Cucumber Sandwiches

Because they require only a few ingredients, take just a few moments to prepare, with little or no cooking involved, the sandwich is one of the most popular foods around the world. Sandwiches are comprised of two slices of bread and any number of fillings. The bread can be bagels, any type of table bread, donuts, baguettes, rolls, and even pancakes or muffins. The bread can be cold, toasted, heated, broiled, or baked, and the fillings can be cold or hot. Some popular cold fillings for sandwiches are egg salad, tuna salad, ham salad, and cold cuts, while hot fillings include barbeque, meatballs, and ham-and-cheese. And some sandwich recipes call for open-faced sandwiches that are broiled under direct heat.

And then there is the delicate cucumber sandwich. When I think of a cucumber sandwich, I immediately picture a sunny tearoom, complete with a round table with only room enough to hold two delicate rose-patterned China teacups, eyelet lace-enhanced linen napkins, and a serving plate containing cucumber sandwiches. As with any sandwich, a cucumber sandwich uses bread as its base, with a coat of a dense agent that prevents the moisture of the cucumber layer from making the bread soggy. That agent is most times cream cheese or butter, accompanied by various spices and herbs. Simply follow these basic steps in preparing your cucumber sandwiches:

• Choose firm cucumbers from your grocer or garden. Wash them thoroughly with cool water, removing all traces of dirt.
• You may choose to peel the cucumber entirely before slicing, or not. Some people prefer to leave the peel completely intact, while others score the cucumber with a fork, or peel three strips from the cucumber, leaving three stripes of peel intact.
• Use a sharp knife to slice the cucumber into thin slices, place them into a large colander, and place the colander into a bowl. Sprinkle the slices with a few drops of white vinegar and just a smattering of salt. Place the bowl into the refrigerator to thoroughly cool.

When you're ready to make your sandwiches, remove the cucumber slices form the refrigerator and gently pat the slices dry with a paper towel. Prepare your bread by trimming crusts or leaving them intact, and then spread either butter or cream cheese—or a combination of any substance you'd like—onto the bread, and then layer with cucumber.