by Alison Boyd-Savage
Sharing a platter of delicious tea sandwiches on a beautiful warm day is perfect summer. June is the best time to visit the local farmstands for the freshest eggs, asparagus, greens and herbs. Everything can be prepared ahead, leaving you to enjoy the blooms and birdsong in the garden with your good friends and family.
Asparagus Stuffed Eggs
Ingredients
6 organic local eggs
8 local asparagus spears
3 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
1 heaped tsp. Dijon mustard
½ tsp. Colman’s English Mustard
Small bunch of chives
Two Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
A handful of radishes
Half a lemon
Fine sea salt and
Fresh black pepper
Place the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan. Cover with water to an inch above the eggs. Bring to a rolling boil and remove from the heat. Cover the pan and leave to continue cooking in the residual heat for 10 minutes (set a timer), before plunging into a bowl of iced water to cool. When the eggs are cold, peel and store them in the fridge until you are ready to assemble.
Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to a boil and add the asparagus. Flash cook for a minute before plunging into a bowl of iced water to cool off. Drain and place on a layer of paper towel.
Carefully halve the eggs lengthwise and scoop out the yolks. Place them in a bowl and mash them with a fork. Fold in the mayonnaise, Dijon and English mustard powder, and a generous squeeze of lemon juice.
Using sharp scissors, slice the chives into the mixture in short lengths. Add salt and black pepper and taste for seasoning. Add more mustard if you like extra spice. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
About 30 minutes before serving slice the asparagus into thin rounds and combine with the yolk mixture, reserving the tips for garnish. Thinly slice the radishes. Pile a generous scoop into each of the egg white halves. Place on a serving plate and sprinkle with additional chives, chopped parsley, asparagus tips and radishes.
Tea Sandwiches
Use really good white sandwich bread. I urge you to find a simple recipe and make it your own. Barney Desmazery’s classic white loaf recipe on the BBC Good Food website is simple one that I turn to again and again. Supermarket sliced bread will not cut it! Each recipe calls for six slices of bread which will make 36 small sandwiches in total. You will likely have leftovers.
Cream Cheese Sandwich Base
Ingredients
10 oz. cream cheese, slightly softened
1/4 cup full fat sour cream
Fine sea salt
Place the softened cream cheese and sour cream into a blender or mini processor and blend until smooth. Divide between two bowls. You will use half for the shrimp sandwiches, and half for the cucumber sandwiches.
Dilled Cream Cheese and Cucumber Sandwiches
Use thin skinned Persian or English cucumbers and you will not need to peel them unless you wish. The best of the local crop can be found at Wickham’s Farmstand. The season is short and they will be gone by the end of June.
Ingredients
Dilled Cream Cheese Base
Bunch of dill (stalks removed)
1 ½ Persian cucumbers finely sliced
Fine sea salt fresh black pepper
6 slices white sandwich bread
Wash and dry the dill fronds and chop in a mini food processor or blender until finely minced. Add half of the cream cheese base and blend until combined. Add ¼ tsp of salt and some fresh black pepper and blend again. Store the mixture in the fridge. For the best flavor, prepare 8-12 hours in advance.
Thinly slice the cucumbers and place on a layer of paper towel. Sprinkle with a little fine sea salt. Let them sit for 10 minutes to release some of their moisture, then pat dry with paper towel. Spread 6 Slices of bread with dilled cream cheese spread. Place a layer of cucumber slices over the cream cheese and add the top slice. Do not cut into pieces until you are ready to serve. I wrap the uncut sandwiches in a damp dish towel and then a layer of plastic wrap. Store in the fridge.
Shrimp and Cream Cheese Sandwiches
Ingredients
Cream cheese base
½ tsp. Old Bay seasoning
½ tsp Aleppo Pepper
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 small shallot, finely minced
1½ Tbsp. Freshly minced parsley
Fine sea salt
Fresh Black Pepper
8-10 large cooked and peeled shrimp
6 slices white sandwich bread
12 washed and dried arugula leaves
Mix the cream cheese, spices, lemon zest and juice, parsley and shallots in a bowl. Chop the shrimp into small pieces and fold in. Add a little fine sea salt and black pepper. Allow the flavors to develop in the fridge for 6-8 hours.
Spread 6 slices of bread with the shrimp mixture and place arugula leaves over one of the slices. Add the top slice and wrap and store in fridge until ready to serve.
Ham and Mustard Butter Sandwiches
Adding mustard to creamy butter elevates the simple ham sandwich. Using premium and not deli ham is non-negotiable. The best cooked ham on the North Fork comes from Eight Hands Farm. A very close second is the Prosciutto Cotto at Lombardi’s Market. Ask them to cut the slices a little thicker than average. Kerrygold butter is the best.
Ingredients
4 oz. grass fed butter, softened
1½ Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1½ tsp. Coleman’s English Mustard powder
3 slices of premium cooked ham
Six slices of homemade sandwich bread
Place the softened butter and both mustards in a food processor or blender, together with a pinch of sea salt and some fresh black pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy. Store in the fridge until ready to use. Take out about 30 minutes before using it to soften. Spread six slices of bread with a layer of mustard butter and place over a thick slice of ham. Add the top slice, wrap and refrigerate.
Serving the Sandwiches
Cut each round into four quarters or triangles. You can cut the crusts off, but I usually leave them on. Arrange on a platter with the stuffed eggs and garnish with local radishes and baby greens.
Alison Boyd-Savage worked in advertising before running a catering business in her native London. After moving to Long Island, she first settled in Bridgehampton, where she worked as a private chef. Five years later, the quiet beauty of the North Fork prompted a move to Southold. On weekends she loves to entertain, and can be found scouting the local farm stands for seasonal produce and visiting the markets for local fish, meat and eggs.
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