Monday

04-03 Not Even for Ready Money - Cucumber Sandwiches

Hi people! Brini here, this week with the perfect cucumber sandwich! These little morsels are a delightful addition to tea, wonderful canapés at a party and just down right tasty for a lunch time treat. They’re easy to make too. Here’s the recipe:

You’ll need:

Cucumbers
White bread
Butter
Chives (optional)

Begin by slicing your cucumber. You can leave the peel on or you can peel them. If you decide to leave the peel on it’s nice to groove it with the tines of a fork. It makes the slices look pretty. The cucumber slices should be extremely thin. It’s been said that one should be able to read the London Times through the cucumber slice. This is much simpler if you have a mandolin. Once you’ve sliced your cucumber (you should have 3 to 4 slices for each sandwich you’re making), you can turn your attention to the bread. The bread should also be thinly sliced – it should allow light to pass through it – and it should have the crusts cut off. I like to use a Pullman loaf of bread – the rectangular loaves that are baked in a pan – and once I’ve cut the crusts off I cut the slice in half to make a small, delicate sandwich. Spread a thin layer of butter on each slice of bread, then make your sandwich with 3 to 4 slices of cucumber. This is the traditional English cucumber sandwich. I like to Americanize them by sprinkling finely cut chives on the buttered bread before adding the cucumber. It gives the sandwich a subtle kick that I find very pleasant.