Showing posts sorted by relevance for query sandwich. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query sandwich. Sort by date Show all posts
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.
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: 2
Cucumber Finger Sandwiches
Prep time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min
These 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.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
Turkey Croque Monsieur. The Croque Monsieur Sandwich has to be one of my favourite sandwiches, and I love sandwiches.
One of my greatest weaknesses has to be sandwiches. I know that I have many weaknesses, of which these are only one, but . . . on a scale of 1 to 10, sandwiches are a 10+ for me. I just adore sandwiches.
My Aunt Freda also loved sandwiches, so I guess we are a lot alike in that respect. If it is between two slices of tasty bread, I love it . . . for the most part.
There are a very few exceptions.
I know most people will have cooked their turkeys for Christmas (or Thanksgiving) and you might not have leftover turkey in the house at the moment.
We cooked our Turkey at New Years. It is important to note that you could also make these with slices of Deli-turkey. Just so you know. You don't actually need leftover turkey to make these. Deli-turkey is delicious also!
I have made Croque Monsieur sandwiches in the past with ham. You can find that here.
They were most delicious. Topped with a fried egg, they become a Croque Madame. Also most delicious.
I found a recipe for this tasty Turkey Croque-Monsieur on the Jamie Oliver site. I love Jamie Oliver recipes, so often troll there.
Attributed to Chef Bruno Loubet from the Bistro Bruno Loubet, in London's Clerkenwell, it looked and sounded absolutely fabulous.
It would also allow me to use up some of our leftover Christmas cheeses and cranberry sauce! Win/win/win all round!
You cannot beat the combination of turkey, cranberry, bacon, cheese, etc. Need I go on?
You begin by making a delicious Stilton cheese sauce, lightly flavoured with Dijon mustard. It is luscious and rich.
This gets spread on the bottom slice of bread (use a rustic white bread) after you have spread the bread with some cranberry sauce.
Gruyere cheese gets grated on top of that and then you layer on turkey, the top slice of bread, also spread with some of that luscious Stilton cheese sauce . . .
A final grating of Gruyere cheese and they are ready to toast in the oven . . . a hot oven . . .
Just until the sauce has bubbled and melted a bit, along with that cheese . . . gilding the sandwiches with a blanket of deliciousness . . .
This sandwich is so simple to make. If you can make a simple cheese sauce, you can make this!
Its also very quick to make once you have all of the ingredients assembled . . .
And it is incredibly delicious!
So delicious that while I was meaning only to have a tiny taste . . . before I knew it half the sandwich had disappeared and I was licking my chops. I'll start my diet on Monday. 😏
Yield: 4
Turkey Croque-Monsieur
prep time: 15 minscook time: 15 minstotal time: 30 mins
A deliciously different turkey sandwich, with layers of a tender turkey breast, cranberry sauce, a Stilton bechamel, and Gruyere cheese! Rich and fabulously tasty!
ingredients:
3 TBS butter
5 TBS flour
400ml milk (1 2/3 cup)
2 TBS Dijon Mustard
100g Stilton cheese (3 1/2 ounces) crumbled
8 slices of a sturdy crusty white bread
cranberry sauce
100g Gruyere cheese (3 12 ounces)
400g sliced cooked turkey (14 ounces, scant pound)
salt and black pepper as needed
instructions:
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with foil and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
Melt
the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for several
minutes. Slowly whisk in the cold milk and cook, stirring constantly,
until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Stir in the mustard and
crumbled Stilton. Whisk to melt the cheeses and then remove from the
heat. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if desired.
the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for several
minutes. Slowly whisk in the cold milk and cook, stirring constantly,
until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Stir in the mustard and
crumbled Stilton. Whisk to melt the cheeses and then remove from the
heat. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if desired.
Spread
four slices of the bread with cranberry sauce and then half of the
Stilton sauce. Place onto the baking sheet. Grate half of the Gruyere
cheese over top. Place the sliced turkey on top of the Gruyere cheese.
Spread the remaining Stilton sauce over the other four slices of bread
and place on top of the turkey. Grate the remaining Gruyere cheese over
all.
four slices of the bread with cranberry sauce and then half of the
Stilton sauce. Place onto the baking sheet. Grate half of the Gruyere
cheese over top. Place the sliced turkey on top of the Gruyere cheese.
Spread the remaining Stilton sauce over the other four slices of bread
and place on top of the turkey. Grate the remaining Gruyere cheese over
all.
Created using The Recipes Generator
If you don't have turkey to use, or are all turkey'd out (understandable) do bookmark this to make at some future date. You will not be sorry you did! Bon Appetit!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The
English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are
reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you
may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for
visiting. Do come again!
If you were to ask any Canadian what one of their favorite indulgent dishes is . . . and hands down . . . you are sure to come up with more than one answer of Poutine! Poutine, that Canadian dish of hot chips (french fries) topped with squeaky cheese curds, and hot gravy . . . the chips and the gravy melting the cheese so that every forkful is a mix of oozy gravy, hot chip goodness!
Another favourite diner meal would be the Hot Turkey Sandwich. I know I ate a fair few of these in my lifetime! Canadians love to embrace turkey any way they can get it and a hot sandwich with two slices of bread layered with hot turkey and slathered in gravy, and served along french fries, peas and carrots and a pot of homemade coleslaw are up there on the list of favourites as well!
This tasty dish today combines two of those favourite indulgences into something you are going to find yourself asking . . . now, why didn't "I" think of that! DOH! Don't worry about it, I've done all the thinking for you.
What you have here is hot chips (french fries) . . . you can make your own from scratch, or you can use a good oven chip . . . topped with two scoops of poultry stuffing, and some chunks of roasted turkey . . . slathered in hot turkey gravy . . . and then doused with a combination of both cheddar and mozzarella cheeses.
What you have here is a bit of a wicked indulgence perhaps . . . but oh well . . . you don't really have to eat the whole thing do you???
Ok, I'll admit it . . . it's pretty hard not to. ☺ By the way, you have to make my stuffing with this . . . it's really the best, if I don't say so myself, and I know . . . I just did.
*Hot Turkey Poutine*
Serves 4 they're gorgeous!)
4 ounces grated cheddar cheese (about 1 cup)
4 ounces grated mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup
leftover stuffing
*Poultry Stuffing*
Makes 12 servings
This
is delicious. Don't balk at the ingredients. They absolutely work.
Just open your mind and go with it. This is the most delicious
stuffing. It freezes well. I pack it into a loaf tin and chill. I
then dump it out, slice and then wrap each slice individually and
freeze. When we are ready to eat it, I just take out what I want and
cook it (frozen) in some hot butter, browning it on both sides.
Delicious! Alternately you can spoon it into a baking dish, cover and
bake at 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3 for about 25 minutes.
6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 TBS butter
2 slices white bread, crumbled
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 TBS white sugar
1 TBS soft light brown sugar
1 TBS mild molasses
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp dried powdered sage
1 TBS dried summer savory
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Cook
your potatoes until soft in a pot of lightly salted water. Drain well
and mash along with the butter until smooth. Add the crumbled bread to
the mashed potatoes along with the onion, sugars, herbs, molasses,
vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix together well. Pack into a buttered 9
by 5 inch loaf pan. Cover and chill for several hours. This can be
frozen at this point. When ready to serve, melt some butter in a pan.
Slice the dressing and lightly brown for about 5 minutes per side.
This blows stove top stuffing out of the water!
Go on . . . make it, you know you really want to!
I love sandwiches. I think next to potatoes, chocolate and lemons, sandwiches are one of my absolute favourite things to eat!! Yep, low carb does not work for me. Not at all. Sandwiches can be as simple as you like or as complicated as you like. It all depends on how you are feeling. Some days I am in ecstacy over a simple jam sandwich and others I am wanting an Italian Grinder. It's a mood thing I guess.
I was recently sent some Spam ® in these new pop top plastic containers! Way cool beans! So easy to open and to use! I love them!
The old tin was always a bit fiddly to work with and I was always afraid I would cut myself on it. This is a really nice improvement. Did you know that SPAM have a competition running at the moment to win five weekend theatre breaks plus £100 spending money plus 100 runner up prizes. In order to enter you can simply upload a photo, video, drawing or even just a short sentence at www.spam-uk.com. The contest closes on the 28th February, so you still have enough time to enter if you wish!
Next week is Spam Appreciation week and in honor of that I have created a tasty sandwich for you all. It's a hot sandwich so is perfect for a simple supper. Did you know that Spam is the number one favourite luncheon meat in Hawaii? Hawaiian's just love the stuff. I'm not surprised actually. We are big fans of it in this house too.
I decided to take on a Hawaiian theme with this sandwich because they are such fans and I thought it would be fun. Hot dog buns stuffed with a delicious spam filling created by using chopped spam, cheese, onion, pineapple crush, hot peppers, mayonnaise and spicy barbeque sauce! You just mix it all together and stuff the buns, which are then wrapped tightly in foil and baked until the filling is bubbling and oozingly tasty good!
A man and kid pleaser, this is luau food, without the trouble of pit roasting a whole pig! All joking aside, these are incredibly tasty! The Toddster tucked into two of them all by himself. I love it when that happens! I served these with some oven chips, but potato chips would be great with them, as would some potato salad. I think you'll agree that these are quite simply delicious!
*Hawaiian Hots*
Serves 6
1 small red onion, peeled and minced
several pickled hot peppers, chopped finely
(I used the discovery sweet yellow jalapeno peppers)
2 TBS good quality mayonnaise
2 TBS barbeque sauce
pepper to taste
1 package of hot dog buns split
chopped onion and cress to garnish
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.
Make
sure your pineapple is really well drained. You don't want it to be
too wet or the filling will be too wet. If you have to, put it in a
clean tea towel, wrap it up tightly and squeeze it really well. Mash
together the spam, cheese, pineapple, onion, mayonnaise, barbeque sauce
and pepper to taste. Split the hot dog buns. Divide the mixture evenly
between the buns filling them well. Wrap each tightly in foil. Place
them onto a baking tray and then bang them into the heated oven. Bake
for 20 to 25 minutes, at which time the buns should be a bit crisp on
the outsides and the filling will be oozingly tasty good. Let stand for
several minutes before serving. The filling will be very hot so take
care. Serve garnished with more chopped onion and a sprinkling of
cress. 
Now that's tasty!
Many thanks to Rachel and the people at SPAM® for sending me these tasty little tubs!
I made a nice Macaroni and Cheese for supper one night at the weekend and had a bit extra mac and cheese that didn't fit into the casserole dish. I hate waste and so I decided to do what any who loves to cook, loves to eat and hates waste would do. I created something tasty with it. Don't shoot me because once you see this, your life will never be the same again. 💕 Sorry about that!
Meet the Grilled Mac, Cheese and Pancetta Sandwich. I know . . . I can't help it, the wheels in my culinary head are always turning.
I can't claim to have invented this . . . but it's new to me. If you've already done this, I haven't stolen your recipe. We are just great minds that think alike! (What a fab idea to think that the world is filled with great minds thinking alike!) They say there is nothing new under the sun, only new ways of doing things. I expect that is true.
This is so tasty . . . yes . . . more than tad bit hedonistic to be sure. But once in a blue moon a gal just has to do what a gal has to do . . . and as you know by now I like to push the envelope a tad bit now and then.
Each bite brings the taste of buttery toasted bread |(Garlicky if you have used garlic mayo instead of butter), salty crisp pancetta and creamy peppery macaroni and cheese! WOWSA! This was FABULOUS!
I was too afraid to eat the whole thing. My arteries were constricting just thinking about it so I tortured the Toddster with half of it. He seemed to enjoy it as well. Now I am pondering what else I can do to this to take it even further over the top. Any ideas??? (I think some rocket/arugula would be a nice addition. Next time!!)
*Grilled Pancetta, Mac & Cheese Sarnies*
Makes onea small handful of grated cheddar cheese Fresh ground black pepper
Butter
the outsides of the bread with some softened butter or garlic
mayonnaise. Place the grated cheese on the un-buttered side of one
slice of bread and spread the macaroni and cheese on the un-buttered
side of the other slice. Grind a goodly amount of black pepper on the
macaroni and cheese. Lay the slices of cooked pancetta on top of the
cheese on the other slice. Carefully press the two sides together,
taking care that the plain buttered sides are on the outside. Heat a
small nonstick skillet. Carefully add the sandwich and brown first on
one side, then flip over and brown on the other side. Wait a few
minutes and then slice into halves or quarters and enjoy!
You can find a really good Mac & Cheese recipe here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons