- 8
- 25 mins
- 60 mins
Ingredients
- 3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 c. finely chopped red onion
- 2 Tbsp. cappers, drained and chopped
- 2 Tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 2 loaves pumpernickel bread, cut into 16 half-inch slices with crusts (I use cocktail rye bread from Safeway deli section)
- 1 lb. smoked salmon, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 seedless cucumbers, thinly sliced into 1//8" slices, plus more for decorating (so get 2)
- 1/2 c. creme fraiche
- 2 1/2 oz. salmon roe (I omit)
- 1 oz. black caviar (ditto)
- Lemon wedges (or slices bent) for garnish
Preparation
Step 1
In a small bowl, combine 8 oz. cream cheese, red onion, capers, dill and lemon juice; season with salt & pepper and stir until smooth.
Lay 4 bread slices (if using pumpernickel) on a clean work surface; trim 1/4 " from all sides of slices. Spread 1 Tbsp. cream cheese mix on top of 1 slice and layer with smoked salmon and cucumber (try not to overlap cucumber slices - I cut them to fit if necessary). Spread another thin layer of the cream cheese mix on top. Repeat with 2 more bread slices.
Neatly stack prepared slices, filling side up, squaring the cake with your hands; top with the 4th bread slice. Repeat with remaining bread and filling to create 3 more stacks.
Transfer stacks to a serving platter with their long sides touching. In a small bowl, combine remaining 16 oz. cream cheese and creme fraiche until smooth. Using an offset spatula, spread mix evenly over assembled cake. refrigerate, covered, 2 hours or overnight.
Before serving, arrange overlapping cucumber slices around base of bake; spoon salmon roe and caviar (if using) along the top and sprinkle with dill. Garnish platter with lemon wedges.