Smoked Salmon Pâté
Simple to make, this smooth pate looks impressive served with toasted baguette slices or crackers as an appetizer, or accompanied by a mixed green or grain salad dressed in vinaigrette for a light lunch. Substitute sour cream for crème fraiche if desired.
Ingredients
- 1 seedless cucumber , sliced into paper thin rounds
- 8 oz hot-smoked salmon
- 8 oz cream cheese , softened
- 4 oz Crème fraîche
- 2 T capers , drained
- 2 T chopped fresh dill
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 T lemon juice
- pinch of ground black pepper
Instructions
- Line a 1-quart loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving a few inches of overhang on each side of the pan. Arrange rows of fanned-out sliced cucumbers in the bottom and up the sides of the plastic-lined pan, reserving enough slices to cover the top of pâté.
- Remove the skin from the smoked salmon and roughly chop the flesh. In a food processor, blend all remaining ingredients except for the reserved cucumber slices. Carefully pour the pâté into the cucumber-lined pan and top with remaining cucumber slices to cover. Wrap the pâté with the overhanging plastic wrap and nest another loaf pan on top containing something heavy (like a couple of cans of beans) to weigh it down. Refrigerate for 6 hours or longer. Unwrap and gently turn out the pâté onto a serving dish.