Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Cucumber for Tea Time


Cucumbers just seem to go with any semblance of British afternoon tea time.
Sometimes I think they can be rather boring,
but often very, very good.
There is the typical sandwich with butter and bread.
Then again, there are so many variations.
You can slice the cucumber vertically, scoop the seeds out,
and fill the trough with a yummy tuna or shrimp salad.
Then slice the trough into small serving sizes.
This one is great for those that would like avoiding bread.
You can also slice down the side with a cheese plane or veggie peeler
to get thin long slices to use as a wrap around bundles of noodles, veggies, and crab,
then close with a toothpick.

A recipe from my book, Tea Outdoors, which you can find at www.marmaladys.com:

2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon horseradish
dill weed
mint leaves
sliced bread of your choice

Mix mayonnaise and horseradish, spread mixture on inside of bread, sprinkle with dill weed,
place a layer of sliced cucumbers, add a mint leaf or two.
Close sandwich, trim crust, and cut into shapes.
If cutting shapes with a cookie cutter, cut the bread before making sandwiches.
Often cream cheese is used in place of the mayonnaise and horseradish mixture.

Two tips:
1. Slice cucumbers, wrap in a paper towel then plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
This will remove some of the moisture.
2. To protect any sandwich from getting soggy spread inside of bread with thin layer of butter.

Next time you stop for a cup of tea in the afternoon, ENJOY a cucumber sandwich.

10 comments:

Bernideen said...

Your sandwiches look wonderful and would be welcomed in any fine tea room! Lovely china too!

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

A cucumber sandwich with, or without cream cheese is a summertime favourite. I like the little rounds you created for yours.

Lorrie said...

Cucumber sandwiches are so refreshing. Yours sound delicious! I like the trough idea filled with something savory as I try to avoid bread.

Linda P said...

I like your ideas for the filling for these dainty cucumber sandwiches even more delicious. The china is so pretty.

Jeanie said...

I hope I can find this post again when my friend Barb and I host a "Creative Tea" this spring. We are going to do a craft -- some sort of garden arrangement -- then serve tea! I love all the ideas for cucumber! Thanks, Marilyn!

Joy said...

I do love cucumber sandwiches. Cream cheese mixed with ranch dressing mix is another yummy spread that goes well with cucumber. Of course I love tea sandwiches, but many times in the summer I spread cream cheese on a pita bread round, sprinkle it with lemon pepper, and top it with slices of fresh cucumber. That makes a wonderful supper on a hot day!

Beth in NEPA said...

I do like cucumber sandwiches. Of course I really enjoy cucumbers in general.

Angela McRae said...

These are the "classic" tea sandwich in my book, and it's just not a real teatime without some sort of cucumber sandwich!

Tracy said...

oH, this is a good recipe, Marilyn--thanks for sharing! I love the little bit of horseradish--nice bit of "kick" ;o) And I quite agree with Angela... it just wouldn't be a proper tea with some cucumber sandwiches of some kind! I like anything with cucumber...mmm... ((HUGS))

Rosemary said...

I love the flexibility of cucumber sandwiches. There is a multitude of ways to prepare them!