Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese on Cucumber

GoldsmithLissa's Note:

Quick, easy, and healthy appetizer.... Make it quick and easy or use very simple creative peeling techniques, tweak the method of spicing, and use icing tips to create a great visual service!!! See notes throughout recipe for options. (Below instructions find the easiest version and the most visually pleasing version!) For a healthy alternative: use neufchatel cheese, lower-fat cream cheese, or a combination of cream cheese and fat-free sour cream. Salmon mixture can be made in advance and refrigerated until service.

• Total Time: 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 3 large cucumbers
• 16 ounces smoked salmon
• 16 ounces cream cheese
• dill , to taste
• chives , to taste
• salt , to taste
• pepper , to taste

Optional

• white pepper
• additional smoked salmon

Directions:

1. Peel cucumber. (Nota Bene: For a visual effect, use different peeling techniques -- my favorite: use zester to peel the cucumber, cut at intervals around the cucumber, then slice. Save peelings to garnish the serving plate.).
2. Slice to taste. (Nota Bene: Your choice of slicing will affect the flavor greatly, in my opinion, so cut different sizes and sample for yourself! If you use thicker slices, take a small spoon out of the top in order to give a nice place to secure topping.).
3. Arrange cucumbers for service and salt/pepper lightly to taste.
4. Blend or fold salmon and cream cheese. (Nota Bene: reserve some bits of salmon for garnish atop each.).
5. Add chives, dill, salt and pepper to taste. (Nota Bene: For visual effect, I recommend blending salt only into mixture, adding pepper atop plain cucumber instead, then sprinkling dill and chives on top. Also try sprinkling dill, then adorning each with small torn pieces of smoked salmon and then adding chives atop.).
6. Dollop desired amount atop each cucumber slice. (Nota Bene: use icing bags with decorative tips to create lovely dollops.).
7. QUICK AND EASY:.
8. Peel and slice cucumber.
9. Arrange cucumbers for service and salt/pepper lightly to taste.
10. Blend or fold salmon and cream cheese.
11. Add chives, dill, salt and pepper to taste.
12. Dollop desired amount atop each cucumber slice. (.
13. DINNER PARTY:.
14. Cut tips off of cucumber and zest cucumber at regular intervals. Save peelings to garnish the serving plate.
15. Slice cucumbers just thick enough to allow you take a small spoon out of the top in order to give a nice place to secure topping.
16. Arrange cucumbers for service and salt/pepper lightly to taste.
17. Blend or fold salmon, cream cheese, and salt/white pepper to taste. (If you are not using additional salmon, reserve a small bit to use atop each.).
18. Top each cucumber with a dollop of mixture using decorative icing tips.
19. Sprinkle with dill to taste.
20. Top with remaining or additional smoked salmon. (Try cutting very thin slices of salmon and rolling into florets and then standing them upward atop each.).
21. Sprinkle with chives.