Recipe

Smoked Salmon Spread In Cucumber Cups

These are light, delicious and easy to make. Try them at your next gathering.

Ingredients

6 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
2 teaspoons minced green-onion tops
1 1/2 teaspoons minced shallot
1 1/2 teaspoons minced capers
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus 1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Pinch salt
Pinch cayenne
4 ounces smoked salmon, finely chopped
6 to 8 very small cucumbers, such as Persian cucumbers (or fewer regular cucumbers)
2 hard-cooked eggs, for garnish
Fresh dill, for garnish

Combine cream cheese, green onion, shallot, capers, lemon juice and zest, salt, and cayenne in a small bowl and stir until well blended. Gently fold in salmon and refrigerate while preparing cucumbers.
Peel cucumbers and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Using a small melon baller (such as a Parisian scoop) or the tip of a paring knife, hollow out most of the center area of cucumber slices, leaving a small well in which salmon spread will sit. The size of the cucumber will determine how many cups you get.
Peel eggs; cut in half and remove yolks. (Save whites for another purpose.) Working over a small bowl, press yolks through a medium fine-mesh sieve. (Alternately, you could grate yolks on a very fine grater.) Set yolk pieces aside until ready to serve.
Spoon salmon spread into cucumber cups and garnish with egg yolk and a tiny sprig of dill. Serve immediately.