FINGER SANDWICHES
GOAT'S CHEESE, WALNUT & ROASTED PEPPER (MAKES 20)
200g soft goat's cheese
100g cream cheese
10 slices white bread
2 roasted red peppers
25g walnuts
LEMONY CUCUMBER & PRAWN
6 slices wholemeal bread
½ cucumber, thinly sliced
4 tbsp mayonnaise
zest of 1 lemon
6 large cooked prawns, halved for topping
CREAMY EGG & CRESS (MAKES 12)
4 eggs
2 chopped spring onions
2-3 tbsp crème fraîche
12 small rolls
cress, to serve
TOMATO-CHEDDAR
Spread mayonnaise on white bread. Sandwich with sliced tomato, aged cheddar and watercress. Trim the crusts and cut into pieces.
HAM, BRIE & APPLE
Spread softened butter and Dijon mustard inside a split loaf of French bread. Fill with deli ham, sliced Brie and sliced green apple. Cut into pieces.
CUCUMBER-BUTTER
Mix 4 tablespoons softened butter, 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs. Spread on white bread and sandwich with sliced cucumber. Trim the crusts and cut into pieces.
WATERCRESS-BUTTER
Make Cucumber-Butter Sandwiches (No. 3) but fill with watercress instead of cucumber.
GRILLED SHRIMP-HAM
Puree 1/4 cup jarred piquillo peppers with 3 tablespoons mayonnaise. Spread on white bread. Sandwich with grilled shrimp and sliced serrano ham. Trim the crusts and cut into pieces.
STEAK AU POIVRE
Mix 4 tablespoons each softened butter and chopped fresh herbs. Spread on baguette rounds. Top with thinly sliced steak and crushed peppercorns.
ASPARAGUS
Mix 3 tablespoons softened butter with 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs. Spread on pumpernickel bread; cut into rectangles. Slice cooked asparagus tips in half lengthwise; lay on the bread and drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Top with chopped hard-boiled egg, salt and pepper.
SALMON-CUCUMBER
Spread softened cream cheese on white bread. Sandwich with smoked salmon and sliced cucumber. Trim the crusts and cut into pieces.
SHRIMP SALAD
Mix 1 cup chopped cooked shrimp with 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon each grated lemon zest and juice, and 1 teaspoon each chopped chives, parsley and capers. Sandwich white bread with the shrimp salad and Bibb lettuce. Trim the crusts and cut into pieces.
CRAB SALAD
Make Shrimp Salad Sandwiches (No. 12) with 1 cup crabmeat instead of shrimp. Add sliced avocado.
CURRIED EGG SALAD
Mix 3 chopped hard-boiled eggs, 3 tablespoons each chopped celery, red onion and cilantro, 2 teaspoons each dijon mustard and lime juice, and 1/4 cup mayonnaise. Cut white bread into pieces and spread with mango chutney. Sandwich with the egg salad.
PESTO CHICKEN
Mix 2 teaspoons pesto with 2 tablespoons olive oil; brush on thin baguette rounds. Top with sliced cooked chicken breast and halved grape tomatoes. Drizzle with more pesto oil.
COUNTRY PATE
Spread Dijon mustard on white bread. Layer country pate and chopped cornichons on top. Top with bread spread with butter. Trim the crusts and cut into pieces.
PEANUT BUTTER-BACON
Spread peanut butter on white bread. Layer chopped cooked bacon and sliced banana on top. Top with bread; spread with mayonnaise. Trim the crusts and cut into pieces.
LIVERWURST-ONION
Spread Dijon mustard on pumpernickel cocktail bread. Sandwich with liverwurst and sliced red onion.
MANCHEGO-QUINCE
Trim white toast crusts and cut the bread into pieces. Top with sliced manchego, quince paste and sliced almonds.
TEA-TIME TIPS
Allow 3-4 sandwiches per person. But don’t prepare them too early as they will either go soggy or dry out.
METHOD:
For the goat's cheese, walnut & roasted pepper sandwiches, mix together 200g soft goat’s cheese with 100g cream cheese. Spread most of the mixture over 5 slices white bread. Slice 2 roasted red peppers into strips, divide between the bread, then top each with another slice white bread. Trim the crusts, then cut each sandwich into 4 triangles. Whizz 25g walnuts until fine. Spread 1 edge of each sandwich with the remaining cheese mix, then dip into the chopped walnuts.
For the lemony cucumber & prawn sandwiches, lightly spread 6 slices wholemeal bread with butter. Cover with a layer of thinly sliced cucumber, then use a 5-6cm round cutter to stamp out 12 circles. Mix together 4 tbsp mayonnaise with zest 1 lemon. Top each circle with 1 halved large cooked prawn and a dollop of the lemony mayonnaise.
For the creamy egg & cress sandwiches, boil 4 eggs for 8 min. Cool the eggs, peel, mash, then mix with 2 chopped spring onions and 2-3 tbsp crème fraîche. Season, then spread over 12 small rolls. Add a little cress, pop on the lids and serve.
