Tea parties or not, these are good anytime.  The curry butter is optional, but it does keep the bread from becoming soggy and also gives more curry flavor.  I dare say these are a favorite at any tea party I’ve ever thrown.

CURRY CHICKEN TEA SANDWICHES

wheat bread
sliced almonds

For Curry Chicken:
2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 cup currants
salt and pepper to taste
mayo, enough to make moist and spreadable

For Curry Butter:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tsp curry powder
salt to taste (if using unsalted butter)

Make curry butter: Combine butter with curry and salt if using.  Mix until well combined and soft.
Make curry chicken spread:  Combine everything in a medium bowl until well combined.
Spread bread of choice with a thin layer of curry butter.  (I like wheat best with this spread).
Generously spread curry chicken spread on one slice and top with another slice of bread, cut off crusts and into triangles or fingers.
Spread curry butter on ends and press sliced almonds into butter.

The first time I made these I wasn’t sure how everyone would like them, but the number of requests for the recipe assured me everyone loved them.
This spread keeps well and can be made a day or two ahead of time.

PIMENTO CHEESE TEA SANDWICHES

8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire
A few drops hot sauce, optional
4 oz jar pimentos
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T chopped fresh parsley
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped pecans

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, mayo, Worcestershire, hot sauce, minced garlic, and the liquid from the jar of pimentos (reserving pimentos).  You can also combine this in a food processor.
Stir in the reserved pimentos, parsley, cheese, and pecans.
I like to serve this on white or sourdough bread.

One of my favorite tea recipes!   You may think… radish sandwiches?… RADISH?!  But trust me, this is one of those recipes that nobody understands until they try it.
I love them and have never served them to anyone and they not agreed.  The raw radish and green onion is very refreshing and while you could serve them on any bread you like, I never like them quite as much as when served on dark rye bread.  Plus, they look so lovely on a tray with other sandwiches for some contrast.

RADISH TEA SANDWICHES

8 oz pkg cream cheese
mayo to make spreadable (usually a couple spoons)
salt and pepper to taste
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 bunch radishes, ends trimmed
Dark rye bread

Beat the cream cheese, mayo, and salt and pepper until softened.   Shred the radishes and squeeze extra moisture from them.  (Either squeeze them in a tea towel or take a handful at a time and squeeze out the moisture.)
Fold the green onions and radishes into the cream cheese mixture.   Spread on dark rye bread, top with another slice of bread, and trim crusts.  Cut into fingers or triangles and serve or wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate no more than a day until serving.
If making ahead of time you can mix up the cream cheese mixture and add the green onions a day or two ahead, but I wouldn’t add the radishes until the day of, or spread on bread until the day of as well.  The radishes, even when squeezed of extra moisture, will make the spread watery and bread mushy.

While cucumber sandwiches are some of the most basic, they are also a big favorite.
The nice thing about cucumber sandwiches is that you can easily adjust the seasonings.  I’ve even done chopped fresh mint and orange zest in the butter, or used a variety of fresh herbs instead of just parsley.  Fresh baby dill and cucumber always go well together, especially with a little lemon zest.  The herb butter not only adds flavor, it also helps keep the bread from becoming soggy from the cucumbers.

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
2 T white vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
salt and pepper, to taste

white or wheat bread

Sprinkle the vinegar and salt on the cucumbers in a bowl and toss to coat.  Let sit for at least 20 minutes, up to 2 hours.
This step could be completely skipped and they will still be great.  Sometimes I marinate the cucumbers, sometimes I don’t.  Especially if I will be serving them when I don’t have a lot of time for extra steps I leave this part out and just use plain thinly sliced cucumbers.
Drain cucumbers and pat dry with paper towels.
In a medium bowl combine the butter, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper together.  Mix until well combined.
Spread 2 slices of bread with herb butter and layer some cucumber slices on one of the slices.  Top with remaining piece of bread.  Trim crusts and cut into rectangles or triangles.  If making ahead of time, wrap well with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.  I recommend serving the same day these are made.