Amazing Bagels by Loren
Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 10:10AM 
It’s all about the stack!
Here’s how to prepare Amazing Bagels and, be forewarned, most adults will eat just half a bagel!
Begin with your favorite bagel. For us, we like the bite of the “Everything” bagel, but onion, cheese, sesame, or plain will do nicely. Avoid anything sweet or excessively sharp. To really do it right, use only the top half of the bagels!
Prep work* (about 20-30 minutes)-- Slice purple onion into half circles. Full rings are too stringy, and chopped onions easily fall off. Half circles are ideal. Saute with butter and a sprinkling of salt beyond done to caramelized. In the meantime, slice the tomatoes removing the tops and bottoms to avoid excess skin. Only pure, thin mid-section slices should used. Tops or bottoms tear out when chewed. Next, slice Queen olives into half or thirds, but never thinner. In the fall, if you're able to find home grown or dry-farm tomatoes, they're the best. Once onions are done, you’re ready to raise the stack!
Raising the Stack
1) Toast well. Not just a dusting of brown, but toast to a golden brown to ensure that you have the proper crunch. Next, generously coat with butter, but use the knife to slice through the internal surface and penetrate deeply with butter. This breaks up the surface, yet retains the “crunch.”
2) The second layer is cream cheese. Don’t hold back. You need a deep layer of cream cheese. Plain will do fine and whipped is the easiest to apply.
3) The third layer is olive and cappers. Cover the entire bagel in sliced Queen olive halves, using the cream cheese to secure them in place. Next, cover all available area between the olives with cappers. When done, there will barely be a hint of visible cream cheese.
4) The fourth layer is caramelized onions. Cover well (omit for anyone with an aversion to richly buttered foods).
5) Layer five is the sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and pepper, as it will adhere well to the wet surface.
6) The final layer is a light coat of smoked salmon which holds both the onions and tomatoes in place. Ironically, less is more. A heavy coat of salmon will be difficult to chew as will overpower the more subtle favors beneath.
Enjoy!
*I usually caramelize several onions and freeze them in portions for later use. Works great and there's no detectable loss of flavor. Prep work is then down to 5-10 minutes.
