes. Garnish each with a sprig of dill and serve.


Dill Butter:

4 tsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Place butter, cream cheese, lemon zest and juice, dill, and salt in bowl. Smash with back of fork until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.

grilled zucchini canapes

As I mentioned in the last post, I made some Swedish rye bread. I actually tried to adjust the bread's ingredients to make a sweeter, more like pumpernickel, flavor. Unfortunately, it did not taste exactly like I wanted, which made me want to tweak the recipe some more. I will update once those trials happen. But anyways, I found myself with two loaves of bread needing a purpose. These canapes were a solution, since they actually called for a pumpernickel bread.

Roasting the peppers were really easy, nothing to be intimidated by. I just placed them directly on the trivet of my stove over medium-high heat. It will start to blister and may even pop slightly, but that's quite all right. Turn to char all sides and once completely blackened, place in a bowl covered by plastic wrap for 15 minutes. The steam will loosen the charred skin for easy removal. Remove the skin, core, and seeds.

Got to use the mandoline from E. again, I love it, one of my new favorite kitchen supplies. Makes thin slicing easier than boiling water. I wish I had this little wonder when I made potato crusted halibut last year. Had to make paper thin slices of potatoes with my chef's knife, not necessarily a task for a novice. Anyways, I was in no way about to take out the outdoor grill for a few zucchinis, so I just used my electric George Foreman grill. Worked completely fine and I'm sure the grill pans for your stove will work perfectly as well.

These were pretty good for being basically all vegetables. Make sure you season generously as mine came out a bit bland. The roasted flavor comes through nicely and the peppers added a slight sweetness. I think I would have liked to add a slice of prosciutto or smoked ham, or if adjusted for a lunch portion a piece of grilled chicken. Nonetheless this was a nice change in how sandwich components are perceived.

Grilled Zucchini Canapes

makes 2 dozen

1 small eggplant (10 oz)

2 1/2 oz feta cheese

12 1/4-inch-thick slices of pumpernickel bread

6 oz baby zucchini or 2 6 oz zucchini

2 large roasted red bell peppers

sea salt and pepper

olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Place whole eggplant on baking sheet and roast until the skin buckles and the flesh is cooked throughout, 30-40 minutes. If using a larger eggplant, cut in half and place cut side down. Scrap cooked eggplant into food processor and process until as smooth as possible. Set aside to cool. Crumble in the feta and process until blended. Season.

Reduce oven heat to 300. Toast bread slices on baking sheet, about 5-7 minutes per side. Cut into 2 1/2 by 3 inch pieces.

Slice zucchini lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices using mandoline. Heat grill. Brush zucchini with olive oil and grill until light grill marks appear.

Cut roasted peppers into about 2 1/2 by 3 inch pieces. Spread each bread slice with eggplant puree. Place a roasted bell pepper over the puree and arrange zucchini slices on top, parallel with the short end of the bread. Trim crusts and cut each piece into 2 rectangles.