Ingredients:

for the benedictine:
8 oz brick cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 medium cucumbers, peeled and de-seeded
2 tablespoons onion juice*
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
pinch kosher salt
pinch cayenne pepper

for the sandwich:

8 slices white sandwich bread
3/4 lb thick cut bacon, cooked
8-16 thin slices of tomato
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced

Directions:
for the benedictine:

Finely grate the cucumber. Scrape the cucumber, juices and all, into a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients. Using a spoon or mixer, throughly combine all ingredients until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and refrigerate at least 1 hour prior to serving.

for the sandwich:
Line slices of bread with cucumber slices, then top with benedictine. Top with tomatoes, bacon and final slices of bread. Serve immediately.

*made by grating onion and squeezing out the juice

My thoughts:

During our recent trip to Louisville, Kentucky we got the chance to try a lot of regional specalties, beer cheese, bourbon balls, Mint Kentucky Colonels (we toured the tiny factory where the last two were invented and still made today), and benedictine. We love going to what we call “ladies who lunch” restaurants-the type of place where the salad plate is tuna salad, chicken salad and pimento cheese- while we are on vacation in the south and benedictine is the perfect spread for that sort of place. It is smooth, creamy and flavored solely by cucumber, onion and the teenist bit of pepper. It was invented by Jennie Benedict, a caterer and restaurant owner in Lousiville, and originally only used the juice from cucumber, not the actual flesh! We tried a few versions of the spread while we were in town and our favorite was at The Cafe* where they turned it into basically a benedictine BLT. I was excited to come home and make my own version which my husband swears is better than any we had in Kentucky! It isn’t the most attractive sandwich and a bit messy but it is one worth making.

*If you ever are in town, go there and get a giant slice of tuxedo cake to share.