Cucumber Cups with Caramelized Onion and Bacon

While cleaning out my refrigerator last weekend, I spotted an English cucumber that I forgot to use.  It was only a few days old so it hadn’t lost any of its crispness.  I love cucumber slices in sandwiches or soaked in fresh lemon juice and sprinkled with salt.  My sisters and I would eat bowlfuls of the latter when we were children, loving the refreshing, crisp-tart experience from the concoction.   Last weekend, however, I was inspired to make something else.

I decided to make little vessels out of my cucumber instead.  But what would I fill them with?  I browsed the pantry and refrigerator for inspiration, but it was my nose that led me to a bright idea.  The onions and shallots that I was caramelizing for my potato-broccoli soup smelled so sweet and flavorful that I couldn’t help but set a bit aside.

I combined the caramelized onions and shallots with sour cream, chives, garlic and a bit of lemon juice for a quick filling.  Topped with a bacon piece or two, I was happy to end up with a simple but elegant appetizer.

Cucumber Cups with Caramelized Onion and Bacon

* Makes 8 cucumber cups

• 1 English cucumber (or any cucumber) cut into roughly 1 1/2 inch pieces crosswise.
• About 4 tablespoons of caramelized onions and shallots (recipe here)
• Chopped chives, 1 – 2 teaspoons plus more for garnish
• About 2 tablespoons sour cream
• Bacon pieces
• Granulated garlic or fresh garlic, to taste
• salt, to taste
• Lemon juice, optional

1. Scoop out the center of the cucumber cups for the filling using a melon baller. Make sure your cucumber pieces are big enough to leave a base for the cups after you scoop most of the meat out.
2. For the filling: Combine the caramelized onions and shallots with the sour cream and chives in a bowl.  Start with just a little until you have the right onion to sour cream ratio you prefer.  Season to taste with garlic, salt and lemon juice.
3. Spoon the filling into the cucumber cups, top with bacon pieces.  These are best chilled a bit for serving.