Herbed cream cheese and cucumbers on toast

I have been getting frustrated by the abundance of highly processed and crappy-flavoured cream cheese spreads that are flooding the shelves in the stores. They are filled with artificial chemicals and colouring agents and taste horrible. Here is a simple recipe that will change all that. I used an excellent organic cream cheese, which is mild, creamy, and delicious. The herbs add that pop of flavour that the open-faced sandwich needs. As a variation, you can add some finely minced green chillies or dried red chilli flakes. I also used homemade olive oil bread for this occasion. The simple-to-make toasts were amazing, crunchy with flavorful cream cheese, followed by the soft cucumbers. These are perfect for those lazy hot summer evenings when you don’t want a heavy meal. Also, feel free to add other vegetables to the cucumbers, such as coloured peppers, kohlrabi, beets (raw), lettuce, radishes, or anything else you desire. Deborah Madison was one of the first chefs to embrace the farm-to-table movement when she opened her restaurant, Greens, which I have dined at a few times. Her cookbooks are lovely, and this one, in particular, is amazing. Simple recipes that are loaded with flavour. Like me, you should get all her cookbooks; each is a masterpiece!

For more wonderful recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

8 oz cream cheese, preferably organic

3-4 tablespoons yoghurt, milk or cream

1 small garlic clove, finely minced, or mashed through a press

3-4 tablespoons mixed fresh and dried herbs, parsley, mint, cilantro, chives or scallions, basil, dried thyme, dried tarragon, dried marjoram,

White pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Wholegrain or any hearty bread, toasted if desired

1 teaspoon chives, minced

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

Herbed cream cheese, see recipe above

Add the ingredients for the cream cheese mixture to a bowl and mix well. Taste the spread, it should be quite flavorful, enough to compensate for the plain cucumbers and bread. Allow marinating in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight for the flavours to come together.

On the toasted bread, add a layer of herbed cheese followed by the thin cucumber slices and a sprinkling of chives to finish. Serve immediately before the bread gets soggy.