This Month's Recipe

Bring the cream cheese to room temperature and mix until light and fluffy. Add flaked salmon, lemon juice, dill and Tabasco sauce to the cheese and mix until well blended. Make sure the salmon retains its flakiness in the mixture so as to add some texture to the consistency of the spread. Adjust the amount of lemon juice and Tabasco to your own taste. Chill for at least one hour so that the flavors have an opportunity to fully develop and blend.

NOTE: I used salmon that was smoked with alder wood and was purchased in the seafood department of the local grocery store. The salmon had a strong, but pleasant, smoke taste, but just a little too much for my liking. Adding the Tabasco sauce not only gave the spread a little zip, it also cut the smoky taste of the salmon.

You can serve this in a number of ways. It makes a nice spread for French bread or on crackers for a quick snack. It would also be good piped in some celery sticks.

Bon Appetit!