Cucumber bouchées are a simple idea for your party apéritifs or a kids' apéritif before dinner. They are light, fresh, and easy to make. The version shown here is made with cream and goat cheese, and there are other variations in the notes after the recipe.
Cucumber
Roasted red peppers
2 parts goat cheese to 1 part heavy whipping cream
Chives
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
I don't have exact measurements for this recipe idea because I made it "au pif " – without measuring. I used about 2 parts heavy cream to 1 part goat cheese. See the notes for more information about the quantities.
Warm the cream and let it simmer for a few minutes until it starts to thicken a bit. Then add the goat cheese and stir until melted. Take the mixture off the stove and stir in sea salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste, and chives.
Refrigerate until chilled. To serve, top sliced cucumbers with a dollop of the cheese mixture and garnish with a bit of roasted red pepper.
There are some more variations in the notes below.
The amount of goat cheese and cream will vary depending on how much you want to make. If you end up with extra, remember you can use it up in other ways. I spread some on tomato basil bread last night for a little apéritif before dinner, and simply on a tomato would be great too. You could also toss it with pasta — perhaps with added smoked salmon, or leftover chicken sounds yummy! Use your kitchen intuition and try something with what you have on hand.
You can also top the cucumber slices with Boursin cheese. There are several delicious flavors to choose from.
I also like to top the cucumbers with a fresh herb like dill, chives, or parsley for flavor, beauty, and nutrients.
In this version, I used plain goat cheese seasoned with herbes de Provence, but you can also buy seasoned goat cheese.
