Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

In preparing for International Lolita Day this summer I decided I wanted to make something traditionally served at high tea for an online meetup. For my last in-person tea party I made a Korean inspired sandwich with cucumber in it but today I was more interested in the traditional kind. However, because they're so simple and delicately flavored, it's easy to make them really boring or unappealing. I wanted, in the words of my friend, "a cucumber sandwich that doesn't suck."

I happened upon a missive by Felicity Cloake on the subject, and it was an interesting read, not having grown up around tea culture of any kind. If you'd like to read it, feel free to check out this link. But I'm just here to tell you how to make the version she settled on.

Notes:

• Admittedly I made my sandwich with brown bread because it was all I had. I liked it, though I think a white bread (but not Wonder Bread style white bread) is really what you want here.
• I tried cutting my sandwich into 6 pieces and it started falling apart. I'd stick with dividing the sandwich into 4 pieces max. I think a bread knife or a sharp chef's knife works best.

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RECIPE:

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

from Felicity Cloake

Serves 3-4

1/2 large cucumber, peeled (seeds removed if there are large seeds)

1/8-1/4 tsp salt

6 slices of good, fresh white bread

4-5 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

Ground white pepper

Slice cucumber very thinly. Place in a sieve over the sink. Salt the slices lightly and toss to coat. Let stand for 20 minutes. Taste one, and if it is very salty, you can rinse the cucumbers to remove some of the salt. Place cucumber slices in a single layer on paper towels and pat dry with more paper towels to remove excess moisture.

Butter each slice of bread generously on one side. Arrange cucumber slices to cover 3 of the slices of bread, overlapping the slices as needed, then sprinkle white pepper on top. Top with the remaining bread slices.

Using gentle but firm pressure, place your hand on top of each sandwich and cut off the crusts with a sharp knife, then cut into 3 equal fingers, 4 squares, or 4 triangles. Serve immediately, preferably alongside a cup of good tea.