I’ve my youngster to thank for this cucumber sandwich. Their obsession with cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches began the thought, and my love of flavored cream cheeses adopted. This straightforward, recent summer season sandwich is ideal for picnics, street journeys, or a fast lunch at dwelling.
The layers of the cucumber sandwich
When making recent sandwiches to pack on the go, I are likely to hold issues easy however concentrate on the standard of every merchandise. This cucumber sandwich is the proper instance.
Good Bread
Good bread is a bit apparent, however I prefer to repeat it. And I prefer to remind you that good bread is no matter kind of bread is nice for you. Whereas I really like stable whole-grain bread, the thick crusts may not be for everybody. This cucumber-cream cheese mixture is equally scrumptious on a pillowy mattress of milk bread.
The cucumbers
No matter cucumber you’ve got available is the cucumber it’s best to use. Nevertheless, you probably have a selection, I like Japanese and striped Armenian cucumbers. Each are slender, usually have comparatively few seeds, and maintain their form nicely in a sandwich.
A flavored cream cheese
The actual energy, nevertheless, on this sandwich is the flavored cream cheese. You may go in lots of instructions with this shopping for, both store-bought or making an attempt to go wild with variations at dwelling. Clearly, I’m lobbying for this charred scallion cream cheese, however an herbed, chile, or perhaps a honey walnut cream cheese.
Lastly, you may fill out this sandwich nevertheless you want. I just like the added bulk of the lettuce as a result of it balances the crunchy cucumbers and cream cheese, however shredded carrots, thinly sliced beets, thick slices of tomatoes, or roasted crimson peppers could possibly be added.
Salt + a Cucumber Sandwich
This cucumber sandwich is pretty straightforward to assemble, however there may be a method to make sure your sandwich stays out of the soggy zone: Don’t salt your cucumbers forward of time! Cucumbers are a big a part of water, and salt attracts out the water. When you salt the cucumbers, your sandwich will flip soggy inside minutes.
If I plan to pack this sandwich for consuming later, I prefer to pack a small container of salt. Then, once I’m able to eat, give the cucumbers a lightweight sprinkle. Bonus factors if it’s chile salt!
Charred Scallions
Lastly, my final phrases of knowledge: don’t skip charring the scallions. Sure, common scallions have an excellent taste, however softening the small inexperienced bulbs and roasting the greens till they’re brittle makes all of the distinction. The charred scallions are what make this sandwich easy!
When you don’t have scallions however need to make one thing comparable, I like to recommend caramelized onions, grilled shallots, or a little bit of garlic confit whipped into the cream cheese.
Charred Scallion Cream Cheese (makes sufficient for six sandwiches)
- 1 bundle of scallions (4oz, 115g)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (plus extra to style)
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
- 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream
Sandwiches (elements wanted per sandwich)
- 2 slices of bread
- ⅓ pound cucumber lower into ¼” thick slices
- 3-4 lettuce leaves
-
To char the scallions: Place a rack roughly 5 to six inches away from the broiler and switch your broiler on. Trim the ends from the scallions, separate the whites from the greens, and place each on a sheet tray. Drizzle with olive oil and kosher salt, tossing to coat nicely.
-
Place the tray beneath the broiler and roast till the whites are fairly tender and the greens have blackened. When you discover the greens are carried out nicely earlier than the whites, use tongs to take away them and set them apart. Prepare dinner till you’ve got loads of crispy bits. This takes round 6 minutes beneath my broiler, however your oven makes an enormous distinction on time, so verify usually! As soon as the scallions are to your liking, take away them from the oven and allow them to cool.
-
To make the cream cheese unfold: Place the room temperature cream cheese in a meals processor together with the whites and greens of the charred scallions and a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream. Run till nicely mixed and the cream cheese is lighter in texture. If the cream cheese nonetheless feels dense, add one other tablespoon or two of the heavy cream and proceed. Style and add extra salt if desired.
-
To assemble the sandwiches: Unfold a tablespoon or so of cream cheese on one piece of bread, layer with lettuce and cucumbers, after which unfold one other tablespoon of cream cheese on the highest piece of bread earlier than smooshing collectively.
Because the publish above notes, I wait to salt the cucumbers till I’m able to eat. Your different possibility is to be a bit saltier with the cream cheese!
