Smoked Salmon Loaf

By stancec44

Ingredients

• 3-8oz packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 c. finely chopped red onion
• 2 Tbsp. capes, drained and chopped
• 2 Tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
• 2 loaves pumpernickle bread (I use cocktail rye), cut into 16 half inch slices, with crusts
• 1 lb. smoked salmon, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 seedless cucumbers, thinly sliced into 1/8” slices, patted dry, plus more for decoration
• 1/2 c. crème fraiche
• 2 1/2 oz. salmon roe (I don’t use)
• 1 oz. black caviar (ditto)
• Lemon wedges for garnish

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 60mins
Cooking time 180mins

Preparation

Step 1

In small bowl, combine 8 oz. cream cheese, red onion, capers, dill and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper and stir until smooth. Lay 4 bread slices 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 slay with smoked salmon and cucumber (try not to overlap cucumber). Spread another thin layer of cream cheese mix on top. Repeat with 2 more bread slices.

Neatly stack prepared slices, filling side up, squaring the sides with your hands. Top with the 4th bread slice. Repeat with remaining bread and filling to create 3 more stacks this way.

Transfer slices to a serving platter with their long sides touching. In a small bowl, combine remaining 16 oz. cream cheese and crème fraiche until smooth. Using an offset spatula, spread mixture evenly over assembled cake. Refrigerate, covered, 2 hours or overnight.

Before serving, arrange overlapping cucumber slices around base of cake; spoon salmon roe and caviar along the top and sprinkle with dill. Garnish with lemon wedges.