Tea Sandwiches

In honor of the royal wedding, my daughter and I hosted a British-themed play group yesterday morning. Of course, the menu was appropriate for an English tea. We served two kinds of tea sandwiches, scones, biscuits (AKA cookies) and hot tea. Although since we live in Texas, no one took me up on the hot tea!

I love tea sandwiches! I always prefer to nibble on lots of different things rather than having to commit to one main dish, and since tea sandwiches are so small, I can munch on each kind. In case you're not planning on hosting a tea anytime soon, they are also great for baby or wedding showers.

In addition to the two kinds I made, here are a few other ideas for fillings: egg salad; smoked salmon, cream cheese, dill and cucumber; chicken salad; pimento cheese; ham, cheese and honey or dijon mustard; and grated carrot, arugula, and cream cheese on raisin bread.

The Easiest Cucumber Tea Sandwich

1 loaf thin white sandwich bread (I like Pepperidge Farm brand)

1 8-oz pkg onion and chives cream cheese, softened

1 cucumber, peeled and very thinly sliced (use a mandolin if you own one)

salt and pepper

mayonnaise (optional)

minced chives or parsley (optional)

Spread each piece of bread with a thin layer of cream cheese. Top half of the slices of bread with cucumber slices, overlapping them slightly, and sprinkle cucumber slices with a pinch of slat and pepper. Place the remaining slices of bread on top of the cucumber. Remove the crusts and slice each sandwich in half diagonally.

To up the ante a bit, you can spread a very thin layer of mayonnaise on one cut side of the sandwich and then dip it in the fresh herbs.

Pear, Blue Cheese and Walnut Tea Sandwiches

6 T butter, softened

4 oz blue cheese crumbles

2 T walnut, chopped

1 pear, peeled and thinly sliced

1 loaf of bread (your choice which type to use - I used a swirled rye b/c it was pretty but it was too strong of a flavor and really overshadowed the filling)

In a small bowl, mix butter and blue cheese. Stir in the walnuts. Spread a thin layer on each slice of bread. Top half the slices with pear and then cover pear with another piece of bread. Slice into finger sandwiches.