Ouija Tea with Planchette-Shaped Cucumber Sandwiches and Lingonberry-Filled Rye Linzer Cookies
Cucumber Sandwiches
Ingredients
1 English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise about ⅛-inch thick
½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
12 oz full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill sprigs
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 small loaf sliced rye bread
Place cream cheese, mayonnaise, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Stir until evenly combined
Using planchette-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 14 sandwich halves (replacing the circular cut-outs that are punched out by the cookie cutter for half of the slices)
Using an offset spatula, evenly spread the cream cheese mixture on each slice of bread. Shingle slices of cucumbers on half the bread slices, and dill on remainder. Close the sandwich with the cucumber side facing up, and top with a final garnish of dill
Linzer Cookies
Ingredients
2 cups rye flour
1 cup butter, softened
⅔ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅔ cup finely ground almonds
½ cup lingonberry jam
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg
1-2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar, for dusting
1 Tablespoon dried lingonberries, pulsed in food processor
In a small bowl, combine flour, almonds, and cinnamon. Set aside
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract and mix well. Add dry mixture to wet mixture and mix until incorporated
Divide dough in two and press into disk-shaped circles, about 1 inch thick. Wrap each disc separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm enough to roll
Preheat oven to 350°F
On a floured surface, roll out one section of dough ⅛-inch thick (keep remaining dough chilled)
Cut out half of the rolled dough using planchette-shaped cookie cutter. These will be the top cookies
Cut out an equal number of cookies using the same cutter, replacing the circular cut-outs that are punched out by the cookie cutter. These will be the bottom cookies
Transfer all cut-outs to baking sheets with parchment paper
Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on a cookie sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
Flip the bottom cookies and spread a teaspoon of jam on each
Combine confectioners' sugar and dried lingonberries, and dust the top cookies
Gently sandwich the cookies together, with the dusted cookie on top and the jam-side of the bottom cookie facing up
