Ye Olde Tavern Life

Chive Bread with Smoked Salmon

Ingredients

1 free-range egg
50g/1¾oz fresh chives
4 thin, square slices pumpernickel or rye bread
50g/1¾oz cream cheese
300g/10½oz smoked or cured salmon, finely sliced
50g/1¾oz salmon roe (optional)
1 lemon, quartered, to serve

Method

1. Boil the egg in simmering water in a pan for eight minutes, drain and cool under cold running water.
2. Reserve four whole chives for decoration and, with a pair of scissors, finely snip the chives and arrange on a flat plate.
3. Spread the bread with the cream cheese, right to the edges.
4. Lay the bread cheese-side down on the chives, pressing lightly, until each slice is completely covered with a fine layer of chives. It should look like a green carpet.
5. Peel the egg and finely slice in an egg-slicer or a sharp knife.
6. Top the slices of bread with a fold of salmon, a slice of egg, and a teaspoonful of salmon roe, if using.
7. Decorate with a whole chive, and serve with a wedge of lemon.