One of my favorite parts of any afternoon tea or tea party are finger sandwiches and cucumber finger tea sandwiches are a real favorite with everyone! Soft white bread, spread with creamy butter or cheese and crisp thinly sliced cucumber. What's not to like!
I have had a whole houseful for the past week or so. My son and his family were here in Nova Scotia for a church camp. I was so happy to have them staying with me for part of that time. When I lived in the UK I used to only dream about this happening. Now I am back in Canada it is a happy reality! All my dreams have come true.
His children are all boys so there were no tea parties happening. I have one granddaughter and I know it would be a lot of fun to do a tea party with her. Unfortunately not many boys enjoy such a thing.
They packed up and left for home this morning and my house feels quite empty without them. I decided to sooth my loneliness for them by enjoying a hot cup of mint tea and some cucumber finger sandwiches. A few quiet moments for me and the cats to reflect on all the happiness of the week that was.
Tea Parties are a great way to lift one's spirits. This was not quite a party, but it was refreshing and comforting all the same.
One of my favorite childhood memories is of watching my mother make finger sandwiches for ladies' get-togethers. She would give us children the trimmings to snack on. I can't think of anything on earth that tasted better than the trimmings from those sandwiches.
The fact that they were a part of something destined for a festive purpose probably heightened their deliciousness. My own children used to love the trimmings also. Nowadays the crows happily enjoy them.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CUCUMBER FINGER SANDWICHES
Aside from a flair for entertaining, not very many ingredients. These amounts are enough for two people, but can easily be doubled to feed more.
- 4 slices good quality thin sliced white bread
- 2 ounces (56g) cream cheese, at room temperature (or softened butter)
- 1/2 smallish English cucumber, very thinly sliced
- pinch salt and ground black pepper
- finely chopped mint, chives or dill (optional)
My bread today was a soft white sourdough, store baked loaf. I get it at the superstore and it is nice and soft, an perfect for cold sandwiches. If you are a fan of whole wheat bread, by all means use that.
A mix of white and whole wheat is also very nice, with a slice of white on the top and whole wheat on the bottom. Variety is the spice of life!
Speaking of spice, I like to add some herbs to my cucumber sandwiches. Three that I especially like, albeit not all together, are finely chopped fresh chives, dill or mint. All go very well with cucumber.
If you are not a fan of cream cheese, by all means use softened butter. Both are delicious in my opinion, and don't be chintzy with either of them, or the cucumber for that matter. You want enough of both so that you can actually taste them.
If you are not using herbs, it is nice to use white pepper instead of black pepper. It gives a very nice delicate, almost perfume-like flavor without being overpowering.
HOW TO MAKE CUCUMBER FINGER SANDWICHES
These are a really simple make. A real doddle.
Lay your slices of bread out on a cutting board. Spread each one with cream cheese (or butter), dividing it equally amongst the four slices.
Lay the cucumber slices out on two of the bread slices on top of the cheese/butter, overlapping each other slightly. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and black pepper and herbs, if using. (I only recommend using one type of herb.)
Top with the other two slices of bread, cream cheese side down. Press lightly to help them to stick together.
Trim off all of the edges of each sandwich with a sharp serrated knife, wiping the knife clean with a piece of damp kitchen toweling between cuts. Keep the sandwiches square as much as possible.
Cut each sandwich either into two fingers or two triangles to serve.
Notes
You can make these ahead of time. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I like to dampen a piece of paper towel, wringing as much water out of it as possible and lay it on top of the sandwiches before sealing the container. This helps to keep them nice and moist.
HINTS AND TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST CUCUMBER FINGER SANDWICHES
They may not be complicated, but there are still a few do's and don'ts when it comes to cucumber sandwiches.
1. The best type of cucumber to use are English or hot house cucumbers. They have a thinner edible skin and most of the time, barely imperceptible, edible seeds.
2. I like to peel the cucumber for my cucumber sandwiches, although it is not absolutely necessary. They do look better with the peel removed in my opinion. If you are using regular cucumbers, you absolutely must remove the peel.
3. Cut them as thinly as possible. You can use a really sharp knife for this, or a vegetable slicer/mandolin.
4. Try not to layer them too thickly. A thin layer of overlapping cucumber slices is best and your sandwiches will not fall apart easily as they would if they were over-filled.
5. White bread is most traditional, but a mix of white and whole wheat is also nice. Just make sure it is a nice soft bread and not overly firm.
6. Make sure you spread the cream cheese or butter all the way to the edges. This helps to keep the bread fresh. Not doing so also can look stingy.
7. If you are not using the sandwiches right away, place them (uncut) into an airtight refrigerator container, along with a slightly damp sheet of paper towel, covering the container tightly. You can chill for several hours, or even overnight. Just remember to bring the sandwiches out of the refrigerator at least half an hour prior to cutting/serving. Cool is nice, but cold is not.
This made for a really nice light lunch. I am going to my sister's for supper tonight, so did not want to eat anything too big for my lunch. I really am a sandwich lover and cucumber sandwiches are one of my favorites!
Today I added a bit of chopped mint and enjoyed them with a nice hot cup of mint tea. I enjoyed a sneaky shortbread biscuit afterwards. Perfect for dunking in the remainder of my tea.
I have some other really good tea sandwich ideas here. Shaved ham with apricot jam and Dijon mustard. Egg mayonnaise and cress. Roast Beef, horseradish mayo and rocket (baby arugula). Parma Ham and fig. All are really delicious.
Fresh Berry Crostini are also great offerings as a tea sandwich. You will want a firmer bread for those. Spread with rich mascarpone cheese, a sprinkle of fresh berries and drizzled with honey, they are very pretty and go down a real treat!
Yield: 2Author: Marie Rayner
Cucumber Finger Sandwiches
Prep time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 MinThese are the quintessential tea time sandwiches. Small fingers of teatime delight. Soft white bread, crunchy filling. Just right.Ingredients
- 4 slices good quality thin sliced white bread
- 2 ounces (56g) cream cheese, at room temperature (or softened butter)
- 1/2 smallish English cucumber, very thinly sliced
- pinch salt and ground black pepper
- finely chopped mint, chives or dill (optional)
Instructions
- Lay your slices of bread out on a cutting board. Spread each one with cream cheese (or butter), dividing it equally amongst the four slices.
- Lay the cucumber slices out on two of the bread slices on top of the cheese/butter, overlapping each other slightly. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and black pepper and herbs, if using. (I only recommend using one type of herb.)
- Top with the other two slices of bread, cream cheese side down. Press lightly to help them to stick together.
- Trim off all of the edges of each sandwich with a sharp serrated knife, wiping the knife clean with a piece of damp kitchen toweling between cuts. Keep the sandwiches square as much as possible.
- Cut each sandwich either into two fingers or two triangles to serve.
Notes
You can make these ahead of time. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I like to dampen a piece of paper towel, wringing as much water out of it as possible and lay it on top of the sandwiches before sealing the container. This helps to keep them nice and moist.
Remove the sandwiches from the refrigerator about half an hour prior to serving.
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