Tea parties are one of my favorite ways to entertain friends! I usually have a selection or two from each of the following:

~ Tea Breads: Lemon Bread, Poppyseed Bread, Hawaiian Pineapple Banana Nut Bread, Orange Date Nut Bread, Blueberry Bread or your favorite sweet loaf recipe

~ Hot Breads: Scones with jam and butter or clotted cream, tiny muffins, homemade cinnamon toast, Butter Bites (dipped while hot in butter and cinnamon sugar), Crumpets, English Muffins spread with crab cheese spread and broiled

~ Tea Sandwiches: Cucumber Sandwiches with Mint Butter, Chutney Cheese sandwiches, Curried Egg Salad sandwiches, Smoked Salmon on pumpernickel with caper cream cheese, Olive and Cream Cheese on white, and here, of course, we like our chicken salad and pimiento cheese sandwiches

~ Sweets: Lemon Curd Tartlets, Pecan Tassies, Fruit Tarts, cookies, bar cookies, gingerbread squares, shortbread, brownies, truffles, Welsh Cakes, etc., etc.

~ A cake or other special dessert: pound cake with fresh fruit and whipped cream, Trump's Chocolate Tea Cake, a triffle with fresh fruit in season, cake squares, or your favorite celebration cake

~ Additional items: mini quiches, fresh fruit platter or kabobs, a chilled fruit soup, dip or spread with crackers, fudge, punch and/or champagne!

If you need recipes for any of these, just post here and I'll be glad to find them for you.

Teresa

I have a tea for 30+ every year after a neighborhood holiday house tour & these are a few of the things I've learned through the years - & making tea sandwiches for a crowd IS a learning experience! They tend to be popular & it takes a lot of the little suckers.

Count on each guest consuming 3-4 small sandwiches of each different filling & use that as a bare minimum - family & co-workers will take care of any leftovers - & have at least 4-5 fillings for variety. Of course if you're serving a lot of other foods you won't need as many tea sandwiches. Instead of buying supermarket or gourmet bread (which, after removing the crust, leaves an area that's the wrong size for multiples), check out a website called Slim & Soft Tea Bread where the bread is thinner than normal & the slices are 10' x 10'. With FedX, it may seem expensive, but it will save you so much time, it's definitely worth it. And with supermarket bread, there's a lot of waste & even more with artisan loaves, plus the costs. Each 2 slices can be turned into about 16 sandwiches with little more effort than 1 sandwich - a great time saver if you have to make 100+ sandwiches! BTW, I'm not affiliated with the company but I've been buying their bread for 4-5 years.

Forget about fancy shapes - a good idea if you're making 10 sandwiches, but squares, rectangles, & triangles are faster, with less waste, & usually fit in storage containers easier. And cutting fancy shapes with a cookie cutter doesn't always leave the neat image like in the magazines, LOL!

Regardless of what fillings are being used, make sure that 'sticky' stuff is on both sides of the bread to hold the sandwich together after it's cut. Otherwise you might wind up with unconstructed pieces instead of neat sandwiches. It also makes cutting the sandwich easier if it's firmly stuck together & there are no 'chunky' pieces of anything to clog the knife blade.

Due to time limitations, I make my sandwiches the day before the event & store them in the refrigerator. To keep them from drying out, layer the sandwiches in a plastic container that's been lined with cling wrap, place a piece of wax paper over the sandwiches, top with a barely damp paper towel, & close with the sides of the cling wrap & the container top. They will keep for days like this.

Serve using your best china, silver, & linen - & your guests will remember it like they've been entertained by royalty. Even if PB&J was the filling, they'd think it was special if served on a small, crustless sandwich.

So ends my epistle.........

Here is a link that might be useful: Slim & Soft Tea Bread

Duhhh, I forgot to mention the filling variations & other foods that I sometimes serve.

Tea Sandwiches Spreads -
Hummus topped w/ green onion shreds.
Cream Cheese, chopped olives & pecans, thinned w/sour cream or mayo.
Feta cheese mashed w/horseradish & sour cream to thin, topped with thin roast beef & watercress.
Something wth crisp bacon bits.
If you're interested in others, let me know & I'll go through my files.

Chicken salad in phyllo cups

Mini ham biscuits (size of 50cent piece), made from canned flaky biscuits, split horizonally before cutting out & baking. Fill with shaved country ham.

Jam tarts made by pushing dough into a mini muffin tin & baking. Fill with a variety of good quality preserves or jams.

Small size cheese/vegetable terrine, sliced & served on toast. A PITA, but impressive. The recipe is from Martha's book on hor d'orves - need I say more?

A celery vase or other footed bowl filled with Jordan almonds, olives, chocolates, candy or whatever else compliments your table & people are likely to find appetizing.

THough time consuming, these are always a fun addition to a tea party.....

DECORATED SUGAR CUBES

1 egg white
1/ 8 tsp cream of tartar
1/ 4 tsp. almond extract
1 and 3/ 4 cups confectioners sugar
food coloring

Combine egg white, cream of tartar and extract. Blend sugar into mixture. Beat until icing hold stiff peaks. Divide and tint with coloring. Cover until used. Makes 1 cup.

TO MAKE FLOWERS OR FRUIT ON SUGAR CUBES:

With decorating tubes: Squeeze icing through small tips

Without tubes: Double heavy waxed paper; roll into cone. Cut tip for small opening; squeeze icing through opening
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Petit Fours
Now to bake the cake, no special cake pans are required; a 9 inch round or square pan will work just fine. When the cake has completely cooled, cut it in half horizontally. A serrated knife works well for this; gently saw your way through. Brush the liqueur over the cut sides, and then fill with a thin layer of jelly. Heat the jelly until warm; this will make it easier to spread. A creamy filling sprinkled with chopped nuts is also good. Try:
Almond Filling
Chocolate Meringue Frosting
French Buttercream
Lemon Jelly Filling
Chocolate Fudge Buttercream Frosting
Mint Buttercream with Dark Chocolate Glaze
The simplest decorating technique for petits fours is to glaze the top of the whole cake, and then cut it into shapes. A white chocolate glaze or fondant frosting works well for this purpose. Both will dry to a smooth surface. Score the top into squares or diamonds, and decorate. Cut the cake only when ready to serve; since the sides are left uncovered, the little cakes can dry and become stale in a very short time. To cut, dip a serrated knife in hot water and then dry it. A hot knife will cut through the glaze more smoothly. Cookie cutters with simple shapes, such as rosettes or rounds, as well as petit four cutters can also be used to cut the cake. These should be used on the unglazed cake. Each cake is then decorated individually. It is important to completely cover the exposed surfaces with glaze or fondant to prevent drying.
Quick Pour Fondant Icing
Quick Pour Chocolate Fondant
There are innumerable ways to decorate a petit four. One way is to simply pipe designs with melted chocolate or tinted decorator frosting. But don't limit yourself. Candied citrus zest, crystallized edible flowers and leaves, and fresh berries are all excellent decorations. You can also use miniature cookie cutters to shape marzipan or rolled fondant. Add these finishing touches before the glaze or fondant sets.
Decorator Frosting
Best White Icing Ever
To get you started on your petits fours adventure, try some of these combinations of cakes, fillings, glazes, and decorations. Before you know it you'll be the host with the most.
White cake, strawberry jam, poured fondant, and tinted marzipan animal cutouts for a children's tea.
 Genoise, amaretto liqueur, almond filling and a sprinkling of chopped almonds, white chocolate glaze, finished with almond slices and piped melted chocolate for an elegant ladies and gentlemen's luncheon.
 Pound cake, maraschino liqueur, cream filling, poured fondant, and small pastille candies for decoration to serve at the bridal or baby shower.
There's a combination for every taste and occasion. So have some fun and plan an elegant gathering to show all your newfound tastes.
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ANd here is a lengthy thread from a while ago on great tea sandwiches!

Tea Sandwiches from the Cooking Forum

Now that the weather has turned colder, I find myself hibernating on Saturday mornings instead of being out and about and inviting friends over for a little tea lunch.
I don't like to bake that much so I can manage a dessert like lemon bars or shortbread but not the traditional scones and jam. I usually serve one or two soups from tureens, lots of varieties of tea sandwiches and of course, good tea.

What are your favorite tea sandwiches? (I often use cookie cutters to cut them into fancy shapes.) My old standbys are
1)cucumber on white bread with chive mayonnaise and butter
2)wheat bread, olive cream cheese, white bread, egg salad, wheat bread
3)chicken salad on rounds of white bread with the edges of the bread spread with mayo and dipped into chopped toasted almonds
4)open face smoked salmon cream cheese with chopped capers and scallion tops on rye

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Follow-Up Postings:

RE: LOOKING for: tea sandwiches
Posted by: Ginger_St_Thomas (My Page) on Mon, Jan 24, 05 at 19:53

I like egg salad. Here are a couple more:
LADIES DAY BLT'S
1 loaf light wheat bread
1 cup mayo
1 1/2 tsp sweet brown mustard
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
Pinch of sugar
1 TBL chopped fresh parsley
1/2 to 1/4 lb bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 pint Roma or cherry tomatoes, sliced
Cut bread into rounds with 2 1/2" or 1 3/4: biscuit cutter. Lightly toast rounds on each side. Combine mayo & next 4 ingredients. Spread mixture on bread rounds. Top with crumbled bacon & tomato slices. Use a 1 3/4" biscuit cutter.~~

TEA PARTY SANDWICHES
11 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 TBL Worcestershire
12 oz bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 loaf sliced white bread, crusts removed
1 loaf wheat bread, crusts removed
Piniento stuffed olives

Beat the cream cheese, milk & Worcestershire in a bowl until smooth. Stir in the bacon. Spread on the white bread slices, top with the wheat bread slices. Cut each sandwich into 3 equal portions. Top each with an olive slice.~~ Can be made a day ahead; cover with a damp paper towel & refrigerate until serving time. Add 1/4 cup each minced green bell pepper & grated onion to the cheese mixture, if desired. (I like it this way best.)

I also like chicken salad spooned into bite-sized cream puff shells.

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RE: LOOKING for: tea sandwiches
Posted by: Ginger_St_Thomas (My Page) on Mon, Jan 24, 05 at 19:54

Oops! That first recipe should say "1/2 to 3/4 lb bacon".

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RE: LOOKING for: tea sandwiches
Posted by: Roselin32 (My Page) on Mon, Jan 24, 05 at 20:02

They all sound pretty good to me, Ruthanna-if we bring something, are we invited?? I do like to bake!
RL`

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RE: LOOKING for: tea sandwiches
Posted by: Teresa_nc7 (My Page) on Mon, Jan 24, 05 at 20:19

Of course, in the South we like homemade pimiento cheese on white, but here are some of my favorites:
Curried Egg Salad

3 hard boiled eggs
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 t. curry powder

Mix all. Will keep 3 days covered in fridge. I like it spread on thin wheat bread.

Cheddar cheese and chutney on wheat

Ham salad on finger rolls

date nut bread with cream cheese

Vidalia onion slices with herbed butter

Pineapple Nut Tea Sandwiches

2 cups crushed pineapple, dreained
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped nuts
1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese
milk or mayo

In saucepan combine pineapple and sugar. Bring to boil. Cook until thick, stirring constantly. Cool. Stir in nuts. Soften and mash cheese with enough milk or mayo to make a good spreading consistency. Combine with pineapple mixture. Spread on thin bread for sandwiches.

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RE: LOOKING for: tea sandwiches
Posted by: woodie2 (My Page) on Mon, Jan 24, 05 at 22:18

You know, I'm the only one who could actually make it to Ruthanna's in time for lunch (so far, anyway)!
I don't really have many suggestions for tea sandwiches, but I do have this lovely recipe from Cindy Mac for Pimento Cheese, that Teresa made me remember.

WORLD'S BEST PIMENTO CHEESE

4 tbls. mayonnaise
1 (3-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cloves garlic
Handful of fresh parsley
Several vigorous shots of Tabasco and Pickapepper sauces
1 cup pecans
1 (4-oz.) jar diced pimentos with the juice
12 ozs. extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

Purée until smooth in food processor the mayonnaise, cream cheese, garlic, parsley and sauces. Turn into a bowl. Coarsely chop pecans. Add pecans and pimentos with juice to the mayonnaise mixture. Add grated cheese. Stir well to combine. Store in refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving. The spread is even better the next day. Serve on bread, crackers or on vegetables.

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RE: LOOKING for: tea sandwiches
Posted by: craftyrn (My Page) on Mon, Jan 24, 05 at 22:20

Here's a couple I like:
HAM AND APRICOT PRESERVE TEA SANDWICHES
Makes 8 tea sandwiches
4 thin slices raisin-pumpernickel bread
2 tablespoons apricot preserves
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 pound Virginia ham, thinly sliced

Spread one bread slice with half of the preserves.
Spread another slice with half of the mustard. Fill
with half of the ham slices and close. Repeat using
the remaining bread, preserves, mustard and ham. Trim
the crusts from the 2 sandwiches. Cut each into 4
finger sized sandwiches.
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Creamy Date Nut Filling
5 pkg. cream cheese, softened (20 oz.)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. chopped walnuts
2 2/3 c. chopped dates
Blend until creamy; then add nuts and dates.
Makes enough filling for 100 tea sandwiches.
Olive & Nut filling
32 oz. cream cheese
3/4 c. chopped olives with red
centers
2 c. chopped toasted (in margarine) pecans
1/2 to 3/4 c. cream or milk
Whip cream cheese; add milk until soft enough to spread.
Fold in nuts and olives. Spread on thin sliced bread. Trim
crust (use white, raisin or cinnamon bread). Cut into fingers
or triangles. Chill; covered until ready to serve.
These are also good as cornicopias--just spread filling on one slice a bread that you've trimmed crust from & rolled a little flat with rolling pin-then roll corner to corner for cornicopia shape.

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RIBBON SANDWICHES
This traditional tea sandwich features three ribbons of fillings for a special occasion.
Preparation 1 hrs.
Chilling 1 hrs.
Ham Filling Ingredients:
1/2 cup finely chopped cooked ham
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
Egg Filling Ingredients:
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients:
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley, if desired*
1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives, if desired**
Sandwiches Ingredients:
8 slices whole wheat bread
8 slices white bread
LAND O LAKES® Butter , softened
Thinly sliced cucumber
Parsley sprigs
Chives
Celery leaves

Instructions:

Stir together all ham filling ingredients in small bowl; set aside.

Stir together all egg filling ingredients in small bowl; set aside.

Stir together all cream cheese filling ingredients in small bowl; set aside.

Cut crusts from bread slices. Butter 1 side of each bread slice. Spread about 2 tablespoons ham filling on each of 4 slices whole wheat bread; top each with 1 slice white bread. Spread about 2 tablespoons egg filling on each of 4 slices whole wheat bread; top each with 1 slice white bread. Spread top of each sandwich with about 1 tablespoon cream cheese filling.

Wrap with plastic food wrap; refrigerate at least 1 hour. Slice each sandwich into thirds. Garnish with cucumber slices, parsley sprigs, chives or celery leaves.

*Substitute 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley leaves.

**Substitute 1/4 teaspoon dried chives.
Yield: 24 ribbon sandwiches
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Diane

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RE: LOOKING for: tea sandwiches
Posted by: Ann_T (My Page) on Mon, Jan 24, 05 at 23:42

Funny that this topic came up today. I just picked up a little cookbook called Tea, Recipes and Table Settings. Ruthanna, you might like some of these ideas from the Chapter titled - "The Tea Larder":

Tea Trimmings

A bit of milk, some sugar - one lump or two - these are the traditional partners for a cup of tea. But it's fun to experiment with a few variations on them.

Crystallized ginger - sugar's sweetness with an added flavor

Honey - Clovers fine, but try elderflower, wild flower or cream honey

Lemon - slice it paper thin, or stud the rind with circles of cloves

Mint - pick peppermint leaves or crush spearmint leaves and brew with the tea

Preserves - stir a bit of strawberry or cherry preserves into the cup the way the Russians and Hungarians do

Sugar - fill the bowl with cubes, brown sugars like madeira, French raw sugar cubes, pastel crystals, sugar that's been flavoured with a vanilla bean (insert one bean into two cups of sugar, seal tightly and allow to sit for a week before using)

Fillings, Breads and Spreads

Beyond the pleasures of traditional cress and cucumber, tea sandwiches may be filled with almost any filling that isn't so wet that it will soak throught the bread. Consider using cream puffs, biscuits, scones, puff pastry shells, tartlets, muffins, and crepes along with the traditional sandwich breads.

The simplest chicken , ham, or cheese sandwich will be enlivened by one of these tasty spreads:

Mayonnaise variations - To a cup of mayonnaise, homemade or store bought, add 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, or 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped chives, or two teaspoons of grated lemon rind or orange peel.

Butters - To a stick of softened butter fold in until the mixture reaches a creamy consistency - 4 ripe hulled, and mashed strawberries, or 1 tablespoon freshly chopped tarragon, or mixed herbs, or 2 tablespoons honey with greated rind of one lemon.

Cream cheeses - To an 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened, mix in: 1/4 cup chopped dates, or 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, almonds, or raisins, or 2 tablespoons chives, chopped, or 1/4 cup raspberry preserves, or 2 tablespoons diced scallions.

Tea Sandwiches

Make up a quantity of sandwiches, and if you not serving them right away, store them in the refrigerator for a few hours, either sealed in airthight plastic bags or with a slightly damp dish towel draped over them.

Here are some interesting tea sandwiches to try in addition to those on page 11.

Smoked turkey with raspberry mayonnaise on cracked wheat bread.

Curried chicken with walnuts on white bread

Shrimp with dill vinaigrette on oatmeal bread

Tomato with basil on black bread with homemade mayonnaise

Avocado with sprouts and walnuts on whole wheat bread

Sliced hard boiled eggs with cracked pepper and bibb lettuc on wheat bread with herb mayonnaise

Stilton Cheese crumbled over pear slices on oatmeal bread

Sugar cured ham with think pineapple slices on dill bread

Asparagus spears with lemon mayonnaise on wheat bread

Cream cheese with walnuts on date nut raisin bread.

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RE: LOOKING for: tea sandwiches
Posted by: sheshebop (My Page) on Tue, Jan 25, 05 at 8:28

My favorite tea sandwich would be cucumbers on thin slices of a good bread like Pepperidge Farm (or homemade)with cream cheese, a little sea salt, and dill. I could eat these all day, and unfortunately as I age, burp them all night.

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RE: LOOKING for: tea sandwiches
Posted by: Ruthanna (My Page) on Tue, Jan 25, 05 at 20:40

Now I'm really inspired! Theresa and Diane, I like fruit but never thought of using fruit flavors for tea sandwiches but I'm going to try them.
Roz, I love guests who bring desserts. LOL

I really like pimiento cheese but usually buy it from an Amish stand at our famers' market that makes their own.

Ann, I'm such a tea fanatic that I have 2 cabinets filled with tea and various types of paraphernalia, including hand decorated sugar cubes.

Woodie, if you were in this area, I'd rather take you food shopping. LOL

Ginger, recognize anything in that cabinet?

Here is a link that might be useful: tea cabinet

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RE: LOOKING for: tea sandwiches
Posted by: seagrass (My Page) on Wed, Jan 26, 05 at 13:15

Ruthanna - now I'm craving old-fashioned pimento cheese. I'll have to go home to Ohio soon (I've run out of Amish egg noodles, too!!).
A nice, easy sweet-tasting tea sandwich I've had is made using a can of brown bread (with or without raisins) sliced about 1/4 inch thick. Spread a slice generously with softened cream cheese and topped with another slice of brown bread. Cut into quarters and stack on a pretty plate.

Mini croissants, mini bagels and mini rolls make great finger size sandwiches. Not traditional for tea but they are attractive and they cut down on prep time.

I like smoked salmon and cream cheese, sliced cucumbers and cream cheese, salmon salad, egg salad and tuna salad for fillings.

Wow! You folks are amazingly helpful. Thanks so much for your wonderful ideas. When a few major problems came up (not the shower) I just didn't get back to check if anyone had responded to my request. This morning I logged on and found your wonderful ideas, recipes, etc. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Karen

Karen, I had a small tea party a few months ago. We had 'soup shooters' to start (broccoli bisque, gazpacho, and corn bisque);

individual cheese balls, shrimp cocktails, and chicken puffs for the main course;

and, mini fruit tarts for dessert.

With the main course, we had Celestial Seasons' Tangerine-Orange Zinger iced tea.

With dessert, we had a pot of Twinings' Lady Grey tea (with all the appropriate "tea fixings").

This time of year, though, I'd probably stick with an iced tea or Sparkling Lemonade with fresh raspberries.

Let me know if you're interested in the recipes. I love tea parties - I know yours will be wonderful -

Lori