Very tender and light cucumber sandwiches are a famous snack for tea of the English aristocracy, immortalized by the outstanding writer of the 19th century Oscar Wilde in his comedy “The Importance of Being Earnest”.
In his play, the famous playwright uses cucumber sandwiches to show the hedonistic frivolity of English high society. Miniature and almost weightless, cucumber sandwiches were mainly intended to emphasize the class affiliation of the tea party participants. This dish practically does not carry any calories, only taste. Tea sandwiches were not intended for the hungry stomachs of the working class, whose tea party was accompanied by a dense, hearty snack and could replace dinner. English high society did not bother with hard physical labor, and therefore the tea ceremony assumed a light insignificant snack in the long break between lunch and dinner.
How to make tea sandwiches
We propose to prepare an American version of tea sandwiches, which include white bread, cream cheese, cucumber and lemon zest. This is a proven recipe, as a result of which you will get a very elegant dish, quite appropriate to the tea ceremony of high-class English circles of the late Victorian period.
- Get the cream cheese out of the refrigerator 1 hour before the start of cooking so that it heats up at room temperature.
- Wash the cucumber, dry it, cut off the tips on both sides. It is best to use a thicker middle of the cucumber – cucumber ribbons will turn out wider. Using a peeler or mandolin, cut the cucumber into thin (about 2 mm) strips. We do not use the cucumber core with seeds – we cut the cucumber from two opposite sides so that the cucumber ribbons remain with the peel at the edges. Put the cucumber strips in one layer on a paper towel, cover with another one on top and get wet to remove excess moisture.
- In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and lemon zest spread the mass with a thin layer on each piece of bread.
- Carefully lay cucumber strips on top of the bread and cheese with a little overlap. With a sharp knife, carefully cut off the crust of bread.
- Cut each sandwich into four pieces. Serve sandwiches with hot, freshly brewed tea.
Deviled Egg Tea Sandwiches
Great variation of tea sandwiches! Take some eggs, mayo, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and apple cider vinegar. We suggest separating whites from the yolks and mix all the ingredients with yolks.
Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches
A spectacular and delicious snack with salmon. Tea sandwiches are always a winning snack option. And it does not matter whether this snack will be on the party table or act as a snack. Tea sandwiches with salmon are one of our favorite options, they are prepared simply, but are always delicious, colorful and healthy.
These amazing sandwiches are usually served open-faced. Take some dill and creme fraiche or mayo, use pumpernickel bread. If you don’t have pumpernickel bread, you can use whole wheat bread or any other bread you like.
Roast Beef Tea Sandwiches
Hearty roast beef, accompanied with horseradish or caramelized onion – what can be better and more delicious?
These colorful tea sandwiches can be prepared in a matter of minutes if you still have juicy roast beef. You can mix various vegetables and herbs, sauces, combining them in a delicious snack.
More afternoon tea sandwiches recipes
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- Shrimp salad. Mix chopped shrimp, mayonnaise, grated zest and lemon juice, chopped chives and capers. Put shrimp salad and Bibb lettuce between slices of white bread. Trim the crust and cut it into pieces.
- Chicken and pesto. Mix pesto sauce with olive oil; spread on thin slices of baguette. On top, add the chopped ready-made chicken breast and halves of grape tomatoes. Drizzle with oil and pesto.
- Сod liver and tomato. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Brown the bread on both sides and cool. Drain the excess oil from the liver and rub it with a fork. Cut the tomato into thin slices or slices. Spread each piece of bread with cod liver, and put 1-2 slices of tomato on top. Add salt and garnish the sandwiches with herbs. Put another piece of bread on top. Cut each sandwich into four pieces.
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- Avocado, cheese, egg and salmon. hard-boil the egg, cool and peel. Grate the egg, cheese and avocado pulp on a fine grater. Add lemon juice, mayonnaise or yogurt, salt and pepper and mix. Distribute the resulting mass over the bread. Cut the fish into small slices and put it on sandwiches. If desired, sprinkle them with herbs.
- Сrab sticks, eggs and capers. Hard-boil the eggs, cool and peel. Grate them and crab sticks on a fine grater. Add lemon juice, mayonnaise, salt and pepper and mix.
Spread the mass over the bread. If desired, sprinkle the sandwiches with chopped herbs.
- Crab sticks, cheese and pineapples. Lightly brown the bread on both sides in a dry hot pan. Rub with garlic and let it cool. Grate the crab sticks and cheese on a fine grater. Add pineapple, cut into small cubes, and salt and mix. Put the crab mass on the bread. If desired, decorate the sandwiches with slices of pineapple and olives.
Instructions
Deviled egg tea sandwich
- Boil the eggs for 10 minutes so that the yolks become completely solid.
- Drain the water and then cool them under cold running water.
- Peel the eggs and grate on the larger side of the grater (as for cheese).
- Mix the grated egg with mayonnaise and watercress and season to taste.
- Lightly butter the bread and spread the egg mayonnaise over the slice.
- Cover the top with a second slice to make a sandwich.
- Cut off the crusts and cut each sandwich into pieces 2 fingers thick.
Roast beef tea sandwich
- Prepare the specified ingredients.
- Prepare roast beef in advance and press in foil.
- Wash the tomatoes and greens.
- Cut the loaf slices in half and fry in a frying pan in vegetable oil for 1-2 minutes on each side. Cool it down.
- Put the fried base on a plate, smear with mayonnaise of any fat content.
- Cut the roast beef into thin slices.
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Put it on a bread base.
- Rinse the arugula leaves and decorate the prepared sandwiches with them.
- Season the appetizer with salt and pepper before serving.
Smoked salmon tea sandwich
- Mix mayonnaise, capers, gherkins, dill and green onions.
- Lightly butter the bread and spread the tartar sauce over a slice of bread.
- Put the smoked salmon on top and cover with a second slice to make a sandwich.
- Cut off the crusts and cut each sandwich into 4-finger-thick pieces.