Queen Elizabeth’s favorite smoked salmon and cucumber tea sandwiches with homemade herbed cream cheese in honor of her passing.
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon very finely minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon very finely minced fresh chives
Juice of ½ lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 slices of thin white sandwich bread (I used Pepperidge Farms Thin White)
8 ounces smoked salmon
1 English cucumber, unpeeled and sliced very thin
Make the herbed cream cheese.
In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, dill, chives, and lemon juice until light and fluffy.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Assemble the sandwiches.
Lie 4 slices of bread on a flat surface.
Spread one-quarter of the cream cheese among the bread slices.
Layer one or two slices on each bread slice, pressing it gently into the cream cheese.
Spread another quarter of the cream cheese mixture in an even layer on four more slices of bread.
Gently press them, cheese side down on top of the salmon.
Use a sharp knife to slice off the crusts and diagonally cut each sandwich in half.
Arrange on a plate.
Make the cucumber sandwiches.
Lightly toast eight slices of bread. Cool completely.
To assemble the sandwiches, repeat the process of spreading half of the remaining cream cheese over four slices of bread.
Arrange a thin layer of cucumber over the cream cheese.
Spread the remaining cream cheese on the last four slices of bread and top, cheese side down, on the cucumber.
Cut off the crusts and cut in half diagonally.
Arrange on serving platters.
Keywords: Queen's favorite smoked salmon and cucumber tea sandwiches, tea sandwich recipes, smoked salmon and cream cheese, cucumber sandwiches, finger sandwiches, classic English tea, British tea, tea party food, tea party recipes