Blue Cheese and Walnut Spread

I'm always looking for new recipes to put on crackers, crostini or bagels. Here is one of the recipes I used to make. It goes with fruits very well.
4-ounce bar of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 ounces (1 cup) cold crumbled blue cheese, such as Stilton
Crackers or crostini, for serving
In a medium bowl, stir cream cheese with a wooden spoon until softened. Mix in walnuts; season with salt and pepper. Gently fold in blue cheese, breaking up as little as possible. Transfer
mixture to a small bowl; smooth top. Serve with crackers or crostini.
To store: Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, up to 1 week.

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Easy Jam-Filled Cookies

Make 4 dozen or 48 serving, one cookie each

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/3 cup Walnut Pieces, finely chopped
3/4 cup raspberry preserves (mixed with 3 teaspoons breadcrumbs)
1 tsp. powdered sugar

PREHEAT oven to 350ºF. Beat cream cheese, butter and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Separate 1 of the eggs; set egg white aside for later use. Add yolk, second (whole) egg and vanilla to cream cheese mixture; mix well. Gradually add combined flour and baking powder, beating until well blended after each addition.

DIVIDE dough into four equal pieces. Roll each piece into 12x1-inch log; place, 2 inches apart, on large ungreased baking sheet. Use handle of wooden spoon or fingers to make depression down length of each log, about 1/2 inch wide and 1/2 inch deep. Beat reserved egg white with fork; brush over dough. Sprinkle with walnuts. Fill depressions with preserves, using about 3 Tbsp. preserves in each log.

BAKE 25 to 27 min. or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer to wire racks; cool slightly. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut each log into 12 diagonal slices.


Recipe from http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-jam-filled-cookies-107774.aspx

Dilled Salmon Salad

If you have salmon leftovers from First Seder, please make this salad. It's goes with matzos really well. I made this salad for the Second Seder.

Dilled Salmon Salad

1 (20-ounce) skin-on salmon fillet, pin bones removed
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/3 cup small-dice red onion
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
3/4 cup small-dice celery
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons capers
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

Heat the oven to 425°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the salmon skin-side down on the foil. Drizzle the oil over the salmon, rub it into an even layer with your fingers, and season generously with salt and pepper. Bake the salmon until it’s just opaque all the way through or the center of the thickest part of the fillet registers 135°F to 140°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 10 to 17 minutes.

Using a flat spatula to get between the skin and the flesh, lift up the salmon and transfer it to a plate, leaving the skin behind. (It’s OK if the salmon falls apart a little bit.) Discard the foil and skin. Let the salmon cool slightly at room temperature, about 5 minutes. Refrigerate uncovered until completely chilled, at least 2 hours. (If you’re not using it right away, cover the chilled salmon and refrigerate it up to 24 hours.)

Stir together the onion and vinegar in a large, nonreactive bowl and let it sit for 15 minutes. Using your hands, flake the chilled salmon into bite-size pieces and place them in the bowl with the onion-vinegar mixture. Add the remaining ingredients and gently stir to combine, being careful not to break up the salmon too much. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately or chill for up to 4 hours.

Салат из лосося с укропом.
350 грамм филе лосося
1 чайная ложка оливкового масла
1/3 чашки мелко нарезанного красного лука
3 столовых ложек уксуса
3/4 чашки мелко нарезанного сельдерея
2 столовых ложки сметаны
2 столовх ложки май онеза
2 столовых ложки консервированных каперсов
1 столова ложка мелко нарезанного свежего укропа
1/2 чайной ложки соли
1/2 чайной ложки свеже молотого черного перца.

Нагреть духовку до 425Ф. Положить фольгу на дечку. Выложить лосось на фольгу, полить оливковым маслом. Втереть масло в лосось и посыпать солью и перцем. постацить запекать в центре духовки на 10-17 минут. Готовность лосося можно проверить термометром. Воткнуть термометр в толстую часть тушки лосося и он должен показать 135-140 Ф.

Вынуть мясо лосося из духовки, отделить филе от шкурки. Дать лососю остыть. Остывший лосось можно положить в холодильник на несколько часов или даже на сутки. если у Вас остался лосось после большого застолья, то из него можно сделать этот салат через день.

Замариновать лук, смешав лук с уксосом. Дать постоять 15 минут. Нарезать лосось на небольшие кусочки и смешать со всеми остальными ингридиентами. Добавить маринованный лук. Попробовать салат, если нужно можно добавить еще соли и перца. Перед подачей можно поставить в холодильник.



Recipe adapted from http://www.chow.com/recipes/30318-dilled-salmon-salad

Quick Salmon Mousse

I have just finished an article about 2 new and quite good cooking books. One of them is "The Whole Food Kosher Kitchen" by Levana Kirschenbaum. The first recipe I decided to try is a Quick Salmon Mousse. It's absolutely delicious appetizer and goes along with matzos very well.
About my article... It's for Russian-speaking readers. It's going to be publsihed on my website www.allastar.net and several Russian newspapers. I really want Russian people to know about new and, specially important, healthy ideas in Jewish cooking.

Quick Salmon Mousse
1 (15 oz) can red or pink salmon, 1 envelope unflavored gelatin, 1/2 cup boiling water, 1 small bunch dill, juice and grated zest of one lemon, 1 small onion, 1 cup dairy-free cream cheese (I took regular cream cheese), 1 tablespoon paprika, pinch cayenne, pinch nutmeg, ground pepper to taste, 1/4 cup very thinly sliced chives (I did not take it)
Pour the liquid from the salmon can in a bowl and stir in the gelatin. Let the mixture stand a few minutes, then stir in the boiling water, mixing thoroughly. Reserve the mixture. Place salmon and all remaining ingredients except chives in a food processor, and process until perfectly smooth. Add the reserved gelatin mixture and process a full minute, scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is combined. Stir in the chives with a spoon. Pour the mixture in a bowl or loaf pan and refrigerate a few hours, until the mixture is set. Serve chilled. Makes a dozen servings.

Быстрый мусс из консервированного лосося.
1 (15 оz.) банка консервированното лосося (canned red or pink salmon), 1 пакетик желатина, 1/2 чашки горячей кипяченной воды, 1 небольшой пучок укропа, сок и лимонная цедра одного лимона, 1 небольшая луковица, 1 пачка (8 oz.) сливочного сыра (cream cheese), 1 столовая ложка паприки (paprika), щепотка натертого мускатного ореха (nutmeg), черный молотый перец по вкусу.
Отцедить жидкость из банки консервированного лосося. Добавить желатин и перемешать. Дать постоять смеси несколько минут и добавить горячую воду.
Положить все остальные ингридиенты в чашку кухонного комбайна (food processor) и размельчить до образования однородной смеси. Добавить жидкость с желатином в чашку кухонного комбайна и провернуть в течении 30 секунд. Вылить в посуду и поставить в холодильник на несколько часов.
Recipe from Levana Kirschenbaum "The Whole Food Kosher Kitchen"