Vegetables
Cucumber & Watercress Sandwich
The English afternoon Tea, which most historians credit to Anna Stanhope the Duchess of Bedford, a lady-in- waitng to Queen Victoria, was a way for her to sustain herself in the time between the noon meal and the fashionably late dinner around 8.
At first having her servants sneak her a light meal, she began to invite people to join her and so the tradition of afternoon tea evolved. The delicate little bites and traditions that were attached to them have spawned a whole industry world wide. The most famous of these little gems is the watercress sandwich, of which there are many versions. Mine is a simple rendition that I make occasionally to go with soup for a light lunch or dinner
Directions
- Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature.
- Add the dill and about a ¼ teaspoon each of salt & pepper.
- Whisk briskly to combine, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Take the peeled cucumber and on a mandoline slice them as thin as you can without them losing their shape.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture over one side of all eight slices of bread.
- Arrange the cucumbers by overlapping in rows to cover 4 bread slices completely.
- Lightly salt & pepper the cucumbers.
- Now arrange a layer of watercress over the cucumbers.
- Top with the other slices of bread.
- For truly traditional sandwich cut the crusts off and then in 4- 6 pieces depending on how big your bread is.
- Each section should be a '2 bite' piece.