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Cucumber sandwiches are made from fresh cucumbers and topped with a cream cheese spread on cocktail rye sandwich bread and sprinkled with dill. Serve them for brunch, a tea party, or as an appetizer.

Dill weed and cucumber offer a garden fresh taste and make a nice colorful presentation for a brunch menu. They look great on a buffet table for a bridal shower or luncheon and can also be a hit at work when you need to bring a dish to pass. These cucumber sandwiches are easy to eat, not too messy, and travel well. Find more brunch party planning tips and brunch menu ideas like these cucumber sandwiches.

This recipe makes enough for about 22 servings at 2 sandwiches per person. Two medium sized cucumbers sliced thin will match up fairly well to the number of slices in the cocktail rye bread and the amount of cream cheese spread. You can use either light or dark rye bread, although I prefer the dark rye with these tea sandwiches. If you just don't like rye bread at all, you may choose another flavor bread, just make sure it is sliced very thin-about 1/8" wide and a fairly firm bread.

These tea party sandwiches can be made up to 24 hours in advance and refrigerated. They go together pretty quickly with about 20 minutes prep time.

Prep Time:  20 minutes

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese
Zesty Italian Dressing*
2 medium to large cucumbers
1-16 ounce package Cocktail Rye Bread-Light or Dark
Dried Dill Weed

Kitchen Equipment:

Medium sized bowl
Large serving platter

Step 1: Soften the cream cheese in a medium sized bowl by letting it sit on the kitchen counter for 3-4 hours or by unwrapping it from its foil package and placing it in a bowl in the microwave until slightly softened.

Step 2:  Start by adding 1-2 ounces of Italian dressing to the cream cheese and beat it together with a wooden spoon or electric mixer. If the cream cheese seems too stiff, add more Italian dressing to make a very soft spreadable consistency making sure there are no lumps.

Step 3:  Wash the cucumbers and dry. Leave the skin on the cucumber. Take a dinner fork and make striations down the length of each of the cucumbers all the way around. This is not completely necessary, but does provide a nice look and makes it easier to bite into. Slice the cucumbers thin at about 1/8".

Step 4:  To assemble the sandwiches, find a nice serving platter and spread the cream cheese mixture evenly onto each on of the cocktail rye squares. Place on the serving platter. Top with the slices of cucumber, 1 per slice of bread.

Step 5:  Sprinkle each cucumber sandwich with dried dill weed. Refrigerate covered with plastic wrap until ready to serve. Can be made up to 24 hours ahead. These can be stacked on the platter with a layer of plastic wrap between each layer.

*You can use regular Italian dressing as well, but I prefer the extra flavor that comes from the Zesty Italian dressing.

Servings:  Approximately 22.

Serving size:  2 sandwiches per person.

Old-Fashioned Tea Party Cookbook

If you are searching for more information on hosting a tea party, this cookbook has a lot of good information and recipes and is available from my website.

Quantity

This unique teacake recipes cookbook contains more than just recipes. There is a wonderful history of tea in America, how a formal tea party was hosted in early American times, photos and descriptions of early tea sets, instructions on how to set your table for a tea party, explanations of the different types of tea, instructions on how to brew a perfect pot of tea, and tea etiquette.

The recipes in this book are meant to complement a tea party and contain authentic early American recipes including Tea Sandwiches, Scones and Biscuits, Tarts and Pastries, and Cakes. This book also includes a handy baking and cooking chart on the back page for weights, measurements, and substitutions. See a list of recipes included and more information.