Cucumber Sandwiches

"Dave Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

For years I have heard people talking about old ladies at
"high tea" with its cucumber sandwiches. While I always
thought the appellation "high tea" was horribly pretentious,
I always thought that cucumber sandwiches sounded good. I
finally had one the other day. Our town had a big historical
celebration and various groups were offering various foods.
My wife's church was doing a "high tea" but they just called
it "lunch" and one of the big sellers was cucumber.

Man are they good. They were open face bread smeared with
cream cheese and slices of vinegar laced cucumber on top and
sprinkled with fresh dill.

That sounds sooooooo good! I've never had one before. I'm going to have to
make some. :~)

kili

Quoted message said:

Man are they good. They were open face bread smeared with
cream cheese and slices of vinegar laced cucumber on top and
sprinkled with fresh dill.

Heh - here in the UK, the proper contents of a cucumber sandwich is a
vexed question, and subject of great debate. The cucumber sandwich my
Great Grandma (born in 1900) used to make was a simple thing - white
bread without crusts, cut as thin as thin can be; cucumbers sliced
thinly and salted so they are less wet than usual; unsalted
butter...and that was it. A closed sandwich to be eaten immediately. We
served them at her funeral, and at my Grandma's.

Some people like vinegar and dill, but that's a more Swedish than
English cucumber preparation (there's a very good recipe for a sweet,
dilly, vinegary Swedish cucumber salad in Evelyn Rose's Entertaining
Cookbook, which unfortunately I've lent to my mother - I'll try to
remember to post the recipe soon). Try the unadorned sandwich - it's
extremely delicate and surprisingly good. I've not heard of putting
cream cheese in there - must try it.

--
www.gastronomydomine.com

Dave Smith said:

Man are they good. They were open face bread smeared with
cream cheese and slices of vinegar laced cucumber on top and
sprinkled with fresh dill.

Nice. I like to add some watercress, too.

--
Reg

Squeezeweasel said:

Heh - here in the UK, the proper contents of a cucumber sandwich is a
vexed question, and subject of great debate. The cucumber sandwich my
Great Grandma (born in 1900) used to make was a simple thing - white
bread without crusts, cut as thin as thin can be; cucumbers sliced
thinly and salted so they are less wet than usual; unsalted
butter...and that was it. A closed sandwich to be eaten immediately. We
served them at her funeral, and at my Grandma's.

Some people like vinegar and dill, but that's a more Swedish than
English cucumber preparation (there's a very good recipe for a sweet,
dilly, vinegary Swedish cucumber salad in Evelyn Rose's Entertaining
Cookbook, which unfortunately I've lent to my mother - I'll try to
remember to post the recipe soon). Try the unadorned sandwich - it's
extremely delicate and surprisingly good. I've not heard of putting
cream cheese in there - must try it.

In that case, I am with the Swedes. These things are seriously good.

Squeezeweasel said:

Quoted message said:

Man are they good. They were open face bread smeared with
cream cheese and slices of vinegar laced cucumber on top and
sprinkled with fresh dill.

Heh - here in the UK, the proper contents of a cucumber sandwich is a
vexed question, and subject of great debate. The cucumber sandwich my
Great Grandma (born in 1900) used to make was a simple thing - white
bread without crusts, cut as thin as thin can be; cucumbers sliced
thinly and salted so they are less wet than usual; unsalted
butter...and that was it. A closed sandwich to be eaten immediately. We
served them at her funeral, and at my Grandma's.

Some people like vinegar and dill, but that's a more Swedish than
English cucumber preparation (there's a very good recipe for a sweet,
dilly, vinegary Swedish cucumber salad in Evelyn Rose's Entertaining
Cookbook, which unfortunately I've lent to my mother - I'll try to
remember to post the recipe soon). Try the unadorned sandwich - it's
extremely delicate and surprisingly good. I've not heard of putting
cream cheese in there - must try it.

--

Quoted message said:

www.gastronomydomine.com

I love almost any kind of cucumber sandwich. The ones most often
found at an Afternoon Tea (not High Tea) are the kind you described,
thinly sliced white bread, crust removed, brushed with a drop of sweet
butter or cream cheese and topped with very thinly sliced and peeled
cucumber. The cucumber may or may not be sprinkled with chopped dill
or parsley or chives.

The Swedish version usually comes on Pumpernickel or other dark bread,
sliced as thinly as possible, spread with cream cheese or cream cheese
mixed with chopped chives and the thinly sliced salted cucumber is
mixed with a drop of white vinegar and a small amount of sour cream
and chopped dill.

I have cucumbers in my refrigerator. I have cream cheese there, too
and bread in the freezer. I will go and fix some of these delicious
morsels and drink a glass of nice white wine (the bottle is open from
last night's dinner) with that treat. I will think of your
Grandmother and of you, knowing how much you must miss her.

Dave Smith <[email hidden]> news:[email hidden]:

<peeled for space>

Quoted message said:

I always thought that cucumber sandwiches sounded good. I
finally had one the other day.

Quoted message said:

Man are they good. They were open face bread smeared with
cream cheese and slices of vinegar laced cucumber on top and
sprinkled with fresh dill.

This entire thread is making me salivate. I don't think I've ever had one.
As soon as I can, I'm gonna make some up. Sounds like a wonderful lunch on
a hot summer day.

Michael

--
Ever been this tired?
http://i6.tinypic.com/123tkjo.jpg
http://i5.tinypic.com/123tmjc.jpg

"Michael "Dog3" Lonergan" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

This entire thread is making me salivate. I don't think I've ever had
one.
As soon as I can, I'm gonna make some up. Sounds like a wonderful lunch
on
a hot summer day.

(laugh) I'm *this* close to going to the store to buy the
ingredients. Damn. Way to create a craving.

nancy

Dave Smith said:

For years I have heard people talking about old ladies at
"high tea" with its cucumber sandwiches. While I always
thought the appellation "high tea" was horribly pretentious,

And wrong. Cucumber sandwiches are for Afternoon Tea. :-)

Quoted message said:

I always thought that cucumber sandwiches sounded good. I
finally had one the other day. snip]

Man are they good. They were open face bread smeared with
cream cheese and slices of vinegar laced cucumber on top and
sprinkled with fresh dill [snip]

Cream cheese? Sounds good, but the cucumber sandwiches I had at tea in
Brown's Hotel in London were crustless, sliced white bread smeared with
*butter* and topped with slices of cucumber. Until then, I had rarely
used butter on sandwiches, preferring mayo or other things. Since
then, I at least think about using just butter. It's a good thing.
-aem

Quoted message said:

I have cucumbers in my refrigerator. I have cream cheese there, too
and bread in the freezer. I will go and fix some of these delicious
morsels and drink a glass of nice white wine (the bottle is open from
last night's dinner) with that treat. I will think of your
Grandmother and of you, knowing how much you must miss her.

Oh - that's wonderful of you - and it's real serendipity, because I've
just turned the cucumber in my fridge into a sandwich too! Thank you.
You're right - I miss her an awful lot, but I'm sure that wherever she
is, there are just as many sandwiches as she wants.

--
www.gastronomydomine.com

"Michael "Dog3" Lonergan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Dave Smith <[email hidden]>

news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

<peeled for space>

Quoted message said:

I always thought that cucumber sandwiches sounded good. I
finally had one the other day.

Quoted message said:

Man are they good. They were open face bread smeared with
cream cheese and slices of vinegar laced cucumber on top and
sprinkled with fresh dill.

This entire thread is making me salivate. I don't think I've ever had

one.

Quoted message said:

As soon as I can, I'm gonna make some up. Sounds like a wonderful lunch

on

Quoted message said:

a hot summer day.

Michael

I'm with you, Michael! Shoots, too bad we can't do 'em together. :~)

kili

Dave Smith said:

Man are they good. They were open face bread smeared with
cream cheese and slices of vinegar laced cucumber on top and
sprinkled with fresh dill.

Peanut butter and pickle sandwiches are good too, while
peanut butter, pickle, and sharp cheddar is even better.

J

Michael \'Dog3\' Lonergan said:

Quoted message said:

Man are they good. They were open face bread smeared with
cream cheese and slices of vinegar laced cucumber on top and
sprinkled with fresh dill.

This entire thread is making me salivate. I don't think I've ever had one.
As soon as I can, I'm gonna make some up. Sounds like a wonderful lunch on
a hot summer day.

I guarantee that you won't regret it. I
I had been curious about them for a long time, but not enough to pursue it.
Saturday was my first opportunity to try them and I was amazed at how good they
are, and so simple to make. When I got back from my bicycle ride I walked past
the herb garden that was bristling with all sorts of nice young dill plants. I
knew I had to a cucumber and some cream cheese....... so I made some. Fast,
easy and delicious. I suppose it was a major foofoo faux pas not to have
removed the crusts.

"kilikini" <[email hidden]>
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I'm with you, Michael! Shoots, too bad we can't do 'em together. :~)

kili

Well put your skinny behind on a jet and get up here. The guest room is
all ready for you. Should I got to the Sappington Farmer's Market and pick
up some home grown cukes?

Michael
--
Ever been this tired?
http://i6.tinypic.com/123tkjo.jpg
http://i5.tinypic.com/123tmjc.jpg

aem said:

Dave Smith said:

For years I have heard people talking about old ladies at
"high tea" with its cucumber sandwiches. While I always
thought the appellation "high tea" was horribly pretentious,

And wrong. Cucumber sandwiches are for Afternoon Tea. :-)

Ok. I won't argue that one. My grnadparents were English, and it was just
plain "tea" . So when it was time for "tea" , not "tea time" out came the
tea and a plate of cookies or scones and cream. I got used to the idea of a
hot beverage and light snack in the afternoon, but I also learned that good
coffee was better than tea.

I get a kick out of these places that offer tea and it comes in one of
those gawdawful stainless steel tea pots. We are lucky here. The berry
farm behind us serves "tea" during the summer. They just opened for the
season. And thanks to them, I think, several other places have opened up.
Just down from them three new places have opened up, a gift shop, a bed and
kitchen shop and a chocolate shop. The chocolate shop expanded and put in a
little tea and coffee room. Last month a bakery opened up just next to
them. And in the big town that we are a sub-suburb of, a dessert shop
opened up. We went there for coffee the other day. Their desserts look
really good. They do a lot of desserts for local restaurants. They sell in
their store for $4-5 but would be $12 or more in the restaurants.

Nancy Young said:

"Michael "Dog3" Lonergan" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

This entire thread is making me salivate. I don't think I've ever had
one.
As soon as I can, I'm gonna make some up. Sounds like a wonderful lunch
on
a hot summer day.

(laugh) I'm *this* close to going to the store to buy the
ingredients. Damn. Way to create a craving.

nancy

Go for it. I just finished the cucumber sandwich I made for myself.
There was no white bread in the freezer and I could not find the Cuban
roll I froze last week, so I used Jewish Seeded Rye, Melba sliced from
Orwasher's. I toasted it, spread a small amount of butter on it, put
salted cucumber slices with some of the liquid squeezed out on top,
cut the slice of bread into thirds and gobbled it up. It was so good,
especially with the glass of wine, I am toasting another slice of
bread and will forget about dinner. Let Marcel eat all the roasted
pork with mashed potatoes and red cabbage, this is better.

Here is a remark by Marcel from last night, when I served the same
food as I plan to serve tonight. On tasting the red cabbage, he said:
"These are the best beets I ever ate, I will not refuse to eat them
from now on if you cook them this way."

I hope that Bubba Vic sees this.

Oh pshaw, On Mon 12 Jun 2006 12:09:52p, kilikini was muttering about...

Quoted message said:

"Dave Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

For years I have heard people talking about old ladies at
"high tea" with its cucumber sandwiches. While I always
thought the appellation "high tea" was horribly pretentious,
I always thought that cucumber sandwiches sounded good. I
finally had one the other day. Our town had a big historical
celebration and various groups were offering various foods.
My wife's church was doing a "high tea" but they just called
it "lunch" and one of the big sellers was cucumber.

Man are they good. They were open face bread smeared with
cream cheese and slices of vinegar laced cucumber on top and
sprinkled with fresh dill.

That sounds sooooooo good! I've never had one before. I'm going to
have to make some. :~)

kili

This is, perhaps, more typical/authentic, although the version above sounds
delicious.

1 thin cucumber
1 loaf brown bread, sliced
1 stick sweet butter
salt and pepper to taste
Peel cucumber and slice in paper-thin rounds. Salt rounds lightly and place
in colander for 15 minutes to drain. Press to release water; pat dry with
paper towels.

Spread sliced bread (bakery whole wheat is closest to English Hovis) with
softened sweet butter. Put 2 layers of cucumber slices on bottom slice,
salt and pepper to taste, and top with another buttered slice. Press
lightly with palm of hand. Cut all crusts off with a sharp knife. Cut
sandwiches in half diagonally.

--

Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________________________________

I often wonder ...
What do people mean when they say the computer went down on me?

Quoted message said:

Man are they good. They were open face bread smeared with
cream cheese and slices of vinegar laced cucumber on top and
sprinkled with fresh dill.

My mother's version was white bread, mayo, slices of cucumber. I really
liked them. haven't had them for years, since I never buy white bread and I
don't think it woudl work with the dark whole wheat bread I get.

Dave Smith said:

aem said:

Dave Smith said:

For years I have heard people talking about old ladies at
"high tea" with its cucumber sandwiches. While I always
thought the appellation "high tea" was horribly pretentious,

And wrong. Cucumber sandwiches are for Afternoon Tea. :-)

Ok. I won't argue that one. My grnadparents were English, and it was just
plain "tea" . So when it was time for "tea" , not "tea time" out came the
tea and a plate of cookies or scones and cream. I got used to the idea of a
hot beverage and light snack in the afternoon, but I also learned that good
coffee was better than tea.

I get a kick out of these places that offer tea and it comes in one of
those gawdawful stainless steel tea pots. We are lucky here. The berry
farm behind us serves "tea" during the summer. They just opened for the
season. And thanks to them, I think, several other places have opened up.
Just down from them three new places have opened up, a gift shop, a bed and
kitchen shop and a chocolate shop. The chocolate shop expanded and put in a
little tea and coffee room. Last month a bakery opened up just next to
them. And in the big town that we are a sub-suburb of, a dessert shop
opened up. We went there for coffee the other day. Their desserts look
really good. They do a lot of desserts for local restaurants. They sell in
their store for $4-5 but would be $12 or more in the restaurants.

--------------------------------
Yes, the term is "not" High Tea--it's Afternoon Tea, or just plain Tea.
(High tea refers to a supper, later in the day.) The British are
amused by the American use of "High Tea". You will be ever-so-gently
reminded of this as you stand at the entrance to the tea room.
Unfortunately, the "High Tea" term seems to have taken over in the
U.S., where the finest hotels, etc. here advertise it that way. If in
doubt, just ask for "tea".

Cheers,
Nancree

Oh pshaw, On Mon 12 Jun 2006 01:18:01p, Margaret Suran was muttering about...

Quoted message said:

Here is a remark by Marcel from last night, when I served the same
food as I plan to serve tonight. On tasting the red cabbage, he said:
"These are the best beets I ever ate, I will not refuse to eat them
from now on if you cook them this way."

That is SO funny, Margaret. :-) How do you prepare your red cabbage?

--

Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________________________________

I often wonder ...
What do people mean when they say the computer went down on me?