Amuse Bouche Recipe

Prepare the mousse

Place the chopped smoked salmon, softened cream cheese, double cream, lemon juice, chopped dill and chopped capers into a food processor or a bowl for hand mixing. Pulse/process until smooth but still retaining some texture (about 10–12 one-second pulses in a food processor). If mixing by hand, beat the cream cheese first until smooth, then fold in salmon and remaining ingredients until homogenous.

Taste and season with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remember smoked salmon is salty, so add salt sparingly. Transfer mousse to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (6–8 mm) or to a zip-top bag with the corner snipped. Chill briefly (10–15 minutes) while preparing cucumber rounds so the mousse firms slightly for neat piping.

Slice and quick-pickle

Trim the cucumber ends and slice crosswise into 1/3 inch (about 8 mm) rounds. Pat the slices dry with paper towel to remove excess moisture.

In a small bowl, whisk together the white wine vinegar, caster sugar and a pinch of sea salt until the sugar dissolves. Spoon or brush a small amount (about 1/4 tsp) of the pickling liquid onto both sides of each cucumber round. Arrange the cucumber rounds on a tray and let them sit for 5 minutes to take up a light pickling flavor — this brightens the cucumber without overpowering the amuse bouche.

Pipe mousse on cucumber

Place the pickled cucumber rounds on a serving plate. Pipe a small rosette or mound of the smoked salmon mousse onto the center of each cucumber round, using about 1 tablespoon of mousse per amuse (you should have roughly 8–10 bites depending on mousse yield).

Finish each amuse with a tiny dill frond or microgreen, a few grains of toasted sesame seeds (if using), and a very small pinch of lemon zest over the top. Drizzle a drop (about 1/8 tsp) of extra-virgin olive oil around or over the mousse for sheen. Adjust each bite to look delicate — the amuse bouche should be visually appealing and easy to eat in one bite.

Serve immediately at cool room temperature or slightly chilled. If not serving right away, cover lightly and refrigerate for up to 1 hour; bring back to cool room temperature (5–10 minutes) before serving so flavors are at their best.