Salmon, Caviar & Cannellini Bean Canapés

I love salmon, but I adore salmon gravlax. Every Christmas, my husband and I make homemade gravlax by curing a whole side of salmon with fresh dill, sugar and salt, and letting it marinate for 24 hours under the weight of a brick. I admit that it takes great willpower not to gobble up the whole thing right then and there, but what would be left for our guests? Fortified with that humbling thought, I usually leave a few morsels. Cannellini beans are another favourite of mine, low in fat, high in fibre and twice as much iron as beef! Even caviar is good for you, with the same healthy omega-3 fatty acids as salmon. So, in addition to being a nutritional powerhouse, these Salmon, Caviar and Cannellini Bean Canapés look and taste absolutely fabulous! Just watch them disappear.

Salmon, Caviar & Cannellini Bean Canapés
(makes 20)

8-10 slices multigrain bread
250 g canned cannellini beans, drained
1-2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp dill, finely chopped
2 tbsp chives, finely sliced
1 tbsp capers, finely chopped
2 tsp shallot, finely minced
salt, pepper to taste
100 g thinly sliced gravlax or smoked salmon
2 tbsp caviar or salmon roe
20 dill tops for decoration

1. Using a cookie cutter, cut 2" rounds out of the bread slices, enough for 20 bases, and bake in a 350° oven until crisp and slightly browned. Set aside on wire rack.
2. Make the cannelini bean spread by puréeing the beans with the lime juice until smooth, stir in the herbs, shallot and capers and season to taste.
3. Spread a generous amount of the cannelini bean paste on each of the toasted bases, top decoratively with some salmon and caviar, then finish off with a dill top.

COOK'S NOTE: Both the beans and the bases can be prepared at least a day in advance, if kept in an airtight container. My recipe for homemade Gravlax can be found in my cookbook — The Everyday Gourmet at blurb.com