Assorted Tea Sandwiches for Afternoon Tea

Assorted mini sandwiches are always perfect for afternoon tea. You can cut them into little rectangles or triangles. Just be sure to cut the crusts off for the perfect tea sandwich. 

For afternoon tea, you definitely need to serve an assortment of little sandwiches, including these smoked salmon sandwiches, roast beef sandwiches, and egg salad sandwiches.

If you are hosting a tea party, you can add little cucumber and little shrimp sandwiches. You can also make sandwiches out of little pâte à choux rolls, filling them with chicken salad.

Round out your tea party spread with scones and jams, curd, or other spreads. shortbreads, tiny tarts, and tiny cakes. I included some of these little cheese puffs! Don't forget the tea and sparkling wine.

What is the history of afternoon tea?

Evidently, afternoon tea has been around since the mid nineteenth century.

Tea drinking as a pastime gained popularity in England when Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, along with other ladies of the upper crust started the daily routine of having a cup of tea and a light mid-afternoon meal earlier in the day.

With Queen Victoria, it became an even more formal affair, where tea service was introduced by England's fancy dining rooms, and going to tea was part of the routine of the well-to-do. There was a dress code and rules about how to stir and pour the tea (Source: Afternoon Tea at Home by Will Torrent).

Fortunately, the "rules" have relaxed quite a bit since the nineteenth century.

P.S. I've been to two great tea rooms, The Palace Hotel in San Francisco and the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, B.C. They are both gorgeous and worth a visit if you are nearby. They will give you a taste of what enjoying a traditional tea time was like.

Three tea sandwiches for afternoon tea:

For afternoon tea, I made three tea sandwiches. To celebrate the birthday of Duchess Anna, my friends from the Foodie Extravaganza group are also offering recipes for scones, little cakes, fruit curd, and little biscuits. 

How to make tea sandwiches:

To make tea sandwiches, all you need is fairly thin sliced sandwich bread. I used both white bread and light wheat bread. If you can find (or bake yourself) sandwich bread where the slices are squared on top, it makes it super easy. If you make your own, you can bake it in a Pullman pan with a lid to square off the top of the bread.

You make the sandwiches before cutting the bread, slice off the crusts, and then cut the sandwiches into small rectangles or triangles. Be sure to butter the bread slices with salted butter first to prevent the bread from getting soggy (and who doesn't like butter!).

Deviled Egg Tea Sandwiches:

These deviled egg tea sandwiches turned out to be my and my taste testers' favorite of all three sandwiches. The egg salad mixture includes mango ginger chutney! The combination is totally worth trying. 

They also include Dijon mustard, cayenne pepper, and fresh watercress. 

Smoked Salmon Sandwiches:

These smoked salmon sandwiches are simple to make. They include thinly sliced smoked salmon, whipped cream cheese, and lemon butter! I made these with light brown bread. 

Roast Beef Sandwiches:

For these roast beef sandwiches, I used deli-sliced roast beef, watercress, and a roasted garlic and horseradish mayonnaise. The recipe for the garlic mayo is amazing. You will have lots of the mayo left over to enjoy later. 

Let's celebrate the birthday of Anna, the Duchess of Bedford with the Foodie Extravaganza group, hosted by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. 

More afternoon tea recipes:

• Almond Clementine Cake Squares by Food Lust People Love
• Cherry Almond Scones by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Gourmet Fruit and Nut Crisps by Palatable Pastime
• Hawaij Coffee Scones by Caroline's Cooking
• Meat Pan Rolls by Sneha's Recipe
• Prickly Pear Lemon Curd by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Pumpkin Cranberry Scones by Simply Inspired Meals

Assorted Tea Sandwich Recipes

Yield: 8 servings

Author: Karen Kerr

Assorted mini sandwiches are always perfect for afternoon tea. You can cut them into little rectangles or triangles. Just be sure to cut the crusts off.

ingredients:

For the Egg Salad Sandwiches

• 4 hard-boiled eggs
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon mango chutney (I used mango ginger chutney)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 8 slices white bread
• 3 1/2 tablespoons softened salted butter
• Fresh watercress

For the Smoked Salmon Sandwiches

• 3/4 stick salted butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 8 ounces whipped cream cheese, softened 
• 8 slices light wheat bread
• 12 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon

For the Roast Beef Sandwiches

• 1 small sweet onion, peeled
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
• 8 slices white bread
• 3 1/2 tablespoons salted butter, softened
• 8 ounces thinly sliced roast beef
• Fresh watercress

instructions:

How to cook Assorted Tea Sandwich Recipes

To Make the Egg Salad Sandwiches

1. Peel and grate the hard-boiled eggs with a box grater. 
2. Add the mayonnaise, mango chutney, mustard, cayenne, salt, and pepper, and mix well. 
3. Lay out the bread on a work surface and spread each slice with the butter. 
4. Divide the egg salad among half of the bread slices, sprinkle with watercress, and top with the rest of the bread. 
5. Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to two hours until ready to serve. 
6. Trim the crusts off of the sandwiches with a serrated knife and cut the sandwiches into rectangles or triangles, and serve. 

For the Smoked Salmon Sandwiches

1. Beat the butter until soft and add the lemon zest and juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Season the whipped cream cheese with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Lay out the bread on a work surface and spread each slice with the lemon butter.
4. Spread half of the slices with the whipped cream cheese and lay the sliced smoked salmon on top.
5. Top with the rest of the buttered bread.
6. Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to two hours until ready to serve.
7. Trim the crusts off of the sandwiches with a serrated knife and cut the sandwiches into rectangles or triangles, and serve.

For the Roast Beef Sandwiches

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F
2. Wrap up the onion, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper in foil and bake on a roasting pan for about 40 to 50 minutes, until browned.
3. Let cool slightly and then process in a food processor. Let cool completely.
4. Combine the onion and garlic mixture with the mayonnaise and horseradish. You will have more than you need. Refrigerate any leftover mayo.
5. Lay out the bread on a work surface and spread each slice with the butter.
6. Spread half of the slices with the onion, garlic, and horseradish mayonnaise.
7. Top the slices with the sliced roast beef and sprinkle with watercress.
8. Top with the rest of the buttered bread.
9. Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to two hours until ready to serve.
10. Trim the crusts off of the sandwiches with a serrated knife and cut the sandwiches into rectangles or triangles, and serve.

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2019/09/assorted-tea-sandwiches.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

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These recipes were adapted from the book, Afternoon Tea at Home by Will Torrent. There are so many amazing recipes for tea time treats in the book. These recipes are easily scaleable to make less or more sandwiches. 

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