Smoked foods such as fish and meat make great appetizers. And when you do the smoking yourself, they seem even better.

Recently, I smoked some salmon that was given to me by my brother-in-law, Dean Lutz, in my Masterbuilt electric smoker, which I purchased at Cabela’s about eight years ago.

Over the years, I’ve smoked venison, pheasant, grouse and ducks as well as salmon, and the results have never been disappointing. But it’s been awhile since the last batch hit the smoker, and I was eager to get back to business.

After loading up the hopper with a mixture of apple, mesquite and hickory wood chips that I had soaked in water for a couple of hours, the salmon was ready for the smoker.

After two hours smoking, I removed the salmon and let it cool overnight in the refrigerator before putting together a spread.

The recipe I used came from Jerry Dufault, who is my second cousin. (Jerry’s grandmother, Valerie Regeimbal, and my grandfather, Albert Menard, were siblings.) It is fantastic, a combination of salmon, fat-free creamed cheese, onion and a little garlic powder, dried basil and fresh ground pepper.

Jerry told me he liked the spread on crackers and that it keeps very well in the refrigerator (which also enhances the taste). He also brought me a sample of his, and after trying it, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the recipe to give it a try.

Both Therese and I have been devouring the spread — she likes it on toast, me on Wasa crackers — the past few days.

So much for flavor-enhancing time in the refrigerator.

Smoked Salmon Spread
Approximately 8 ounces smoked salmon
8 ounces fat-free cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 level teaspoon dried basil leaves (crushed)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Parsley (optional)
Process the salmon and onion in a food processor. Mix salmon, onion and spices with cream cheese by using a metal spatula until cheese is thoroughly mixed with ingredients. (To make a smoother spread, mix all in food processor.)
Tip: Refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.