“Mushroom Glade” Appetizer on Cucumber
The “Mushroom Glade” is a trompe-l’oeil appetizer: a ball of ham-and-cheese salad sits on a round of fresh cucumber, topped with a pickled mushroom, and the whole thing is arranged to look like little mushrooms on a woodland clearing. Novelty appetizers like this were beloved on the post-Soviet holiday table for surprising guests with their looks as much as their taste. The cucumber isn’t just decoration here, it’s a cool, light base that offsets the richness of the mayonnaise-bound ball.
Worth Knowing
- For the “mushrooms,” use small marinated button mushrooms or honey mushrooms of a uniform size so they look tidy.
- Go easy on the garlic: mixed with mayonnaise, it sharpens noticeably after a few hours in the fridge.
- Pick a firm cucumber with no watery center, or the rounds will sag under the weight of the balls.
You can swap the ham for boiled chicken for a lighter version. Make the ball mixture ahead and refrigerate it, but assemble the appetizer close to serving so the cucumber doesn’t weep. Serve chilled.
Part of Ukrainian cuisine — 447 more recipes in the section.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Finely chop the ham, combine it with chopped eggs, grated cheese, minced garlic, and mayonnaise, mix well, and shape into small balls.
Cut the cucumber into rounds, set the balls on them, and top with the mushroom caps.
Sprinkle the platter with chopped herbs and arrange the "mushrooms" on top.
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