Smoked Salmon Cucumber Rounds with Lemon-Dill Cream

Enjoy this delicious recipe from Small Bites: Skewers, Sliders, and Other Party Eats by Eliza Cross

“English cucumbers are in season,” Eliza Cross exclaimed as we sat in her grotto, a beautiful backyard space that she and her son created last summer in a corner of her garden. We sampled a few recipes from Eliza's book—Small Bites: Skewers, Sliders, and Other Party Eats (Gibbs Smith, 2017)—including this one for her Smoked Salmon Cucumber Rounds with Lemon Dill Cream. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 English cucumber
• 5 ounces smoked salmon, refrigerated
• Freshly ground black pepper, for garnish
• Fresh dill sprigs, for garnish

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, dill, garlic powder, and salt; stir until well blended. Transfer to a heavy-duty Ziplock bag. Mixture may be used at once or refrigerated for up to 24 hours. (If refrigerated, bring to room temperature for 1 hour before using.)

Drag the tines of a fork lengthwise down the sides of the cucumber for a decorative effect. Cut the cucumber in 1/3-inch-thick slices, blot on paper towels, and arrange on a serving platter. Cut 1/2 inch off one of the corners of the bag, and pipe the cream cheese mixture onto the cucumber rounds.  Cut small strips of the smoked salmon and arrange on top. Garnish with pepper and dill sprigs. Makes about 24 appetizers.