In an attempt to satisfy our craving for bagels with lox and cream cheese, we came up with this quick appetizer of flatbread topped with chive crème fraîche and cold-smoked salmon.
What to buy: Crème fraîche is a naturally thickened fresh cream with a tangy flavor and a rich texture. If you can’t find it, sour cream is a decent substitute.
Game plan: The crème fraîche mixture can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated in a covered container.
This recipe was featured as part of our Valentine’s Day Menu.
- Yield: 20 servings as an hors d’oeuvre
- Difficulty: Easy
- Total: 5 mins
- Active: 5 mins
Ingredients (6)
- 1/2 cup crème fraîche
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 (11-inch) premade pizza crusts or flatbreads, such as Boboli, baked and cooled
- 2/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 8 ounces cold-smoked salmon, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Combine crème fraîche, chives, and lemon juice in a nonreactive bowl and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Season well with salt.
- Spread half of the crème fraîche mixture evenly on top of each flatbread, leaving a 1/2-inch border.
- Arrange half of the onion on 1 flatbread, top with half of the salmon, and season with freshly ground black pepper. Repeat with second flatbread. Cut into 2-by-2-inch squares and serve.
Beverage pairing: Champagne Bollinger NV Special Cuvée, France. There’s no better match for smoked salmon than a fine Champagne. A good choice is Bollinger. The salmon’s oiliness is both contrasted and complemented by the prickly, creamy bubbles of the wine. And the smoky flavor of the fish is echoed by the yeasty toastiness of the Champagne, which is partially aged in wood to give it mellowness and smoke.
