Mini smoked salmon cheesecakes, scented with lemon, without gelatin. The right appetizer to wow on Christmas, New Year’s Eve and for all the holidays — but not only! If your obsession is finding the holiday starter that can surprise, refined, elegant and at the same time easy to make, these mini savory cheesecakes are just the thing for you. Small savory salmon tarts inspired by the traditional sweet cheesecake, but even more showy and tempting. In my house everyone goes crazy for quick salmon recipes and this is one of those that literally drives them wild. My children love to steal the filling while I fill the molds, spread it on bread and eat it by the spoonful, and I often have to make an extra batch to replace what they ate!

But let’s go to the kitchen — I’ll tell you how easy the recipe for a savory smoked salmon cheesecake without gelatin is; I’m sure it will win you over at the first bite! Before you rush to the stove, remember that if you want to stay updated on all my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).

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Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Medium
Rest time: 1 Hour
Preparation time: 30 Minutes
Portions: 8-10
Cooking methods: No-cook
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients to make the savory smoked salmon cheesecake

7.8 oz crackers (plain or rosemary; about 2 cups crushed)
9 tbsp butter
7 oz robiola cheese
7 oz cow's milk ricotta (packaged)
3.5 fl oz cooking cream
7 oz smoked salmon
2 lemons (juice and zest)
to taste fresh mint
to taste pomegranate (for garnish)

Tools

Food processor
Molds

Steps to make the savory smoked salmon cheesecakes

For this recipe you can use a 24–26 cm springform pan (depending on whether you prefer it taller or not) and make a single large savory cheesecake, or prepare mini cheesecakes in molds 8–10 cm across or even smaller. In any case, depending on the size you choose, the number of mini smoked salmon cheesecakes you obtain will vary. My ideal size is 8 cm mini cheesecakes — 8 cm is about 3.15 in (≈3 1/8 in) — but I didn’t have identical round molds and managed with different shapes.
Let’s prepare our recipe.
Put the crackers in the bowl of the food processor, add the butter, a generous grating of lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of juice.
Blend everything until you obtain a texture similar to damp sand.
Place the molds on a sheet of parchment paper set on a cutting board or baking tray; the base must be perfectly flat. Distribute the crushed crackers into the molds and press well to obtain a compact base about 1 cm thick (1 cm ≈ 0.4 in, ≈3/8 in). To press, use the bottom of a glass or a bottle. Put in the fridge and dedicate yourself to the filling.
Gather the robiola and ricotta in a bowl, add plenty of lemon zest (preferably from an underripe lemon, which is much more aromatic) and 3 tablespoons of juice. I recommend using packaged ricotta because it has a milder flavor; do not use spreadable cheeses like Philadelphia because they are too salty and have too strong a cheese flavor. Add the salmon cut into very small pieces and mix. Adjust the mixture by adding the cooking cream, blend and add the chopped fresh mint.
Fill the molds with about 2.5–3 cm of filling (2.5–3 cm ≈ 1–1.2 in), level with a spatula and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour,
or until the edges have set, but be careful not to freeze the cheesecakes completely.
After the time has passed, gently detach the cheesecakes from the edges using a warm knife, and with a slight pressure with your fingers around the edges, let them slide onto a serving plate.
Garnish with additional smoked salmon pieces, mint leaves, lemon slices and pomegranate arils.
Our mini smoked salmon cheesecakes are ready to be served. They keep in the fridge well covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to 48 hours, but do not exceed that.