LEMON RICOTTA TOAST WITH SMOKED SALMON & FRIED CAPERS

Easter Sunday and Passover are here! I wish you all a wonderful holiday! While this meal can’t be served for Passover due to its use of bread, you can certainly put it on your list to enjoy after the holiday has passed. For those of you celebrating Easter, this could provide a nice twist for your Easter brunch.

If you ever visit New York City, your visit isn’t complete until you’ve had a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon or lox. And if you live in NYC and enjoy fish, chances are it’s a “sandwich” you consume with regular frequency. A recipe from my idol, Ina Garten, inspired part of this creation. Ina makes a whipped feta spread for a crostini appetizer, and it’s in my top 10. So I decided to try a modified version of the spread using ricotta cheese, served with one of my favorite NYC weekend breakfast staples: smoked salmon. This is a very simple breakfast to prepare and serve. It’s a traditional meal with a spin. Or as Ina would say, “taken up a notch.” I tend to become obsessed with certain flavors and ingredients for short periods of time. My latest obsession is fried capers, and personally, I think they complement any smoked salmon just perfectly. I often use pastrami salmon from Barney Greengrass in NYC. If  you ever come to town or find it elsewhere, don’t pass up a chance to try it! 

The great thing about this recipe is that outside of the lemon ricotta spread, it’s sort of tough to mess up (and even that part is relatively straightforward). Everything can be made ahead, and when your guests arrive, simply toast their bread and allow them to assemble. How’s that for a delicious, low-stress food to serve your guests!

¾ cup                               part-skim ricotta cheese
¼ cup                               cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons                  freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon                        fresh lemon zest
2 teaspoons                     extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon                      kosher salt
to taste                             freshly ground black pepper        

¼ - ½ cup                          extra virgin olive oil
½ cup                                non-pareil capers, rinsed and drained
¼ cup                                all-purpose flour for dredging

1.5 pounds                        smoked salmon or lox
1 loaf                                 fresh bread, such as sourdough or country round, sliced ¼-inch thick
¼ - ½ cup                          fresh dill, fronds minced with thick stems removed

For the lemon cheese spread, place the ricotta and cream cheese in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse to combine. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper, and process until smooth and creamy. Set aside in a bowl. Can be made one day ahead and refrigerated.

Place flour in a small bowl and dredge capers in it. Scoop up the capers and use a tightly bound wire mesh handheld strainer (or colander--the net is what’s important) to shake off the excess flour. In a large, non-stick skillet over medium–high heat, add the olive oil until it’s about 1/8 inch deep in the pan.  Once hot, add the capers in a single layer. Fry for 3 minutes, shaking the pan periodically to ensure even frying and that they don’t burn. With a slotted spoon (with holes small enough to hold the capers), remove capers from the pan and place on a paper towel.

Mince dill (excluding thick stems). Toast or grill bread. Spread lemon ricotta on toast. Top with smoked salmon/lox as desired. Sprinkle with fresh dill and fried capers. Enjoy!