Jennifer Mastroianni: Cucumbers make great serving platters ...

We may not like all of this rain and steamy heat, but cucumbers sure do. So take advantage of the season?s prolific crop by turning your cukes into vogue vessels ? as in bowls, boats, containers and cups.

It?s one of those ideas that, despite its simplicity, remains fashionable and fun as well as sleek and sophisticated.

Carved-out cucumbers can hold all sorts of food and drink: chicken salad, the cold Spanish summer soup known as gazpacho, mini cocktails, such as a Bloody Mary, and more.

Small rounds are great for two-bite appetizers. Tall rounds are ideal for cocktail samplers or shooters. And those monster cukes from your garden that have gone a tad bitter? Don?t toss them in the compost pile because they make striking bowls for salads and slaws. ?

Design your cups however you please. You can leave the skin on or off, or peel the cucumber in stripes for a dual-toned affect. Also, a fluted veggie chopper makes an eye-catching corrugated pattern. Cut them in rounds or squares.

Use a melon-baller to scoop out some of the insides. If scraping out most of the flesh, be sure to leave about a quarter to half-inch on the bottom and sides to prevent the contents from leaking. Then fill away, and don?t forget garnishes for added panache. Sprigs of herbs, julienned veggies, a single shrimp, toasted pine nuts or a tortilla chip are attractive toppers.

Also, cucumber containers can be made ahead for easy serving. Leave them on a tray in the refrigerator, and then fill them right before guests arrive. Here are several other ideas for fillers:

• Three shrimp in cocktail sauce
• Hummus with a few chickpeas on top
• Chicken, egg or seafood salad with a sprig of herbs
• Soba noodles with sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds
• Tabbouleh with a toasted pita triangle
• Guacamole with a blue tortilla chip
• Cole slaw, corn salad or fruit salad
• Couscous, rice salad or pasta salad

Wasabi-Lime Crab Salad in Cucumber Cups

• 4 cucumbers, peeled
• 1?4 cup mayonnaise
• 4 teaspoons wasabi paste
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3?4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 6 medium radishes
• 1?2 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over
• Cilantro or parsley sprigs for garnish

Cut cucumbers crosswise into generous 1?2-inch-thick slices. Cut a fluted round from each slice with cookie cutter, then scoop out some flesh from center of each round with melon-ball cutter or a small spoon, creating an indentation but leaving bottom intact.

Prepare the filling by whisking together mayonnaise and wasabi, then whisk in lime juice, salt and pepper. Cut radishes into very thin slices with slicer. Halve slices, then cut crosswise into very thin strips. Stir together crab, wasabi mayonnaise and radish strips, then put a small spoonful of filling into each cucumber cup. Garnish with cilantro or parsley sprigs.

Tomato Basil Couscous

• 1 box Israeli couscous, plain or garlic flavored, prepared according to package directions
• 3 tomatoes, seeds removed, and chopped
• 1?2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 2 small cloves garlic, minced
• 1?4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1?4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Cool couscous to room temperature. Add ingredients together.

Note:Israeli, or pearl, couscous tastes like a light version of pasta. The mini pearls take slightly longer to cook than traditional couscous and are available at most major supermarkets.

Cucumber-Melon Martini

• 2 ounces SKYY Melon vodka
• 1?2 ounce simple syrup
• Fresh cucumber

Muddle a few slices of cucumber in cocktail shaker. Add vodka and simple syrup, and fill with ice. Shake well. Strain into cucumber shooter cups. Garnish with a cucumber slice. Increase amounts as needed.

Source: http://www.doverpost.com/lifestyle/food/x1800181893/Jennifer-Mastroianni-Cucumbers-make-great-serving-platters-salads-and-martinis

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