5.19.2009

The Real Me





I love tea parties. I have this dream that one day I will have all these lady friends who will just pop by for tea in the afternoon, and I will always have little tea cookies and tea sandys on hand. When I was younger I had my birthday party at a tea room where you put on fancy costumes and sat around pretending to have high tea. Three years in a row. So imagine my delight when my friend forwarded me this blog about food which featured tea time! If you want to hang out with me, from now on I only accept invitations for tea. Ooooh…. I just had the best idea, I think we all need calling cards!




Putting on the Ritz Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches
8 hard-cooked
eggs*

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

20 slices best-quality white bread**
** * Choose the best-quality white or wheat bread as possible. Never serve end slices. Freezing the bread before cutting and then spreading makes for easier handling.
Peel eggs and place into a medium bowl. Slice eggs and then coarsely mash them with the back of a fork. Add mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and dill; stir until well blended. NOTE: This mixture can be refrigerated, covered, up to two days.
Spread butter onto one side of each slice of bread. Spread the buttered side of 10 slices of bread with 2 tablespoons egg mixture. Top with remaining slices of bread, buttered side down.
Carefully cut the crusts from sandwich with a long, sharp knife. Cut in half diagonally, then cut in half again. If desired, decorative shapes can be made with cookie cutters.
Yields 10 whole sandwiches or 20 halves or 40 fourths.





Cucumber Mint Tea Sandwich
1/2 seedless cucumber, peeled and very thinly sliced (about 32 slices)

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, rinsed, spun dry, and chopped fine

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature

16 slices best-quality white bread

*Salt to taste
* Choose the best-quality white or wheat bread as possible. Never serve end slices. Freezing the bread before cutting and then spreading makes for easier handling.
Place cucumber slices between layers of paper towels to remove excess moisture.
In a small bowl, combine mint, butter, and cream cheese; spread on one side of each slice of bread. Lay cucumber slices onto the buttered side of 8 slices of bread. Sprinkle with salt. Top with the remaining slices of bread, buttered side down.
Carefully cut the crusts from each sandwich with a long, sharp knife. Cut the sandwiches in half diagonally and then cut in half again. Decorative shapes can be made with cookie cutters.
Yields 8 whole sandwiches or 16 halves or 32 fourths.

2 comments:

jessica said...

consider it done... i smell this year's bday party

Anonymous said...

The shortened name for sandwiches is Sarnies.

And yes, afternoon tea parties make wonderful birthday partis. I get this English restaurant to cater with half size versions of turnovers, cornish pasties, and lots of sarnies, scones, clotted cream and jam.

From a Kensington Lady displaced to California.