Smoked Salmon, Avocado, and Horseradish Spirals Recipe

Smoked Salmon, Avocado, and Horseradish Spirals Recipe

  • 1 envelope of unflavored gelatin
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 California avocado
  • an 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
  • 3 tablespoons drained bottled horseradish
  • 1/2 pound thinly sliced smoked salmon
  • 18 thin slices of dense pumpernickel
  • tiny parsley sprigs for garnish
  • fresh chives for garnish
  1. In a small saucepan sprinkle the gelatin over the lemon juice, let it soften for 10 minutes, and heat the mixture over moderately low heat, stirring, until the gelatin is dissolved. In a food processor purée the avocado with the cream cheese, the horseradish, and the gelatin mixture until the mixture is smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water, and stir the mixture until it is thickened to the consistency of thick mayonnaise.
  2. Arrange the smoked salmon slices, overlapping them slightly, on a sheet of plastic wrap to form a 17- by 7-inch rectangle and spread them with the avocado mixture, leaving 1/2-inch border. Using the plastic wrap as an aid and beginning with a long side roll up the smoked salmon jelly-roll fashion, wrap it in the plastic wrap, and twist the ends of the plastic wrap closed. Chill the smoked salmon roll for 3 hours, or until it is frim and the filling is set.
  3. With a 1 1/2-inch round cutter cut out rounds from the pumpernickel, reserving the scraps for another use. Remove the plastic wrap from the salmon roll carefully on a cutting board and with and electric knife or other very sharp knife cut it crosswise int 1/4-inch slices. Arrange each salmon roll slice on a pumpernickel round and garnish each canapé with a parsley sprig and 2 short sections of chive. The canapés keep, covered tightly with plastic wrap and chilled, for 2 hours.