Every once in a while, the Southern husband goes where very few men have gone before him. He takes me to one of my favorite little spots, an adorable little tea house nearby that serves a real, honest to goodness English cream tea. Cream tea, for those of you who haven’t experienced the happiness of it, is when you get a pot of tea brewed from actual tea leaves, served with scones and clotted cream and jam, and some pastries…and tea sandwiches. All served in pretty china on flowery tablecloths with classical music in the background. Heaven on earth…especially the tea sandwich part.
Tea sandwiches are little adorable sandwiches, usually with the crusts cut off, and they come in all sorts of varieties. The cucumber versions are my favorites, although I manage to polish most of them off with no problem no matter what the filling is. Along with always being the only guy in the place, the Southern husband always trades me his cucumber sandwiches for whatever other kind I have, so I get double the cucumber happiness and he gets double Wonderful Southern Husband Bonus Points. So I figured the least I could do in return was to recreate the Ultimate Cucumber Tea Sandwich right in the comfort of our own home. Not that he minds being the only guy in the tea room, but this way he gets to watch the baseball game AND give me his extra sandwiches. Win-win!
And so this little sandwich was born. I cut up little squares of bread, and spread them with some soft creamy Brie cheese that I mixed up with a little chopped fresh dill. I popped a cool cucumber slice on top of the cheese, and then a slice of chilled shrimp on top of that. One more sprig of dill, and we were all set. A little plate of England, right there in my New Jersey living room (where just for the record, the Southern husband is also surrounded by females, including the dog).
(That’s the look we get when we are eating pretty much anything, tea sandwiches included.)
Now dust off your teapot and make yourself up some tea sandwiches! They’ll turn your ordinary lunchtime into something happily, easily elegant before you know it.
Shrimp, Brie and Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 24 small open-face sandwiches
- Category: Lunch
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 6 slices firm white bread, crusts cut off and cut into quarters
- 12 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, cooked, cooled and cut in half length-wise
- 24 thin slices of cucumber
- 8 ounces Brie cheese, rind removed and at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill, plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- Mix brie with the minced dill, stirring until dill is mixed throughout the cheese.
- Spread each bread square with cheese mixture.
- Top each piece of bread with a cucumber round and a shrimp half.
- Garnish with a piece of dill and serve on a pretty plate with a cup of tea. Feel very elegant.
Still Hungry?
Fresh Mint Tea from Framed Cooks
Mocha Scones from My Baking Addiction
Green Goddess Tea Sandwiches from Joy The Baker
Jules says
Kate, you just made my perfect lunch. Even though its a cold December day in the midwest for me, I am an English girl who moved to the states as a child. Totally miss the proper teas and this lovely little gem is a wonderful reminder. Since I had all the ingredients on hand, decided to throw myself a personal tea party, and you are correct…when I closed my eyes it was a little bite of home. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes, and your stories! :)
Kate says
Jules, that is so inspirational – good for you for having your own tea party! I’m going to try that myself sometime over the holidays as a treat. :)
Sonia - L'Exquisit says
I prepared these sandwiches yesterday and they were delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Kate says
You are so welcome – glad you liked them! :)
Erin @ Delightfully Southern says
Kate, these look FABULOUS and remind me of versions I’ve had during wedding showers and baby showers down here in the South. This is definitely something I’ll have to make to jazz up those already-loved sandwiches.
Also, we’re doing a roundup of Fourth of July foods today at Delightfully Southern, and I wanted to let you know we’re including this dish because it’s fun and familiar and a little different. Thanks so much for sharing it!
Kate says
Thanks Erin – happy to be part of your wonderful round-up! Hope you had a grand Fourth! :)
Erin @ Delightfully Southern says
Thanks, Kate! Happy to include you and this recipe. :) Our Fourth was lovely. I hope yours was, too!
Foodiewife says
I’m so lucky that my husband will go to Tea Shops with me. I love High Tea, and have been fortunate to experience it in England (many years ago). I’ve always wanted to make my own High Tea, at home. One of these days, I shall. This sandwich looks like a great way to start.
Kate says
Aren’t we lucky to have such wonderful guys? They definitely deserve a nice high tea at home. :)
Cupcake and Talk says
I can’t stop looking at these pretty tea sandwiches. So easy to make. Thank you.
Kate says
You are so welcome – I hope you make them soon, with a nice cup of tea! These days in the sultry Northeast we need the iced version!
ruthie says
Dill in brie…what an excellent and unexpected idea. I’ve almost given up creamy cheeses like brie because they are so rich, but dill would really give some zing to that flavor! This is an excellent sandwich!z
I’ve always dreamt of owning a tea shop. I love the fussiness of getting everything ready, then seeing it devoured in a heartbeat. ;) Should be depressing, I suppose, but it makes me happy to see people enjoying themselves.
Kate says
I’d LOVE to have a tea shop! Maybe one day…. :)
Cathy Tibbles says
I just had my 8 year old daughter’s birthday at a real tea house. (When other patrons weren’t there of course!) They had hats and fascinators and a manners lesson. It was adorable. I enjoyed the food more than they – I think the jam sandwiches were among the only ones eaten by the girls, but they were quite happy with the cupcakes and scones and little bitty pastries. :)
Kate says
That sounds like the best birthday party EVER! I’d like one of those for me! (Southern husband, are you listening?) :)
Joanne says
Woman..you NEED to come to NYC and go to Alice’s Tea Cup with me! They serve the best high noon teas! The Southern Husband can even so totally come.
Kate says
Well, guess what? I work in midtown Manhattan…let’s do it!!! Name Your Date! :)
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe says
These look lovely and adorable! Makes me want to throw a tea party with my girlfriends!
Kate says
I think that’s a great idea! A tea party once a month should be a rule. :)