Smoked Salmon Spread

In Christmases past,  I used to serve smoked salmon with all the accoutrements...  then one day i got wise.

Yes, it was beautiful to set out the salmon in a long silver platter, with chopped red onions, capers and lemon slices so everyone could fix their own on small slices of pumpernickel bread.  But the next day, what a mess! So I thought of incorporating everything into a spread or a ball, at least for more casual occasions, and presto, problem solved!

Serves 8

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

2 TB chopped red onions

A dash of Worcestershire Sauce

2 TB capers

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 pound (4 ounces) smoked salmon, cut in 1/2 inch pieces

Directions

Cream the cheese in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until just smooth. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, dill, onions, Worcestershire Sauce, salt, and pepper, and mix. Add the capers and smoked salmon pieces and mix well. Chill and serve on pumpernickel small toasts or crackers.

If you can find it, I prefer Norwegian salmon; it's less salty than other smoked salmon.  Costco has wonderful and economical smoked salmon under their Kirkland label.