Herbed Cream Cheese Cucumber Rounds




Cucumbers + radishes = a food combination I'm sure to hate.


I don't like cucumbers.  I can hardly eat them, actually.  I blame it on an unnamed diet I tried before I learned about the beauty (and health!) of real foods on which cucumbers were a free food.  I could eat as many cucumbers as my heart desired.  And I did.  I'd bite into them like apples. All was well and good until one day I hit my limit.  I didn't see it coming.  There I was, eating my cucumber without a care in the world and then...there it was...nope, one bite too many...I couldn't make myself swallow it...no more cucumbers for me ever again.  


And then there's radishes.  I think we can all agree that radishes are, um, random.  Poor radishes, they get a bad rap.  It's not their fault they're weird.  And kind of spicy.  But not spicy spicy.  They're weird.  Hard to explain.  Beautiful.  But weird.  I used to get them in my CSA and wondered how in the world I would use them because I didn't want them in my salads.  I'm a little bit ashamed to admit I'd just let them go to waste.  Too bad I didn't have this recipe back then because it's not only so pretty but so so delish.  


Cucumbers + radishes (+ herbed cream cheese) = delish.  Who knew??

Ingredients


4 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh mint
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh chives
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon table salt
pinch of cayenne, or to taste
1/2 medium seedless cucumber (seedless cucumbers are a bit dry so I might try seeds next time)
3 medium radishes 
tiny mint leaves (if desired, for garnish)
coarse sea salt for sprinkling


Directions


Stir together cream cheese, herbs, zest, lemon juice, table salt, and cayenne.
Slice cucumber in 1/2" thick slices. Trim bottoms from then radishes, then slice into thin (approximately 1/16") slices.  Top each cucumber slice with a radish slice and 1/2 teaspoon herbed cream cheese.  Sprinkle with coarse sea salt, garnish with tiny mint leaves and finely grated lemon zest if desired. Serve immediately.



Recipe from www.epicurious.com

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