Valentine’s Day Appetizer
It is often said “well begun is half done” and this applies to Valentine’s dinner, the day of lovers, so what better than a fresh, tasty appetizer made with smoked salmon and Philadelphia in the shape of a HEART!
You don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen to prepare something nice; very little is needed: a heart-shaped mold, sandwich bread, salmon, and Philadelphia, and your Valentine’s Day Appetizer is ready to be served, few ingredients guaranteed success.
These Salmon and Philadelphia sandwiches are prepared in no time and hide a rich but delicate filling suitable even for the most demanding palates.
The recipe is very simple and poses no difficulty or risk, plus it requires only a few simple ingredients; it’s just an idea that you can modify based on your tastes or what you already have in your pantry both for the type of bread and the filling.
The one I present today uses only, apart from the Smoked Salmon, the spreadable cheese like Philadelphia, to which I simply added a bit of finely chopped fresh arugula so as not to overpower the taste of the salmon.
Alternatively, you can enrich the filling with another fresh cheese like robiola, flavor it with chopped parsley or marjoram, or spices.
One advantage of this Valentine’s Day Appetizer recipe is that you can prepare it in advance so you can dedicate your time perhaps to getting ready to arrive super fit and not out of breath at dinner time and fully enjoy the evening.
Whatever your filling choice, you will bring to the table with little effort an appetizer that besides being delicious is also nice to present and will undoubtedly win over your partner.
I can only wish you a happy Valentine’s Day next to the person you love and not limit yourself to preparing something nice just tonight but surprise them every day with many delicious delicacies because … love may pass but hunger stays!!!!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Valentine's Day
- Energy 234.77 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 8.71 (g) of which sugars 0.99 (g)
- Proteins 14.23 (g)
- Fat 16.15 (g) of which saturated 0.45 (g)of which unsaturated 1.15 (g)
- Fibers 0.61 (g)
- Sodium 1,018.07 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 70 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 slices sandwich bread (crustless)
- 8.8 oz cream cheese
- 7 oz smoked salmon
- A few leaves arugula
- 1 pinch black pepper (ground)
- to taste salt
Tools
- Bowl
- Hand whisk
- Mold
Steps
Cut the smoked salmon into thin strips, place it in a bowl and add the fresh cream cheese. Mix with a fork and add 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh arugula, a pinch of pepper, and salt if necessary. Blend the mixture until you get a smooth and creamy consistency.
Place the sandwich bread on a cutting board or work surface, spread two generous spoonfuls of filling over the entire surface and spread with a spatula, add a few lettuce leaves. Then pair the slices of sandwich bread together. Create hearts using a cookie cutter or a heart-shaped mold. Arrange them on a serving plate and Happy Valentine’s Day!
NOTES
In the crepe batter, you can add finely chopped fresh aromatic herbs like thyme or marjoram to make it more fragrant.
To get a smooth and lump-free crepe batter, I recommend using all the ingredients at room temperature and adding the milk a little at a time, always mixing carefully.
STORAGE
The smoked salmon and Philadelphia crepe roll can be kept in the fridge for up to one day in an airtight container. Freezing the complete dish is not recommended, while it is possible to store unfrosted crepes either in the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
