Cool As A Cucumber

Open Face Cucumber Sandwiches

I thought I was the only one. The only one who had never made these. When Joanne asked me to make open face cucumber sandwiches for a funeral reception, I told her I would be happy to...if she would tell me how. I had never made any. Or even eaten any. What!?! She was astounded that I had never had a cucumber sandwich. She told me what she mixed together, but like many excellent cooks, she didn't have any measurements to share.

I googled and found as many variations as there are cucumber sandwich makers. But it did give me a starting place. Of course, I called had to call Joanne back and ask what kind of bread she used. I was pretty sure it wasn't the pumpernickel that many recipes called for. She told me to buy the cheapest white bread I saw at the store. The bread is just a base—this sandwich is all about the good stuff on top.

So I bought a gosh awful amount of cream cheese and loads of fresh dill, too many cucumbers and four loaves of bread and then did what Joanne told me to do in the beginning—mix the spread until it tasted right. I did start with one of the google recipes that used 8-oz cream cheese and 1/3 cup of mayonnaise. (I had mixed 3 blocks of cream cheese and 1 cup mayo.) Too much mayo for me. So I added another block of cream cheese to my big bowl. That changed the proportion to 1/4 cup mayo per block of cream cheese. Much better. Daddy-O tasted it after I finished and said a little more garlic would help. In went another pinch. I thought it needed a little more dill and chives. Just a little. And then I stopped. 

I had not planned on posting this recipe because I figured everyone else had been making them for years. (How had I missed these?) But so many people helping in the kitchen that day said, "You are going to post this recipe, aren't you?" "Please put this recipe on your blog." And several asked the same questions I had asked. "What kind of bread did you use?" "How much cream cheese do I need for one loaf of bread?" "Can you make these ahead?"

I'm writing down how I made these for all of us who need guidance. Tweak away.

OPEN FACED CUCUMBER SANDWICHES

1 large loaf sliced white sandwich bread

8-oz block cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives

Pinch of garlic powder

Pinch of salt

1 long English cucumber (also called seedless—these are usually shrink wrapped in plastic)

With a hand mixer, thoroughly blend cream cheese and mayo. Stir in herbs and seasonings. Taste and adjust the herbs and garlic to suit you. This can be done the day before.

Slice the cucumber very thin. (I used a mandolin...very carefully!) Spread the slices on paper towels and let the towels absorb excess moisture while you cut the bread.

With a 2-inch cookie or biscuit cutter, cut circles (2 per slice) from the bread. Spread each round with the cream cheese mixture. Top each round with a cucumber slice. Garnish with a sprig of dill.  

Yield: about 40 rounds

Helpful hints:

*Reminder:  3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon. So basically you use one tablespoon of fresh herbs per 8-oz cream cheese. You might rather use all dill. And maybe add a little grated onion.

*Yes, you do need to taste and adjust after mixing. I added a little more dill and chives and another pinch of garlic powder to my giant bowl of cream cheese mix.

*One flat plastic pack of fresh dill from the produce section is enough to mix in and to garnish with. I bought too much.

*The plastic top from a can of Bakers Joy or PAM is about the right size and can be used as a cutter if you don't have a 2-inch one.

*I picked out the largest cucumbers so that the slices were about the same size as the bread rounds.

*The skin on these cucumbers is very thin so peeling isn't necessary. If you used other cucumbers with waxed skin, you might want to peel them.

*This could also be made on round water crackers. We did that with the leftover cream cheese spread. Delicious.

*Store these appetizers covered in the refrigerator until serving time.

*Two 8-oz blocks of cream cheese mixed should be enough spread for 3 loaves of bread, maybe 4. We used rounds from 4 loaves. I mixed one block per loaf and have lots of spread left over. Which we have enjoyed snacking on.

*Save the crusts left from cutting and let them dry out. Whirl them in a food processor to make bread crumbs for later.

*I bought home 4 little rounds that were left when it was all over. We ate them the next night and they were still pretty good. I wouldn't make them too far ahead, but they hold up better than I thought.

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This funeral service for a dear friend was truly a celebration of a long life well-lived. So many friends came to honor his memory. The church was full. After the service, the church hall was crowded with people coming together to remember this fine man. 

Here in the South we tend to show our love for the family with food, whether it is delivered to the house or served at church. So on a Saturday afternoon we kept the food trays filled as we listened to shared stories and laughter. We saw lots of hugs and smiles mingled with tears. And I thought how good it is to be in a community that knows how to care for each other.