There’s something decidedly beautiful about the simplicity of the English cucumber sandwich. I grew up in England, so tea time was practiced in my household. These beauties came out then with my cup of tea. I don’t have tea time anymore, but this stuff really has a permanent little cubicle in my heart. If you’ve seen the pictures, please ignore how crappy they look and don’t judge the taste based on my fail. I’m pretty sure the cucumber cutting and the perfect symmetry of evenly cut bread becomes somewhat of an art form to those that do this regularly or pride themselves on it. My bread is clearly unevenly cut and looks somewhat crude. Oops! This means that somewhere along the way I’ll revisit with better pictures.
Anyway, to make this, the cucumber is sliced into paper-thin slices and placed between two lightly buttered slices of white bread. The bread is carefully buttered all the way to the edges in the thinnest coating to protect it from dampening with cucumber juice. I never knew this neat little fact until now, but it makes sense. Put on some cucumber slices and now you have a creamy, crunchy snack!
It’s not meant to fill you up but to tease. Mr. Cooking Jar’s first reaction to it was confusion, and he stared at it for a long time like he was waiting for a punch line. ‘Where’s the meat? Where’s the cheese?!”. Le sigh. Those that didn’t have tea time probably wouldn’t understand. In the meantime *put on monocle*…I’ll take my sandwiches with some Earl Grey tea!
Print
Cucumber Sandwiches
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 36 tea sandwiches 1x
Description
Ingredients
- 1 bread loaf (about 18 slices white bread), crusts removed
- 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make the spread by combining the cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic powder and dill in a mixing bowl. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Do a taste test and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Spread about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture on one side of each slice of bread.
- Layer 6 cucumber slices over half of the bread slices and top with freshly cracked black pepper and more fresh dill, if desired.
- Top with remaining bread slices then cut each sandwich into 4 squares or triangles.
Notes
-
Bread – Look for white bread on the thinner side so you have an even bread-to-filling ratio.
-
Cucumbers – English cucumbers are the best cucumbers for these sandwiches because they are seedless and have less water content.
-
Slicing – Cucumber sandwiches are meant to be dainty tea sandwiches, so you’ll want to slice your cucumbers very thin, about 1/8″ thick.
-
Spreading – Spread the cream cheese from end to end to act as a moisture barrier.
-
Cutting the sandwiches – Use a sharp knife so you get clean and crisp edges. Press down gently and make a gentle sawing cut.
-
Substitute dill – Try other fresh herbs like parsley or chives, or do a mix of fresh herbs. You can also try using one (0.7 oz.) packet of dry Italian salad dressing mix.
-
Add some zest – Drizzle a tablespoon of lemon juice in the spread for a bright, tangy flavor.
- Scroll up to RECIPE TIPS for more useful tips, suggestions and ingredient substitutions.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
Leave a Comment