Cucumber Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can you make cucumber sandwiches the night before? ›

Cucumber sandwiches are best made just 1 to 3 hours ahead of time, but they can be made up to a day in advance. But if you decide to make them ahead, you run the risk of them turning mushy.

To avoid soggy cucumber sandwiches with little added prep time or effort, all you need to do is give them a quick salt. The reason this simple method works is due to osmosis, which draws out the veggie's excess water.

The cucumber sandwich, also known as the tea sandwich, has been the ultimate English afternoon high tea staple for over a century. Its texture combines pillowy soft bread with the subtle crunch of cucumbers along with various herbs and creamy spreads, depending on what recipe variation you're snacking on.

White bread is typically used in tea sandwiches, but I love using a really interesting pumpernickel or rye to add a bit more of an interesting flavor. Making ahead of time. As I mentioned, these are great for parties since you can make them ahead of time before your guests arrive.

The best cucumbers for these sandwiches are English cucumbers, also called burpless or European cucumbers. Long and thin, they were bred to create a cucumber with smaller seeds and thinner skin than the common cucumber. They are usually shrink-wrapped in plastic to protect the skins from nicks.

Ideally, you should aim to make your sandwiches as close to the day of your party as possible for the best flavor and freshness. I recommend making your sandwiches no more than 48hrs in advance for the best flavor come party time.

Most finger sandwiches can be prepared up to a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator in an air tight container. A great tip is to cover the sandwiches with a sheet of wax paper and then a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out. Uncover the sandwiches and place on serving platters just before serving.

Recipe tips and variations

The cream cheese spread will help prevent the bread from getting soggy. Make ahead: The cream cheese filling can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store covered in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature for 30 minutes for easiest spreading.

roughly four little sandwiches per person (2 or 3 kinds); 1 average or 2 small scones: always one with cream and jams/honey; sometimes also one savoury variation. 1 or 2 pieces of cake/pastry (if 2, one rich, one simple) a few salad and fruit garnishes: lettuce, cherry tomatoes, celery, cucumber, strawberries, etc…

That's why chefs and home chefs from Asian cuisine have been using this technique of crushing cucumbers before slicing them for a long time. The reason for this is most likely to make sure the vegetable dries out a little bit. This way, it will become more flavoursome and it can absorb other flavours better.

How do you cut cucumbers for sandwiches? ›

Mandoline (or some sort of slicing attachment on a food processor) – A mandoline is the best way to get your cucumbers sliced thin. The texture of the sandwich is better with layers of thinly sliced cucumbers verses a thick slice of a cucumber. Bread – Make sure you buy a really good-quality thin sliced bread.

The sandwich originated in the United Kingdom, and modern variants, largely of United States origin, introduce cream cheese, mayonnaise, chopped dill or spices, and salmon, and may substitute brown bread.

This creamy, crunchy cucumber sandwich recipe strikes a lovely balance between decadent and light. The cream cheese-yogurt spread complements the crisp refreshing cucumber, while the hearty flavor and texture of the whole-wheat bread hold everything together.

Take your cucumber slices and put a single layer of them on one piece of bread. Top the cucumber with tomato slices. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the veggies. Place a layer of cheese on top.

Spread the cream cheese blend onto slices of French bread. Top with a cucumber slice, and sprinkle with dill. You can make as many or few as you like. the cream cheese mixture keeps for about a week in the refrigerator so you can make them over and over again!

After I put so much effort into the intricate details of making these sandwiches, I wanted to learn more about them and I found out that they can actually be traced all the way back to 1870! British settlers in India were trying to find a way to cope with the heat and apparently cucumbers helped.