Peppercorn Press

These delicious and elegant appetizers are one of our most easy party appetizers.  A great time to serve these simple easy cold appetizers, is when a hungry crowd of your guests who are waiting for Christmas dinner, begin to gather in your kitchen – and in your way!  We prepare these salmon bites in advance and just pull them from the refrigerator when our group starts to get hungry.   They are guaranteed to clear your kitchen of snack-searchers once you place them on your living room cocktail table.

Ingredients

8-12 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon in 1” wide strips

½ cup cream cheese at room temperature

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon chopped fresh shallot

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 ounces salmon roe caviar

Leaf lettuce leaves

Preparation

In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, whipping cream, pepper, dill, chives, shallot, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

On a large serving platter place neatly torn pieces (approximately 2” x 2”) of lettuce leaves.

Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over one side of the salmon strips.  Roll the strips in to tight pinwheels.  Place each pinwheel on end on top of the torn lettuce pieces.  Top each salmon roll with additional cream cheese mixture and approximately ½ teaspoon salmon roe.  Chill for at least one hour before serving.

Makes 18 – 24 canapes.