Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Crostini

Smoked salmon and cream cheese crostini are easy to make, colourful and sophisticated.

Life is busy, yet we still want to make time for entertaining. A formal dinner can demand too much planning; an impromptu drinks gathering is the perfect solution: informal, relaxed and with no hours spent in the kitchen. Keep things simple, because hospitality should give as much to the host or hostess as to the guests.

‹›

hors d’oeuvres and plenty of drinks are all you need to make your party shine

These hors d’oeuvres need only a handful of ingredients, are full of flavour and are guaranteed to please guests.

The one rule to remember with these, or any canapés, is that the base must be sturdy enough to hold the topping, so that each one is easy to pick up and eat.

Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Crostini

The toasts and topping can be made in advance, so all that remains is to assemble them just before serving.

Ingredients:

For the Toasts

• French baguette
• Olive oil for brushing
• Oregano

Topping

• Cream cheese
• Chopped chives
• Lemon for squeezing
• Tabasco to taste
• Smoked salmon strips
• Black pepper
• Dill to garnish

Method

• Preheat oven to 190°C / 375°F / gas 5
• Cut ends off baguette then cut into thin slices
• Brush both sides of each slice with olive oil then scatter over a little oregano
• Place on a flat tray and bake for 10 minutes until crisp and golden
• Transfer to wire rack and cool

To Assemble

• Mix cream cheese, chives and Tabasco
• Spoon a dollop of cream cheese mixture on top of the crostini toasts
• Top with a strip of smoked salmon and squeeze lemon juice over
• Grind black pepper on top
• Garnish with dill

Sharing plates, finger food and canapés, or as the French call them, ‘hors d’oeuvres’, with plenty of drinks are all you need to make your party shine.