Retro Inspirations - Tell me Yours

Today's post is from a while ago. I had fully intended to cook something amazing, take photos of the process and write about it tonight. My attempt was foiled before it even started. My thumb was attacked by my, now not as loved, knife block and a 10" chef's knife that wasn't quite buried deep enough in the block's protective bristles.

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I have memories of tea parties with egg salad or cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off. Hot tea in the winter, and more likely egg, iced tea in the summer, with cucumber, always on white bread. What ever happened to those little nibbles, besides the fact that everyone went and got all fancy? 

The little sandwiches used to pop up all over the place, well usually anywhere there was a group of women socializing anyway. They were the fodder of frolickers at garden parties and baby showers and church socials. And, maybe they still are because I just don’t have the opportunity to attend these events at the side of my grandmother anymore. So, maybe I just don’t know.

We, the daughters and I, found ourselves at a casual little tea party a little while ago at Hawthorn Cottage. And, I was so pleased to see a tray of the little beauties that Jennifer had prepared that I almost hugged her. Paper thin cucumber slices crunchy in their soft, crustless cover. And, then, the same paper thin slices, but this time, of radish with mint. Floods of garden party scenes and hideous pin-the-diaper-on-the-baby game visions flooded back.

A few weeks after our afternoon at Hawthorn Cottage, I got to go to a baby shower. Sadly, there were no hideous games to play but there was glorious sunshine and basking and laughing and chatting and eating. But, I took, as my contribution, a tray of some dainty little sandwiches. And I felt a little like I had time-warped back twenty-five years and conspicuous because of it. But then I got to thinking that it was just retro and retro is cool. Right?

I made my version of Jennifer’s radish and mint, with salty butter and mayonnaise perked up with dijon and lemon and cracked pepper. And, I made egg salad with a painstakingly finely chopped pile of dill carrots and chives and, again, a hint of mustard. I used some of Rumtopf Farm’s mesclun mix with nasturtiums to add a little bit of green and bite.

But, I am not going to tell you how to make dainty little sandwiches, I don’t need to do that. I just ask that you think about making them sometime. Maybe, to have with a cup of tea or take some to your grandmother, if you are lucky enough to still have her, and sit outside on a sunny day and talk about all those ‘old school’ parties. Or make something that nobody seems to make or serve anymore and then tell me about it.

Comments

[sweetsalty kate]

This is so perfect. Those radish and mint sandwiches at Jennifer's were fantastic. And, as she insists: you have to get Wonderbread, or something in the Wonderbread vein. I tried it, and she's right. It's got to be fluffy or it's not a tea sandwich.

What I didn't try, though, was dressing up these sandwiches like you did. And now I can't stop thinking of what I might do. There's a tofu salad that I make - kind of like a vegan egg salad except I use mayonnaise, and branston pickle - that would be nice, I think. Readily dainty. We should do that next playdate. A tea sandwich potluck.

Next up: how about a 7-layer dip with some of those baby shrimp? :) Kidding. But you know you love 7-layer dip. Don't worry. I won't tell anybody.

[Leah]

I haven't been able to bring myself to buy Wonderbread, or similar. So i have been using Julien's white, which is really tasty but less regular in size so the sandwiches aren't as picture perfect as they could be.
I swear I have never had 7-layer dip but my mom does make this four or so layered dip-thing with shrimp or crab on top. I wouldn't dream of letting the world, or at least the few readers here, know her secret recipe. All hell would break loose if it got out. It would be cream cheese and cocktail sauce chaos.

[Kirsty]

I ADORE little sandwiches. One retro thing I did at a dinner party once was a make your own banana split bar. I daresay it was the most popular dessert EVER!