Garden Tea Sandwiches

Open-faced Dilled Cucumber Squares

 

Yield: 40 sandwiches

 

Ingredients:

 

Crème Fraiche:

 

  ½ cup heavy cream

 

  1 tablespoon buttermilk

 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

 

10 – 1/4 – 3/8” thick slices of white sandwich bread

 

1/4 teaspoon fresh garlic, peeled and grated

 

1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

 

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

 

1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped

 

1 medium seedless English cucumber, sliced paper thin on a mandoline

 

 

Garnish:

 

120 pimento pieces, drained

 

 

 

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. At the end of the second 24 hour period, combine the cold crème fraiche with the garlic, salt, pepper and dill.  Stir until mixed.
7. Butter one side of each slice of bread.
8. Remove crust from bread slices. Cut each slice into 4 squares.
9. Combine crème fraiche, garlic powder, salt, pepper and dill in a bowl.
10. Spread crème fraiche mixture on the top of each slice of bread.
11. Top crème fraiche with three layers of cucumber slices.
12. Cover with a damp towel until ready to serve to keep the sandwiches from drying out and store in the icebox.
13. Plate and garnish each square with three pieces of pimento.

 

English Cucumber Squares

 

Yield: 48 sandwiches

 

Ingredients:

 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

 

1 English cucumber, peeled and sliced paper thin on a mandoline

 

1 whole loaf white sandwich bread

 

 

Garnish:

 

2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature

 

96 paper thin slices of cucumber

 

 

Steps:

1. Slice 6 – 1/4 – 3/8” thick slices of bread from the center of the loaf.
2. Spread butter thinly on one side of each slice of bread.
3. Place 3 layers of cucumber slices on top of the butter on the bottom slice of bread.
4. Top with second slice of bread, butter side down.
5. Trim the crusts and cut into 4 square quarters.
6. Cover with moist towel until ready to serve.
7. When ready to serve, make a small hole in the center of each sandwich.
8. Place an eighth of a teaspoon of cream cheese in the hole.
9. Press together one end of a slice of cucumber to form a petal.
10. Insert that end into the cream cheese.
11. Repeat making and placing three more petals to form a flower.
12. Plate.

 

 

Minted Cucumber Rounds

 

Yield: 12 sandwiches

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Cucumber-Butter

 

  4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

 

  1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

 

  1 tablespoon minced mint

 

 

1 English cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced on a mandoline

 

1 loaf white sandwich bread

 

 

Steps:

1. Mix butter, lemon zest and chopped mint.
2. Place in icebox overnight.
3. Slice 12 – 24 slices of 1/4-3/8” thick bread from the center of the loaf.
4. Use a round 2” cookie cutter to cut 24 rounds from the bread slices.
5. Spread mint flavored butter thinly on one side of each round of bread .
6. Place 3 layers of cucumber on top of the butter.
7. Cover with a second round, butter side on the cucumber.
8. Cover with moist cloth until ready to serve.
9. When ready to serve, garnish each round with the tip of a sprig of mint and plate.
10. Serve.

 

 

Herbal Cucumber Rounds

 

Yield: 12-15 sandwiches

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Spread:

 

  3 ounces cream cheese, softened

 

  1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

 

   1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

 

  1 cup mayonnaise

 

  1 tablespoon minced shallot

 

  1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

  

  1 garlic clove, peeled and grated

 

  1/4 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika

 

  1/8 teaspoon curry powder

 

  1/8 teaspoon dried oregano

 

  1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

 

  1/8 teaspoon dried basil

 

  3/8 teaspoon minced fresh parsley

 

  3/8 teaspoon fresh dill weed

 

 

1 loaf sourdough bread

 

1 English cucumbers, peeled and sliced paper thin on a mandoline

 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

 

 

Garnish:

 

Fresh dill weed sprigs

 

 

Steps:

1. Stir the cream cheese with a fork until creamy and smooth. 
2. Add apple cider vinegar and Worcestershire sauce and stir until fully incorporated.
3. Add mayonnaise 1/4 cup at a time, stirring into the cream cheese until evenly incorporated. 
4. Add the shallot, chives, garlic, paprika, curry, oregano, thyme, basil,  parsley and dill until smooth.
5. Cover and place in icebox for 24 hours.
6. Slice bread into 1/4 – 3/8” thick slices.
7. Cut 2½ ” rounds from the slices of bread with a cookie cutter
8. Cover each round of bread with a thin layer of butter.
9. Cover the buttered rounds with the mayonnaise spread.
10. Top half the bread slices with three layers of cucumber slices.
11. Cover the cucumber with a round of of bread, mayonnaise side down.
12. Cover with moist cloth until ready to serve.
13. When ready to serve, garnish each round with a sprig of dill and plate. 
14. Serve.

 

 

Open-faced Radish Rounds

 

Yield: 10 sandwiches

 

Ingredients:

 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

 

3 radishes, washed, stems removed, and thinly sliced on a mandoline

 

1 loaf of white sandwich bread

 

Salt

 

 

Garnish:

 

Green top of a spring onion, washed and cut in thin rings

 

 

Steps:

1. Slice 5 – 10 1/4 -3/8” thick slices of bread.
2. Use a 2 ½’ round cookie cutter to cut sandwich rounds.
3. Spread butter thinly on each round.
4. Layer radishes on top of the butter.
5. Salt to taste.
6. Garnish with the greens from a spring onion, cut in thin rings.
7. Cover with moist cloth until ready to serve. 
8. When ready to serve, top each sandwich with three onion top rings. 
9. Plate and serve. 

 

Deviled Asparagus  Rectangles

 

Yield: 12 sandwiches

 

 

Ingredients:

 

72 – ¼” thick spears of green, white or purple asparagus tight tips

 

       If small spears are not available use 36 – ½” thick spears, cut in half lengthwise

 

3 tablespoon salted butter, at room temperature

 

¼ teaspoon grated garlic

 

6 slices of thinly sliced pumpernickel bread

 

 

Deviled egg yolk

 

  3 eggs, boiled

 

  1 tablespoon mayonnaise

 

  1/8 teaspoon dry mustard

 

 

Steps:

1. Place cold water in a saucepan.
2. Place eggs in water.
3. Cover saucepan and bring water to a boil.
4. Turn off the heat and leave the eggs in the hot water for 10 minutes.
5. Use a slotted spoon to remove eggs from hot water.
6. Run eggs under cold water.
7. Peel eggs.
8. Place egg yolks in a bowl. Reserve egg whites for another recipe.
9. Break up yolks with a fork until reduced to fine crumbs.
10. Add mayonnaise and dry mustard to yolks.
11. Stir until smooth.
12. Place an asparagus spear on a piece of pumpernickel with the tip extending over the edge of the slice. Cut the spear off at the opposite side of the bread.
13. Trim the rest of the spears to the same size.
14. Reserve the remaining part of the spears for use in another recipe.
15. Steam asparagus tips until tender crisp, approximately3 minutes.
16. Mix butter with garlic.
17. Remove the crust from each slice of pumpernickel.
18. Spread garlic butter on pumpernickel bread
19. Cut bread slices in half from top to bottom.
20. Cut each half in half from top to bottom, creating rectangular pieces..
21. Spread a layer the egg yolk mixture on one side of each rectangle of bread.
22. Alternate the direction of 4-6 asparagus tips, with the tips lying outside of the sandwich. When completed there will be 3 tips pointing out of each end of the sandwich.
23. Cover the asparagus with a rectangle of bread, egg yolk mixture side down.
24. Cover with a moist towel and store in the icebox until ready to serve.
25. When ready to serve, plate.

 

Open-faced Peas and Carrots Triangles

 

Yield: 16 sandwiches

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1/2 cup peas, steamed and chilled

 

2 teaspoon olive oil, divided

 

Pinch of salt

 

Pinch of pepper.

 

2 – 1/4 – 3/8” thick slices of sourdough bread

 

1 tablespoon butter, softened

 

1 thin carrot, washed and peeled

 

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained

 

1 teaspoon virgin olive oil

 

1” cube of Parmesan cheese, finely grated

 

 

Steps:

1. Combine peas and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Crush peas n a mortar and pestle.   Mixture will have texture, it should not be a paste.
2. Spread one side of each piece of sour dough bread with a thin layer of soft butter.
3. Remove the crust from each piece of bread, forming a square of bread.
4. Cut each piece of bread in half. Cut each half in half, forming 4 quarters.
5. Cut across each quarter to form 2 triangles.
6. Spread each triangle with a layer of peas.
7. Finely grate carrot .
8. Place a layer of carrot over the layer of peas.
9. Combine lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Whisk to combine.
10. Drizzle lemon juice and olive oil lightly over the carrot layer.
11. Use a fine grater to grate Parmesan cheese over the top of each triangle.
12. Plate and serve.