Chill out with hot summer fare

Going to any summer concerts on the lawn this season? Here are some suggestions for creating gourmet sandwiches that will impress your friends and tantalize your taste buds.

Hummus and Natural Dates:
Toast pita bread lightly on each side then slit open. Spread hummus on both sides of the interior and push in thinly sliced or julienned vegetables (carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini) and baby spinach leaves to make a vegan sandwich.

Peanut Butter with Cranberries:
Spread two slices of whole grain bread thickly with crunchy peanut butter. Top one slice lightly with canned cranberry sauce or sprinkle on dried cranberries, then add a generous topping of shredded iceberg lettuce; top with the second slice of bread.

Brie with Grapes:
Cut a baguette into two or three pieces and cut each one open lengthwise, stopping just short of cutting all the way through. Butter one side only. Thinly slice Brie and pack it into the unbuttered lengths of the baguette, squashing the cheese down slightly. Grind some black pepper over the cheese. Halve some seedless grapes, either ruby or green, or a mixture of both and lay them on top. Press baguette halves together and wrap with plastic wrap.

Smoked Salmon with Cucumber and Cream Cheese:
Split a bread roll or bagel in half and toast it for a minute on each side. Spread one half with plain cream cheese, arrange slices of smoked salmon in folds on top and cover the salmon with wafer-thin slices of cucumber and a sprinkling of chopped dill. Add some fresh-ground pepper and top the sandwich with the remaining piece of bread. Prepare each half the same to serve open-face.

Turkey, Avocado, and Pesto:
Split four large croissants in half and spread the cut surfaces evenly with a little pesto. Thinly slice an avocado and arrange the slices over one half of each croissant. Top with some wafer-thin slices of turkey, scrunching them up slightly, and arrange a few thin tomato slices over the turkey. Sprinkle lightly with salt and black pepper, press the two halves of each croissant together and serve.

Mashed Raspberry and Banana:
For a great sweet filling, toast slices of brioche or raisin bread and fill them with banana mashed with a few raspberries (these can be fresh or thawed from frozen).

Mary Ann Kauchak lives in Lake Ridge. Her third cookbook, “SHORTCUTS, TOO” is available at Mom’s Apple Pie in Occoquan. She can be reached at makauchak@comcast.net.