Cucumber finger sandwiches

Utter perfection: dainty sandwiches made of fragrant butter and crunchy sour cucumbers.

Sometimes the lack of a complicated recipe puts a block on all of my writing efforts. I wonder if it is necessary to share a sandwich recipe so simple that essentially it reads, bread, butter and cucumber ? assemble. These dainty finger sandwiches were first made by my friend Mel who lined them up on their edges to make a pattern of bread, bread, butter, cucumber, bread, bread, butter, cucumber?.

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Feasting On Art

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Megan Fizell is a Sydney-based art historian and freelance writer concerned with the representation of food in the visual arts. She is the voice of the food & art blog, Feasting on Art, an innovative translation of painting to plate - recipes inspired by art.

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The combination of fragrant butter and crunchy sour cucumbers was utter perfection. So simple yet so satisfying. I added flakes of sea salt to my sandwiches to give a bit more texture and found that if made in the evening and stored in the fridge overnight, become even better the next day.

The still life featured is an excellent example of a bodeg?n painting, is composed of the ingredients found in a simple salad ? cucumber, tomato, olive oil, vinegar and salt.?Mel?ndez contrasts the rough surfaces of the hewn table and nubby cucumbers with the smooth contours of the tomatoes and bowls. The diagonal knife creates a sense of depth in the composition and the brilliant colored produce set against the dark background displays Mel?ndez?s skill in rendering diffused light.

There are several versions of this composition by Mel?ndez and according to the Sotheby?s catalogue entry for this painting, ?The olive oil strainer, the jug of vinegar and the large alcorco?n bowl were evidently favoured possessions of the painter for they recur in numerous other works.?

Cucumber Finger Sandwiches

Yield: 36 finger sandwiches

1/2 cup white wine vinegar
?1/2 teaspoon salt
?1 Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced
?250 grams butter (about 2 sticks), softened
?1/4 cup chopped herbs, a mixture of dill, parsley, chives, mint and coriander
?loaf of soft white bread
?sea salt

In a small bowl, add the vinegar, salt and cucumber slices. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, thoroughly mix the softened butter with the mixed herbs. Drain the cucumbers from the vinegar and begin to assemble the sandwiches. Spread a layer of butter, sprinkle over the sea salt and cover in one layer of cucumbers. Cut the crusts off the sandwich and slice into 3 to 4 long rectangles, depending on the size of the slice of bread.

Repeat until all of the ingredients have been used and serve. Can be made up to a day in advance.

Related post: French Toast with Garlic and Herbs

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