Smoked Salmon Blossom Appetizer with Cucumber and Herbed Cream Cheese

I have been really into the Spring time spirit lately.  It's a wonderful time of the year; the weather is perfect, spring break is on the way, and I really look forward to spend some time with the kiddos for the time off.  It's always a great time to get together with friends and have a little party or gatherings as well.  And this Smoked Salmon  Blossom Appetizer is just want you needed to put on the menu.  It's easy to prepare, elegant, and super scrumptious!



For this Smoked Salmon Blossom Appetizer with Cucumber and Herbed Cream Cheese, I used crispy brioche toasts as the base.  (Click here to see the one I used.)  Then, topped with a spread of creamy and tangy herbed cream cheese, cover with a layer of refreshing and crunchy cucumber slices, and finally, the star of the show, a slice of flavorful and fatty smoked salmon rolled into a blossom.  The combined flavor is simply amazing and I love that it's like a beautiful garden on a plate.




It's really simple to prepare and here's the step-by-step pictorial and a few tips for your reference.

1) In a small bowl, stir the lemon juice, sour cream, and chopped dill with the cream cheese until well combined.  The key is to use room temperature or softened cream cheese.  That would make it a lot easier to mix all ingredients together.

2) Spread a thin layer of the herbed cream cheese on the each toast.  You can also use your favorite cracker as well.  Just make sure that you assemble these right before serving so the crackers won't get soggy.

3) Top the cream cheese with a few thinly slices of cucumber on top, let the cucumber slices to over-lay each other a little.  I used Persian Cucumbers for this recipe.  The skin of the cucumber is tender and edible; it's pretty much seedless and perfect for this recipe.  You can use a mandolin to thinly slice the cucumber, but I found that a sharp knife did a way better job.

4) Last but not least, roll the smoked salmon into the shape of a rose.  Simply pick up one end of the salmon and roll it tightly, starting from the center.  it'll form into a blossom easily.  Of course, you can garnish with a small spring of dill on the side as well.



I hope you'll give this beautiful appetizer a try.  I'm sure you and your guests will love it.  As they are so easy to prepare and so much fun to eat.  Until next time.  Please take care and enjoy the nice weather of Spring!







Smoked Salmon Blossom Appetizer with Cucumber and Herbed Cream Cheese:
Makes:  8 appetizers

4 ounces of cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons of sour cream
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
a pinch of kosher salt, to taste
8 small brioche toasts
4 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced and cut in half lengthwise
8 pieces of smoked salmon


In a small bowl, stir the lemon juice and chopped dill with the cream cheese until well combined.  The key is to use room temperature or softened cream cheese.  That would make it a lot easier to stir.

Spread a thin layer of the herbed cream cheese on the each toast.  You can also use your favorite cracker as well.  Just make sure that you assemble these right before serving so the crackers won't get soggy.

Top the cream cheese with a few thinly slices of cucumber on top, let the cucumber slices to over-lay each other a little.  I used Persian Cucumbers for this recipe.  The skin of the cucumber is tender and edible; it's pretty much seedless and perfect for this recipe.  You can use a mandolin to thinly slice the cucumber, but I found that a sharp knife did a way better job.

Last but not least, roll the smoked salmon into the shape of a rose.  Simply pick up one end of the salmon and roll it tightly, starting from the center.  it'll form into a blossom easily.  Of course, you can garnish with a small spring of dill on the side as well.