Thursday, December 14, 2006

Tea Sandwich Recipes

I often just make up the recipes for my tea sandwiches based on what I have in the refrigerator! I also make a lot of vegetarian combinations. They are often healthier and less expensive.
Egg salad works well as I almost always have eggs on hand. I like to add mayo, dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, celery and seasonings to my egg salad. I don't measure, so I can't give amounts. It mostly is by look and texture and how many people are joining me. (I add a dash of the red wine vinegar to give it a bit of a tang, like deviled eggs.) I'll put it on whatever bread I have. If I have regular white bread I'll make it like a regular sandwich and then cut the crusts off and quarter it. If I have homemade bread, I make make them open-faced and just put the salad on a single slice of bread, otherwise it's too much bread.
Cucumber sandwiches are simple. I butter the bread and place very thin slices of cucumbers on top. I may leave them open as well, again it depends on the bread I'm using. Sometimes I'll cut the slices in half and fan them out on the bread. If I have them, I'll add thin slices of radishes as well. The flavors work well together and the red of the radish adds a dash of color. I like to sprinkle fresh or dried dill on top as well.
I love tomato sandwiches for tea. I usually use baguettes for bread, or cut circles out of sandwich bread. I blend a mix of dried herbs: savory, basil, thyme, etc. into some mayonnaise and refrigerate the mayo so the flavors can meld. I then spread the mayo on one bread circle and top it with a slice of tomato. Roma tomatoes work well for this. I then sprinkle fresh basil, if I have it and little bachelor button/cornflower petals on top. They are completely edible and the blue simply pops out on top of the red of the tomato. (I grow them in the garden, dry them in bunches, then put them in jars to use throughout winter.)
Chicken salad is also wonderful for tea sandwiches. I make mine with chicken, cashews, a little onion, celery, mayo, mustard, and spices. I just make sure to chop everything up fine so that it is easier to eat.
Cream cheese can also be a wonderful sandwich base. You can put it on the cucumber sandwiches in place of, or in addition to, the butter. It's also nice mixed with a little blue cheese and spread with bits of pear and pecans or walnuts.
I've also used just regular lunch meats like turkey or sliced chicken for sandwiches as well. I just make sure they are bite-sized and as pretty as possible. Cookie cutters can be used to make fun shapes. Also, you can cut the sandwiches into quarters via triangles, and rectangles, not just squares. Have fun with it! I'm sure you can come up with something wonderful out of whatever you may have on hand. Feel free to post your ideas in the Comments section.

3 comments:

Kimberly said...

I honestly have not tried either of those recipes, but I would assume they are good. What a lovely gift! Merry Christmas!

Kelli said...

Thak you so much for the tea sandwich recipes, Kimberly. They all sound wonderful and I especially like the open face sandwich ideas!
Kelli

Mimi said...

I love all the recipes for Tea sandwiches... I am not planning a Tea any time soon but I will definitely save the recipes... Thanks

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