Which cucumber ? The cucumber is not afraid of being modern, the new generation cucumber is a being with discreet seeds, a thin skin, and crisp, juicy flesh.
Use a "Télépathy F1". Protected from mildew it produces almost all year, and it is a little more tender than the long green of China. Avoid Lemon cucumbers which are remarkable only in their shape & colour.
Not so long ago no one dared serve a cucumber without taking out the seeds beforehand, mind you the seeds used to be quite tough. Now, most varieties let you eat the seeds.
Should one peel a cucumber ? The answer is definitely - Yes!
There are two methods of slicing a peeled cucumber : the French way (perpendicular to the axe of the cucumber, i.e. discs - about 3mm thick) or the English way, in long, thin strips done with a potato peeler. As soon as it has been sliced the cucumber should be mixed with coarse salt in a large strainer and left for 15 minutes, then rinsed to remove the salt and patted dry. This makes it crisper and easier to digest.
The sauce is made of natural yoghourt mixed with lots of fresh dill, no salt but a little black pepper. You can also replace the dill with chervil (or garlic)
The ultimate debate is at what temperature it should be served. Certain like it cold, others just chilled. Best is perhaps to serve it chilled on a cold plate. Any person who serves it to you frozen on a warm plate may be stricken forever from your mailing list.
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