Active Time

　　15 minutes

　　Total Time

　　1 hour and 15 minutes

　　Editor's note: This recipe is from Erika Lenkert's book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining

　　Add a little yummy-sexy luxury to your cocktail party by serving this velvety salmon spread, which is ridiculously simple to make and perfectly paired with baguette slices and people you enjoy.

　　

Ingredients

Makes around 1 1/2 cups or around 8 servings

　　1 celery stalk, sliced thin

　　1 onion, sliced thin

　　1 leek, sliced thin

　　1 teaspoon whole peppercorns

　　1 bay leaf

　　1 cup white wine

　　1 lemon, halved

　　6 ounces king salmon filet

　　2 ounces crème fraîche (budget partiers can substitute sour cream or a cream and sour cream combo)

　　2 tablespoons minced chives

　　3 tablespoons lemon extra virgin olive oil

　　salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to a simmer. Add the celery, onion, leek, peppercorns, bay leaf, wine and lemon and simmer for 25 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Then add the salmon. Cover the pot, remove it from the heat, and let it stand for 10 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Remove the salmon and chill it in the refrigerator. Discard the vegetable water.

　　

Step 4

In a food processor or by hand, whip with salmon with the crème fraîche, chives, and olive oil, and add salt and pepper to taste. Keep the spread chilled until you're ready to serve.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining by Erika Lenkert. © May 2003 McGraw-Hill