# ISO Sandwiches for Ladies Who Lunch



## shortchef (Apr 14, 2008)

I belong to Questers, a group that gathers to discuss antiques, historical sites,etc. and just to have a good time.  We are meeting at my house next month and I'm serving lunch, as is our custom.  Will you share some of your favorite sandwich spread recipes with me, or ideas for those little tea sandwiches?  They don't have to be fancy, just taste good.  I have already used curry chicken salad and a tuna spread and I'm looking for something different or variations on chicken or tuna.  Thanks!


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## miniman (Apr 14, 2008)

If you want to carry on with chicken, try chicken and bacon. There is always the classic egg mayonnaise filling (I like to spice it up a little with some mustard or paprika.


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## kitchenelf (Apr 14, 2008)

I like to make a chicken salad with a little bit of celery, onions, mayo of course, mandarin oranges (canned), and Major Gray's mango chutney.  Make smaller pate a choux  to make them more or less a couple to three bites.

You MUST pierce (edited to say you have to more than "pierce" them - you have to cut a slit in them) them with a knife to release the steam and they can be made a day or two ahead - just make sure they are TOTALLY cool before bagging.

  I forgot the toasted slivered almonds!!!!


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## GotGarlic (Apr 14, 2008)

Does it have to be sandwiches? The Barefoot Contessa had an episode yesterday called "Ladies Who Lunch"  I can't get the chicken salad recipe to come up, but the cheddar-dill scones sound great and would be wonderful with chicken-and-cheese quiche, or quiche Lorraine. HTH.


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## Fiona (Apr 14, 2008)

egg & cress...I adore them!!


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## suziquzie (Apr 14, 2008)

Paula Deen (Dean, who knows which is right?) Did a show with a bunch of little finger sandwiches, I will try to find the episode.... I have slow internet.


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## Uncle Bob (Apr 14, 2008)

Pimento & Cheese with Garlic...on white
Egg Salad and/or Egg & Olive Salad... on light wheat
Pineapple and Cream Cheese...on white
Ham and cheese...on dark rye

Bread can be cut into several shapes...or find commercial tea sandwich breads...

Have Fun!


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## suziquzie (Apr 14, 2008)

It went better than I thought it would!!

Recipes : Engagement Ring Finger Sandwiches : Food Network

When she says "garnish" at the end, what she did was cut them into little hearts / circles / squares with cookie cutters and rolled / dipped the edges in the garnish stuff. They were very cute!


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## kitchenelf (Apr 14, 2008)

suziquzie said:


> I have slow internet.


  Where can I sign up for that?   And it's Deen.

Also, if you make ham salad and mix with pineapple cream cheese it's pretty tasty!

You can also take the small Pepperidge Farm Party loaves and place a dollop of mayonnaise on them and a couple thin slices of red onion and bake.  Unusually good.

Make a mixture of cream cheese, capers, red onion (and some caper juice) and nova salmon and make little sandwiches.

Focaccia or sourdough with salad greens, roasted red pepper, slices of water-packed mozzarella with a basil oil drizzle (olive oil, garlic, kosher salt, fresh basil leaves in a blender or food processor - don't keep more than about 1 week in fridge).


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## kadesma (Apr 14, 2008)

My girls love cucumber slices with cream cheese and pepper jam..I'm wondering how it would be to chop the cucumbers, mix with cream cheese or mascarpone add a good helping of the pepper jam and then serve on  buttered pumpernickle or rye?  Shrimp or crab toasts are nice,You can buy the large round cracker breads in most grocery stores..These have been popular for years, but are wonderful for parties..I make one where I mix cream cheese with curry,garlic onion and any type of chutney apread on the cracker bread top with watercress or arugula, roll and cut into slices..It usually goes first around here..If I think of any more I'll post..Good luck with your party.
kadesma


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## Fisher's Mom (Apr 14, 2008)

I love making chicken salad ala Jason's Deli. It's chicken with mayo and crushed pineapple and slivered, toasted almonds. I like to serve it on a white country bread.


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## QSis (Apr 14, 2008)

Here are my votes:

Ham salad (I adore this!)on rye

Egg salad with cress on white

Cream cheese and green olive on pumpernickle 

(although KE's cream cheese with capers, red onion and salmon sounds good, too) 

Lee


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## shortchef (Apr 14, 2008)

My goodness, so many good ideas--the ladies are in for a treat.  Now all I have to do is try to decide which ones--they all sound delicious.  Thank you!!


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## elaine l (Apr 14, 2008)

All of the posts sounds great.  I love cream cheese and olive.  I like to make chicken salad with a little curry, dried cranberries and scallions.


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## expatgirl (Apr 14, 2008)

Deviled ham sandwiches
Pigs in a blanket served with a regular and hot mustard


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## Katie H (Apr 14, 2008)

You can also make assorted fillings and spread them on flour tortillas, roll up, refrigerate until firm and slice into little "rings."  Easy and great to make ahead of time.


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## Fisher's Mom (Apr 14, 2008)

Katie E said:


> You can also make assorted fillings and spread them on flour tortillas, roll up, refrigerate until firm and slice into little "rings."  Easy and great to make ahead of time.


 Ooooh, yes, I had forgotten these. They are so pretty and easy to prepare ahead of time. I remember my friend told me this was something I absolutely couldn't screw up - spread a flour tortilla with cream cheese and then sprinkle with chopped green salad olives (the ones with pimentos). They are so yummy. I made them for my dad and he made them weekly for the last year of his life! They are addictive!


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## ella/TO (Apr 14, 2008)

Do you remember, from years ago, the bread was sliced the long way, as for roll up sandwiches, but this went......put different fillings between the slices, then cover all with coloured cream cheese, and decorate with parsley, rose flower, etc. etc.


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## shortchef (Apr 14, 2008)

Ella, I remember that one.  I think it was in my edition of the Fanny Farmer Cookbook.  I never tried it, but it sounded as though it would taste (and look) delicious.


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## Loprraine (Apr 14, 2008)

Can you get mini croissants?  We got them in quebec by the bag for a luncheon.  Really fun little things, less than 2 in long.

i used to do cucumber sandwhiches, without the crusts, cut into triangles or quarters.  Brush the edges in mayo, and coat the edges in finely chopped parsley.  We did the same with a liverwurst/ pate kind of spread, with really thinly sliced onions.  They were really good.

The Pate a Choux is a great idea, can be made ahead of time, and filled with almost anything.  There's no seafood mentioned so far.  what if you did something like a Coquille St Jacques filling cut up small to fill them with?  Or, what ;s the chicken one we used to make years ago and put in puff pastry shells?

Ella, my Mother did them for all showers .  They were great!


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## AllenOK (Apr 15, 2008)

I used to do a function up in Michigan once a year, where a bunch of the Ladies from the country club got together for some shin-dig.  It was all Tea sandwiches, fruit, and cheese platters.

I did a shrimp salad sandwich.  That was actually rather popular there, as I would get orders in every now and then for a shrimp salad plate with fruit.  Just steam the shrimp, cool, chop, and mix with a little mayo, chopped onion, salt, pepper, and dill.

If you have a Foreman Grill or Panini machine, you could do Cuban Sandwiches, and just toothpick the thing every couple of inches, and cut in between the toothpicks.  You can make that with sub rolls, or a baugette cut into small lenghts.  If you have a BIG Foreman grill, definitely go with the baugette, and just prep like a third of the thing at a time.


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## Calya (Apr 16, 2008)

I would get some nice foccacia or ciabatta bread and put chicken on it along with some garlic mayonnaise,guacamole or plain avocado as a base, add roasted red peppers and mixed baby greens. Then cut the sandwiches in half or into nice strips and put a pretty toothpick (with an olive through it) in them to hold them together.


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## Constance (Apr 16, 2008)

Blend together braunsweiger and cream cheese, stir in sliced green olives, and spread on rye or wheat bread. 
Did anyone say ham salad? I grind together ham or balogna, cheddar cheese, and hard-boiled eggs, which I mix with Miracle Whip, a little mustard, and sweet pickle relish go taste.


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## Fisher's Mom (Apr 16, 2008)

Calya said:


> I would get some nice foccacia or ciabatta bread and put chicken on it along with some garlic mayonnaise,guacamole or plain avocado as a base, add roasted red peppers and mixed baby greens. Then cut the sandwiches in half or into nice strips and put a pretty toothpick (with an olive through it) in them to hold them together.


Ooooh, this sounds delicious and would be beautiful, too!


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## *amy* (Apr 16, 2008)

Can the fillings be something other than chicken or tuna, & perhaps, different bread?

The tea sandwiches I like are very lite w simple fillings i.e. thinly sliced cukes & buttered bread or cream cheese & watercress, roast beef & horseradish or smoked slamon/cream cheese/onions. Here's a bunch of tea sandwich ideas:

Tea Sandwiches

Tea Sandwich, Finger Sandwich Recipes

You can change out the bread to party pumpernickle (small slices), use raisin walnut bread (w cream cheese), or mini Hawaiian sweet rolls.

For a different tuna sandwich idea...

Tuna Spinach Braid

Assorted mini quiches, stuffed mushrooms, asparagus bundles wrapped in prosciutto (I posted recipe ideas here) & baked in puff pastry, would be a nice accompaniments.... and little sweets for dessert - i.e. mini tartletts, mini cannollis, or truffles, etc. A cold soup might pair well with the little sandwiches - i.e. cucumber, peach, strawberry soup.


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## AllenOK (Apr 17, 2008)

Cayla, have been to the country club I'm currently working at?  That sandwich you described is almost exactly like one that is on our menu right now.  Toasted ciabatta, an almond/lime/cilantro pesto, grilled chicken, and a fire-roasted red bell peppers.


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## Bilby (Apr 18, 2008)

A triple decker cut into fingers filled with chicken, bacon, avocado, cream cheese, pinenuts and lettuce is one of my favourites. (Or was - I'm intolerant to avocado now!)

crabmeat in seafood dressing with sliced beetroot in rye

smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers in white bread.

curried egg in pinwheel sandwich style.

leg ham and cranberry

cheese, pineapple and microgreens

tongue and mustard pickles (like piccalilli)


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## archiduc (Apr 20, 2008)

Hi,
How about doing asparagus rolls? These could be made on the morning of serving.

For these you need:
1. pre-sliced brown or wholewheat bread;
2. Canned asparagus - drained - (2-3 cans) via a nylon/pastic sieve;
3. Full or reduced fat cheese like a Philadelphia cheese -  225g-350g/8-12 oz (approx) - also you could use Ricotta or Mascarponne - the critical point is that the cheese should be spreadable - like butter. However, for this recipe it is absolutely critical that you do NOT use butter!;
4. A sharp bread knife;
5. A rolling pin;
6. A spreading knife;
7. Cling film;
8. A baking tray lined with cling film. 

1. Open and drain the cans of asparagus. Count out the number of aspargus spears you have. 

2. Count out a corresponding number of slices of brown or wholewheat bread.

3. Remove the crusts from the bread using the breadknife. (set these aside to dry out in an low oven to make breadcrumbs)

4. Place a slice of bread on a board and gently roll out, using the rolling pin, to flatten and become pliable using a the rolling pin. The bread should compact and will change colour and texture. 

5. Spread the slice of bread with a thin layer of cheese. 

6. Place a spear of asparagus on top and at one edge. Carefully roll the slice of bread around the asparagus spear and ensuring that you exclude all air and end with the cut slice of bread on the base of the board. 

7. Place this on a baking tray lined with cling film and repeat the process with the remaining slices of bread and spears of asparagus.

8. When all the asparagus spears have been used up and wrapped in the cheese spread bread, cover the tray with cling film and refrigerate.

9. 45-30 minutes before serving, remove the tray of asparagus rolls from the fridge.

10. Just before serving, use a bread knife to trim each end of an asparagus roll. Remove as little as possible from each end - the objective at this point is simply to neaten each edge. Cut each roll into 3 and serve on a mixed platter of canapes.

IDEAS

**If you don`t like asparagus - try with puréed avocado but be aware that the mixture will be more difficult to roll - chill it first.

**Combine puréed avocado with crabmeat or prawns and use as a filling for the rolls. If you use prwns, you could serve each roll end on with a prawn tucked into the top!

**Fill with a mixture of VERY finely diced smoked salmon and cream cheese seasoned with lemon juice and pepper.  You could use a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 plain nozzle to  pipe the mixture in a line at the edge of the bread and then fold to enclose. Each slice of bread would need to be spread with a layer of cream cheese to ensure that the bread sticks!

**Combine very finely diced , skinned, roasted peppers with cheese and use as above.

**Top and tail a cucumber. Peel, quarter and remove the seeds. Grate and layer with a couple of teaspoons of salt. Leave for 30 minutes. Wash in cold water, drain and dry by squeezing out in kitchen paper. Combine with cream cheese/Ricotta or Mascarpone and finely chopped dill, with or without finely chopped smoked salmon and use as a filling in place of asparagus.

Hope these ideas help,
Archiduc


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## kitchenelf (Apr 20, 2008)

archiduc - you know,it's really hard for me to wrap my head around you using the words asparagus and canned in the same sentence!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## archiduc (Apr 23, 2008)

kitchenelf said:


> archiduc - you know,it's really hard for me to wrap my head around you using the words asparagus and canned in the same sentence!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


 
Hi kitchenelf,

My head spins when I think of it as well. I am true believer that one should always seek to use ingredients in season and at their best. Consequently, I believe, I BELIVE (!), in serving the fresh season`s asparagus in a white napkin with melted butter, a Sauce Hollandaise or a Sauce Maltaise in separate little pots - preferably all three! so that one can dip the delights of early summer in the dips and sauces of excellence!  
However, what is one to do with the cans/jars of asparagus.  They sit so lonely and forelorn on the shelves of those demonic masters of culinary neutrality, otherwise known as shops. Surely, even you ,Kitchenelf, will acknowledge that we need to liberate the cans and bottles of this most glorious vegetable! 

It behoves one to find a way of allowing them (the asparagus) to escape and be free. Soup, my asparagus rolls or puréed to create a dip are the only ways by which we might liberate these sentinels of the sandy patch!

Respectfully yours,
Archiduc - queen of the canned and bottled asparagus


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## shortchef (Apr 23, 2008)

Archiduc, you really have a way with words. I'm going to go liberate some asparagus, inspired by your beautiful monologue.  And thank you for your lovely tea sandwich ideas!


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## archiduc (Apr 25, 2008)

shortchef said:


> Archiduc, you really have a way with words. I'm going to go liberate some asparagus, inspired by your beautiful monologue. And thank you for your lovely tea sandwich ideas!


 
Hi Shortchef,

Thank you for your kind words.

Please try to find a way to liberate the poor little sisters of the fresh asparagus. The robust big sister, otherwise known as the fresh asparagus has a short life and dominates her little canned, bottled and frozen sisters. However, it behoves us not to condemn or ignore the runts of the litter. 

The canned, bottles and frozen asparagus may be used in ways which will delight the palate.  Another idea - dip the asparagus rolls, made with bread and cream cheese (as per my previous post), in egg and breadcrumbs and fry in deep fat for another taste sensation. If you work in a commercial kitchen, you could try serving these as appetisers or amusée bouche. Another few  ideas would be to use:
1. very finely chopped, dried, spinach and ricotta, seasoned with nutmeg and piped as a filling with the bread;
2. finely diced smoked salmon/trout and cream cheese;
3. finely diced grilled, skinned and chopped red peppers and cream cheese;
4. finely diced prawns, rocked and cream cheese.

Fill a piping bag with a 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch nozzle and pipe the filling along the length of the bread. Roll up carefully and serve at room temperature (see my previous posting) or  hot after cutting into 3 and dipping in egg and breadcrumbs and deep fat frying.

All the best,
Archiduc


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## SpiritWolf (Apr 25, 2008)

Vegimite and cheese and lettuce, but I dont know if you can get Vegimite there, its wonderful though


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## Bilby (Apr 26, 2008)

you know, I have never tried that with lettuce SpiritWolf!! Love the cheese and Vegemite sanger tho!!


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## JGDean (Jul 2, 2008)

*Yum and pretty*



*amy* said:


> Can the fillings be something other than chicken or tuna, & perhaps, different bread?


 
Tuna Spinach Braid

 I will have to try this!


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