Lox and Bagels, Tomatoes, Red Onion, and Cream Cheese

From the book The Basic Gourmet Entertains by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart

Serves

Introduction

There is a ritual to eating lox and bagels. The ingredients are prepared and laid out on platters. One cuts a bagel in half, spreads cream cheese on the bagel halves, lays slices of lox on top, followed by a few rings of red onion, then a slice of tomato. It is easier to eat this open face, but that is a personal preference. A few capers are nice, but a little frou-frou. And please, no sprouts.

Ingredients

	1 to 1½	lb. lox (see Cook’s Notes)
	2 to 3	ripe tomatoes (about 12 ounces), cored and thinly sliced
	1	large red onion (about 10 ounces), peeled and thinly sliced
	12	fresh bagels (see Cook’s Notes)
	8	oz. cream cheese

Steps

Arrange lox, slices overlapping, on a large serving platter with tomato and onion slices. Cut bagels in half (or let guests cut their own) and serve in a bread basket. Place cream cheese in a ramekin or small bowl.

Notes

There is no getting around the fact that good lox is expensive. Serving it is a generous treat, and your guests will know it. For each serving, we suggest 2 or 3 slices.
Lots of bagel flavors would work well: plain, sesame, poppy seed, onion, garlic, whole wheat, and rye. This is not the place for cinnamon-raisin, blueberry, and other sweet flavors!

This content is from the book The Basic Gourmet Entertains by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart.