Fruits de Mer Tea Sandwiches

Crab Salad Swirls

 

Yield: 2 dozen

 

Ingredients

 

1 cup chopped cooked crabmeat

 

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

 

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

 

1 teaspoon lemon juice

 

1 tablespoon minced shallots

 

1 teaspoon flat leaf (Italian) parsley, snipped

 

¼ cup minced celery

 

¼ cup minced red bell pepper

 

 

Steps

1. Mix crabmeat, mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice, shallots, parsley, celery, and red bell pepper. Cover and place in icebox overnight.

 

Roll Dough

 

Ingredients

 

1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast

 

3 Tablespoons sugar

 

1/4 cup cold water

 

1/4 cup butter, melted and allowed to come to room temperature 

 

1/4 cup warm whole milk

 

2 tablespoons room temperature, whisked egg

 

3/8 teaspoon salt

 

1 1/2 cups flour

 

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

 

 

 

Steps

1. Grease a large bowl with the grapeseed oil.
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Bring the cold water to 110° to 115° F. in a saucepan.
4. Place warmed water in a ceramic or glass bowl.
5. Add sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar.
6. Add dissolve yeast.
7. Allow yeast to proof for 15 minutes. If yeast does not proof, discard and obtain fresh yeast, then repeat process.
8. Warm milk to 110° to 115° F. in a saucepan.
9. Combine butter, milk, egg and salt. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
10. Once yeast has proofed, add whisked liquids.
11. Add 2 cups flour to liquids.
12. Use a fork to stir until smooth.
13. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. The dough will be sticky.
14. Turn dough out onto a sheet of parchment paper.
15. Flour hands and knead dough, between 6 and 8 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Add flour, dusting over the dough until dough is still soft, but not sticky.
16. Place dough in the greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.
17. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
18. Punch dough down.
19. Turn dough out onto the sheet of parchment paper and roll into a large rectangle, about 1/8” thick.
20. Cover the top of the dough rectangle with the crab salad. Roll from one long side to the other, creating a long, narrow roll.
21. Cut the roll into 3/8” thick slices.
22. Place slices, cut side down on prepared baking sheets. Place in a warm place and allow to rise until double in size.
23. Preheat oven to 350° F.
24. Bake until golden brown, 12-15 minutes or until dough is golden in color and dough is cooked through.
25. Allow to cool slightly on baking sheets.
26. Remove with a spatula.
27. Serve.

 

 

Open-Faced Anchovy Rounds

 

Yield: 8 tea sandwiches

 

Ingredients

 

2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened

 

1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

 

¼-3/8” thick white bread cut into 8 rounds with a 1 1/2 ” cookie cutter

 

8 anchovy flats, drained and patted dry

 

4-8 whole caper berries marinated in brine

 

4-8 pimento strips

 

2 inches of an English cucumber, washed, peeled and sliced thinly on a mandoline

 

1 radish, washed and sliced thinly on a mandoline

 

3-5 slices of white bread

 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

 

 

Steps

1. Mix cream cheese and lemon zest. Chill in the icebox overnight.
2. Remove cream cheese from icebox and allow to rest on the counter to soften.
3. Place a caper or 2 pimento strips at the end of a fillet and roll up the fillet. Repeat process until all fillets are rolled.
4. Fill out the center of the caper rolls by adding another caper to the rolled fillet if required.
5. Spread each bread round with a thin layer of butter.
6. Spread lemon cream cheese on top of the butter.
7. Place 3 layers of cucumber slices on 4 of the rounds
8. Place 3 layers of radish slices on 4 of the rounds
9. Place 1 caper rolled fillet on each the radish rounds.
10. Place 1 pimento rolled fillet on each of the cucumber rounds.
11. If the sandwiches will not be served immediately, cover with a moist tea towel and place in the icebox. When ready to serve, plate and serve.

 

Open-faced Salmon Squares

 

Yield: 14 sandwich squares

 

 

Ingredients

 

Creme fraiche

 

½ cup heavy cream

 

1 tablespoon buttermilk

 

 

7 thinly sliced (¼ – 3/8” thick) pieces of pumpernickel bread

 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

 

1/2 pound smoked salmon or lox, sliced paper thin

 

 

Garnish

 

Snipped fresh dill leaves

 

 

Steps

1. Make crème fraiche 2 days prior to assembling the sandwiches.
2. Combine the heavy cream and buttermilk is a small glass bowl.
3. Cover the bowl with cheesecloth.
4. Allow the bowl to sit on the counter at room temperature for 24 hours.
5. After the 24 hour period is over, place crème fraiche in the icebox for 24 hours.
6. When creme fraiche is ready, cut crusts from bread.
7. Spread a thin layer of softened butter on one side of each slice.
8. Cover butter with crème fraiche.
9. Cut each crustless slice of bread in half to form 2 squares.
10. Arrange 1 slice of smoked salmon or lox decoratively above the crème fraiche on each square.
11. If the sandwiches will not be served immediately, cover with a moist tea towel and place in the icebox.
12. When ready to serve, plate, sprinkle top with fresh dill
13. Serve.

 

Open-faced Shrimp Ovals

 

Yield: 12 sandwiches

 

Ingredients

 

4 tablespoons cream cheese, softened, divided

 

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

 

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

 

1 teaspoon minced shallots

 

1 tablespoon snipped celery leaves

 

1 teaspoon capers, drained and rinsed

 

12 1 ½ – 2” medium raw shrimp

 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided

 

1 teaspoon minced clove garlic

 

¼ cup chicken broth

 

12 slices 1/4” – 3/8” French bread, crusts removed

 

6-8 green leaf lettuce leaves, washed and dried

 

 

Garnish

 

1 tablespoon red caviar

 

 

Steps

1. Place 3 tablespoons of cream cheese in a bowl.
2. Stir cream cheese with a fork until smooth.
3. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, shallots, and parsley leaves.
4. Stir to thoroughly combine.
5. Add capers. Stir to mix.
6. Chill overnight in the icebox.
7. Place shrimp in a bowl of ice water.
8. Clean to remove any sand, etc.
9. Pull off legs. Peel shell from shrimp. Remove tail from shrimp.
10. Devein shrimp by cutting along the back to expose the digestive tract (usually dark). Carefully remove digestive tract. Remove any visible nerve cord (white) by cutting along the belly of the shrimp.
11. Butterfly the shrimp by carefully slicing, lengthwise, the outer curve towards the middle.  Next, cut along the belly of the shrimp towards the middle of the shrimp, lengthwise. The sides should still be attached at the center of the shrimp,  The ends of the shrimp should be cut through to separate the sides.
12. Place butterflied shrimp in a different bowl of ice water and repeat the process with the rest of the shrimp.
13. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a frying pan.
14. When the butter has melted, add garlic and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer.
15. Add shrimp, belly side down, flat. When that side turns white (about 2 minutes) turn over and simmer the uncooked side until it turns white (about 2 minutes).
16. When shrimp is opaque, remove immediately with tongs and place in a bowl. When all of the shrimp are cooked, place bowl in the icebox.
17. Cover each slice of crustless French bread with a thin covering of softened butter.
18. Cover the butter with the cream cheese spread.
19. Place 2 pieces of lettuce on top of the cream cheese spread with the ruffles of the leaf lettuce facing outward.
20. Place a shrimp on top of the lettuce, belly side down.
21. Spread a small amount of the plain cream cheese mixture in the center of the back of the shrimp.
22. Sprinkle caviar onto the cream cheese on the back of the shrimp.
23. Plate and serve.