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I’d like to let y’all know the end result of the smoked salmon napoleon idea I had a while back.  It’s easy and outrageously delicious.  Plus, you can bake the puff pastry way ahead of time and store it in an airtight container.  You can then assemble the napoloeons on an as-needed basis if you’re using them as an hors d’oeuvre.

Thaw your puff pastry and cut it into one-inch strips.  Bake according to package directions.  Cool completely.  Whip together 4 oz. softened cream cheese and one pint of sour cream, season with white pepper, salt and some minced fresh dill.  VERY thinly slice a seedless cucmber.  Snip or mince some fresh chives.  Open your packages of smoked salmon.  Load the sour cream mixture into a piping bag with a fat star tip.  On each puff pastry strip, lightly pipe on the sour cream using a counter clockwise swirl, being sure to leave room at both ends of the strip.  Top with a piece of smoked salmon and two slices of cucumber.  Repeat, and end with another strip of puff pastry.  Garnish with remaining cucumbers, dill, and chives.  It’s nice to make one cut on a cucmber slice from the center to the edge so that it can be sat atop each napoleon, giving it some vertical interest.  And snip your chives on an angle. And leave some of your dill in sprigs for garnishing.  Who says cooking at home always has to look like home cooking?

FYI, if you take a moment to look at your plate in nicer restaurants, you’ll see that the majority of garnishing techniques are easy to mimic.  Check it out and see what you can use for entertaining at home.