Smoked Salmon Pizette Food

SMOKED SALMON PIZZA (A LA WOLFGANG)

Steps:

• For the smoked salmon: Mix the kosher salt, brown sugar, granulated sugar and peppercorns in a medium bowl. Cut a piece of extra-wide aluminum foil a little longer than the length of the salmon. Place an equally long piece of plastic wrap on top of the foil. Sprinkle one-third of the salt rub onto the plastic. Lay one side of the salmon skin-side down onto the rub. Sprinkle another third of the rub onto the flesh of the salmon. Place the second side of the salmon flesh-side down onto the first side. Use the remaining rub to cover the skin on the top piece. Fold the plastic over the salmon to cover, and then close the edges of the foil together and crimp tightly around the salmon. The salmon should be folded in half and wrapped.
• Place the wrapped salmon on a baking sheet and top with another baking sheet. Weigh the top pan down with a brick or two. Refrigerate the salmon for 12 hours. Flip the salmon over and refrigerate for another 12 hours. Some juice will leak out during the refrigeration process, so make sure there's a place for the runoff to gather.
• Unwrap the salmon and rinse off the salt rub with cold water. Pat the salmon dry with paper towels and place in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) until the surface of the salmon is dry and matte-like, 1 to 3 hours depending on humidity. A fan may be used to speed the process.
• Preheat the smoker. Smoke the salmon over the smoldering alder wood chips until the thickest part of the salmon registers 150 degrees, about 30 minutes. Keep the temperature inside the smoker between 190 and 200 degrees F. Serve the salmon immediately, or cool to room temperature, wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
• Meanwhile, for the pizza dough: Place the warm water and yeast in a large bowl. When the yeast dissolves, let the water stand about 5 minutes. Stir in 3 cups of the flour and the fine salt until smooth. Stir in an additional 2 cups of the flour and continue adding flour (up to 1/2 cup) 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes away from the bowl but is still sticky.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead with lightly floured hands. Slap the dough onto the counter, pulling it toward you with one hand and pushing it away from you with the other. Fold the dough back over itself using a bench scraper or a wide knife to help scrape dough from surface. Repeat the process until the dough is easier to handle, about 10 times. Finish kneading until the dough is smooth, elastic and soft, but a little tacky, about 10 minutes.
• Lightly oil a bowl with olive oil. Shape the dough into 2 balls and transfer to the bowl. Turn to coat the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until the dough doubles in volume, about 3 hours. The dough is done when you press it with your finger and an indent remains.
• Gently remove the dough from the bowl. Roll each dough half into a ball and place on a lightly-floured baking sheet. Brush the dough balls lightly with olive oil. Cover the baking sheet lightly with plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes.
• Prepare charcoal in a chimney starter (allowing the charcoal to burn until all the charcoal is covered with a thin layer of gray ash). Add to the grill, creating a two-level fire by spreading the coals out over half the grill bottom, piling them up in a mound 3 briquettes high, and leaving the other half with no coals.
• Stretch and shape each piece of dough into a 10-inch-round on a flat surface. Brush the tops of each round with canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the rounds on the grilling stones and cook until the bottoms are lightly golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Brush the tops of the rounds with oil, flip and cook until the bottoms are lightly golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
• For the assembly: Whisk the creme fraiche, chopped herbs, zest together and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread the creme fraiche mixture on top of each cooked dough round. Flake some of the smoked salmon and place on top of the creme fraiche mixture. Top with the capers and onions. Garnish with whole herbs. Serve immediately.

SMOKED SALMON PIZZETTES

Steps:

• Special equipment: a 2-inch round cookie cutter
• Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll the pizza dough into a 1/4-inch thick round. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter, cut out 15 circles. Arrange the circles on a heavy baking sheet. Using the tines of a fork, prick the dough all over. Drizzle with olive oil and bake until golden brown, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix together the mascarpone cheese, sour cream and capers until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of the mascarpone mixture into the center of each pastry round. Top with a piece of smoked salmon and press gently.
• Arrange the pizzettes on a platter and sprinkle with chopped chives just before serving.

SMOKED SALMON PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat a char-grill (broiler) pan over a high heat.
• Brush the pita bread quarters with oil and cook for 1 minute on each side or until it is crisp and golden.
• Spread the pita bread with the sour cream and top with the salmon, baby spinach leaves, chives, dill, capers, olives and red onion.

SMOKED SALMON PIZETTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Stir together cream cheese, sour cream and green onions. Spread mixture evenly on top of whole pita rounds.
• Place pita rounds on lightly greased baking sheets and bake in preheated oven for 7 to 8 minutes.
• Transfer warm pitas to a serving platter, sprinkle with salmon and garnish with diced tomatoes and capers.

SMOKED SALMON PIZZA

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 500°F.
• 2. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 10-inch round. Transfer dough to a rimless baking sheet; brush with olive oil. Scatter sliced onion over the top. Bake until crust is golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.
• 3. Spread the Dill Cream over the top to within an inch of the edge. Arrange the salmon to cover the surface entirely. Use a pizza wheel to slice into 6 pieces.

CLASSIC SMOKED SALMON APPETIZER

Steps:

• Beat together until smooth cream cheese, milk, lemon juice, dill weed, and bottled hot pepper sauce.
• Arranged smoked salmon, small bowl of herbed cream cheese and bread on medium-sized serving platter.
• Garnish with red onion, capers, lemon slices and dill.