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Does anybody know where I can order mass cucumber sandwiches? It is somebodies birthday in the office and we thought of doing afternoon tea.

Cheers,
Mario

I had a Birthday party at Ritz Tango Cafe a few years ago, they provided among many delicious De Miga (crustless tea style sandwiches) cucumber sandwiches. Dinah, one of the owners, is particularly delightful to chat with and so very helpful. The party was a blast.

http://www.ritztangocafe.com


Ritz Tango Cafe
933 N Ashland Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 235-2233

I would think the best, easiest, fastest, cheapest way to go is to make them yourself. Just make sure you buy the key ingredient--Pepperidge Farm thin-sliced white sandwich bread.

We recently did a high tea baby shower in my office. We made our own cucumber sandwiches (beforehand, not as a baby shower game!). I agree that they're easy enough to make. If you really would rather order them, I'm guessing High Tea with Geri, discussed by Cathy2 here, might be able to help you.

Olde School,

I agree it's pretty darn easy to make cucumber sandwiches, in fact I thought so highly of Ritz Tango Cafe's cucumber sandwiches I tried, though with only moderate success, to copy them at home. What separates Ritz Tangos is they are lightly pressed, not in a heated panini style machine, but by an application of weight. They also had pressed, once again not heated, simply weighted, ham and tomato with the tomato being sliced impossibly thin, delicious beyond what the simple ingredients might indicate.

Enjoy,
Gary

Thanks for the tips. We just decided to make them instead. They are not the real deal. But, they are just going to have to suffice. The sandwiches look pretty bad. But, that is what you can do with plastic utensils and paper plates. It is impossible to slice the cumcumber thin with a plastic knife.

FYI, when I make cucumber sandwiches for myself, I use one of those flat bladed cheese slicers to get the cucumber slices paper thin.

pd

Even easier, and not that much more expensive, a Japanese mandoline.

Too late to help you, but a very easy version is a part of the traditional Louisville, KY Derby Day lunch: Benedictine sandwiches (nobody I know has any idea why they're named after monks, or why they're dyed electric-green, but so it goes)

Benedictine Sandwiches
1 large cucumber
8 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons grated onion
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon salt
Dash green food coloring
Peel, seed and grate cucumber. Spread grated cucumber between layers of paper towels or coffee filters, roll, and twist out the liquid. Blend togetheror food processer cucumber, cream cheese, onion, mayo and salt. Add food coloring, one drop at a time, until mixture is light, bright green. Spread mixture between two pieces of white, crustless bread and cut into triangle sandwiches. The Benedictine can also be served as a dip.

I agree about the pressing; you can do it by rolling your sandwich bread ahead of time with a rolling pin.

I would bet that it has something to do with the monks that once made Benedictine and a confusions with color of Chartreuse, which is made by monks, but not by Benedictine monks.

So, Mhays, you got me curious and I have to ask -- what are the other components of a traditional Derby Day lunch besides Benedictine tea sandwiches (and Mint Juleps, I assume)?

Doug

I made a not-very-successful version here. Basically, it's regional specialties like country ham and biscuits, Hot Brown sandwiches, Ice cream with "kentucky sauce",bourbon balls, Derby Pie. Tea sandwiches are often starters. Next year, I'm going to try to actually do it....