5 Ingredients or Fewer

Cucumber and Butter Tea Sandwiches without Cream Cheese

July 25, 2009
5
1 Ratings
  • Makes 1
Author Notes

I'm not one of those people who spend five minutes shellacking a layer of butter as thin as parchment on each slice of bread, working the knife back and forth like a bricklayer with his trowel until the butter is perfectly even. No, I'm a slatherer. Always have been. I'm not happy until I can no longer see the surface of the bread beneath its creamy cap of butter. I recommend you seek out some Organic Valley butter and make some of these delicate little sandwiches yourself. —Merrill Stubbs

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Ingredients
  • 1 English (seedless) cucumber
  • 2 slices white or wheat sandwich bread (preferably Pepperidge Farm Very Thin)
  • good quality salted butter, at room temperature
  • salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
Directions
  1. Peel the cucumber and cut 8 thin rounds. Spread one side of a slice of bread with about 1 teaspoon of butter and arrange the cucumber in overlapping rows over the butter. Sprinkle the cucumber with salt and pepper to taste. Butter the second slice of bread and make a sandwich. Slice off the crusts and cut the sandwich into 3 equal rectangles. Eat, accompanied by a glass of homemade iced tea or white wine.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

22 Reviews

patricia G. April 13, 2015
You want a nice low-moisture butter, and no skimping, to make a water-proof barrier between the bread and cucumber, and firm un-watery cukes with small seeds.
JohnL September 3, 2014
This hit the spot tonight for a quick midnight snack! I've been buying those tiny Persian cucumbers and they were great (super crunchy) in this sandwich. I also love a paper-thin bit of onion on my cucumber sandwiches. This will replace Jean Anderson's superb recipe when I want it fast. Thanks for sharing!
Yorkshire L. July 11, 2011
Forget the knife and use your cheese slicer to slice the cucumber. It makes it waferthin - perfect. These should dfinitely be eaten with a nice cuppa tea, preferably Yorkhire tea!
Christina @. July 6, 2021
Also saying, "cut 8 thin rounds" of the cucumber may lead some people to slice thick pieces to use up the entire cucumber! A slicer is the way to go.
Yorkshire L. July 11, 2011
Forget the knife and use your cheese slicer to slice the cucumber. It makes it waferthin - perfect. These should dfinitely be eaten with a nice cuppa tea, preferably Yorkhire tea!
donniejayne July 11, 2011
My mother being English, cucumber sandwiches were a mainstay in our home, in college they were a constant, cheap, tasty and it wasn't Ramen soup!
michele.deal1 July 11, 2011
FAt free cream cheese instead of butter and sprinkle with dill weed! Serve on party rye for an elegant snack.
michele.deal1 July 11, 2011
Fat Free. cream cheese instead of butter and sprinkle with dill weed! Make on party rye slices open face for an elegant snack.
Merrill S. July 11, 2011
Cream cheese and cucumbers -- another match made in heaven!
Tropicalmom July 11, 2011
I make (like my mom & grandma did) the delish cucumber & onion salad too, but I never thought of putting it on bread! Sounds great! Now I'm thinking, add it to a sub...mmmm....
Just G. July 10, 2011
I have and still do make cucumbers and onions in salt, vinegar and honey seasoned with salt and pepper and keep them in the ref. all summer. We make sandwiches with seven grain bread and the cucumbers and onions all summer long. Messy but oh so good.
Merrill S. July 10, 2011
Yum.
treasurehunter July 10, 2011
substitute peanut butter for the butter. the flavor contrast is delightful.
Merrill S. July 10, 2011
What an interesting idea! I'll have to try it.
Geopazz July 9, 2011
Slice Cucumber 1/4 inch slices Toast some white bread slap some helmans mayo and a dash of pepper on it
Merrill S. July 10, 2011
Always a good way to go.
larry H. June 5, 2011
Great recipe! Cucumber sandwiches have a reputation of being wimpy and only for ladies teas,

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

I like them with good Mayo (Dukes or homemade) and a sprinkling of Madras curry powder.

Larry Hamby
ColdFrisian June 5, 2011
Try flavouring the butter with lemon juice and zest. Delish!
Panfusine June 2, 2011
sheer bliss to chomp on one of these! mainstay snack for recess time at school!
NotesOnDinner June 2, 2011
What about a cup of real darjeeling in a bone chine cup with a dash of milk?! English breakfast would be ok too I suppose.
Merrill S. June 2, 2011
Indeed!
Blissful B. April 27, 2011
Very cool photo!