This delightful tea sandwich recipe and photo are from
Relish the American Table, June 4, 2006 by Marge Perry.
Learn about the
History and Legends of Famous Sandwiches. Also check out my
English High Tea Menu.
Watercress Tea Sandwich Recipe
Recipe Type:
Sandwich,
Afternoon Tea & High Tea
Yields: 4 whole sandwiches
Prep time: 10 min
Ingredients:
1 cup watercress leaves, cleaned (see below)*
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 very thin slices white bread**
4 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
* Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) is an aquatic plant renown
for it’s vivid green color and unique peppery flavor.
**
Choose the best-quality bread as possible. Never serve end slices. Freezing the bread before cutting and then
spreading makes for easier handling.
Preparation:
How To Clean Watercress: Cut off the stems off the watercress leaves with a knife or scissor;
either discard or save the stems for making soup. Place the watercress leaves into a colander. Rinse thoroughly with cool water, tossing the
watercress with your hands. Fill a large bowl with a solution of 2 tablespoons white vinegar per 2 quarts of cool water. Place the
watercress leaves in the water and let soak for 30 minutes.
This will remove any dirty smell or taste from the watercress. Pour the watercress into the colander. Rinse thoroughly once more with cool
water. Pat dry with paper towels.
In a medium bowl, toss the cleaned and dried watercress leaves with the salt.
Spread one side of each piece of bread with the butter.
Top four (4) of the slices each with 1/4 cup watercress leaves. Arrange the watercress so it hangs
very slightly over the edge of the bread. Top with the remaining four (4) bread slices.
Carefully cut the crusts from each sandwich with a long, sharp knife. Cut the sandwiches in half diagonally and then cut in half again. If desired, decorative shapes can be made
with cookie cutters.
NOTE: The watercress may be
replaced with one cup thinly sliced radishes cucumber, apple, or pear. The butter
may be flavored with fresh herbs, and if you like, you can use part whole wheat
bread and part white sandwich bread.
Yields 4 whole sandwiches or 8 halves or 16 fourths.
