Tea Party

Tea sandwiches, English tea time style, are dainty sandwiches made without crusts and any filling that you desire. Unlike the overstuffed sub sandwich, tea sandwiches have a thin layer of filling so that they’re not messy to eat. With permission, get out the good china plates with perhaps a few doilies and pretty napkins.

The Bread: Tea sandwiches call for a plain, soft whole wheat or white sandwich bread. Or, have a two-tone sandwich – white on the top, wheat on the bottom. As you cut the bread into shapes, keep them in a plastic bag so they won’t dry out. Serve the same day.

Triangles: Using a bread knife, slice the crusts off of each slice of bread. Put a thin layer of filling on the bottom slice and put on the top slice. Cut the sandwich in half through the corners; cut again so that you have four triangles.

Shapes: Experiment with your cookie or biscuit cutters to see which ones will cut through bread. (Most of the simple-shaped metal ones will cut bread.) We like to use simple shapes such as a circle, heart, or diamond. Cut out the bread shapes; you should be able to fit two cookie cutters on one slice of bread. (Save the scraps to make salad croutons or bread crumbs.)

When all of the bread shapes are cut, spread a thin layer of filling neatly onto one of the bottom shapes; put on the top shape. Arrange the sandwiches on a plate, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until serving time.

The Fillings: You could use Egg Salad or Red Spread for sandwich fillings, or cream cheese with jam or marmalade, sliced cheese, turkey, or ham with a little mustard or mayo to hold it together. Cheese slices, sliced turkey and ham can be cut with a cookie cutter so they fit the sandwich. (French mustard, apricot jam, or fruit chutney can be the glue that holds the sandwich together.) Traditional tuna salad works also; but not the chunky tuna salad in this book.