We were invited to a homemade pizza party this last weekend and were asked to bring an appetizer and wine. Wine? Easy! App for pizza night? Not-so-easy. We wanted something light and not too filling. Our usual go-tos like cheese and crackers, charcuterie and bread, etc are too heavy and have many of the same ingredients as the pizza! Thought about wings, meatballs, chips and dip – nothing seemed quite right for the occasion.
Then we had our a-ha moment. What about something on cucumber chips instead of crackers or bread? Enter smoked salmon, dill, capers and chive cream cheese for the win! These crisp, fresh, yet smokey little bites were a huge hit and every single one was eaten. Plus, they were super easy and fun (to us) to make. Recipe below if you’re interested…
Herbed Smoked Salmon Cucumber Bites
Ingredients:
3/4 - 1 English cucumber sliced into ~1/4 inch rounds (a mandoline works great for uniform slices)
1 8oz tub Chive Whipped Philadelphia Cream Cheese (we do not recommend the regular non-whipped chive & onion flavor for this app)
capers
smoked salmon
fresh dill
Instructions:
Lay cucumber slices in a single layer on serving dish. Pat dry with a paper towel and/or leave out for 15 min to dry a bit so cream cheese will stick.
Fill piping bag with cream cheese (or Ziploc sandwich size bag and cut tip of one corner off) and pipe about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese onto each cucumber.
Add three capers per bit (or to tase)
Top with chunk of smoked salmon
Garnish with fresh dill fronds.
Serve with a glass of Sauv Blanc or Pinot Noir and enjoy!