Potato Salad

You can’t say we don’t treat you right – here’s yet another summer classic from our cookbook ‘Tea and Sympathy: The Life of an English Teashop in New York’. An American staple, we only serve this in the summer, usually with chilled poached salmon or poached trout.

Potato Salad

Serves 6-8

For the salad:
3 lbs potatoes (here’s a good discussion of the best varieties for a potato salad)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
4 sliced scallions or spring onions
1 tablesponn chopped chives (optional)

For the mayonnaise:
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup sunflower oil
3/4 cup olive oil

• Peel and halve the potatoes. Cook in boiling salted water for about 20 minutes, or until soft. Once cooked, cool them by submerging them in cold water.
• Combine the onion, parsley and scallions in a bowl and put aside.
• To prepare the mayonnaise, combine the eggs, mustard, vinegar, garlic and salt and pepper in a food processer. With the motor running, pour the oils slowly through the feed tube. The mayonnaise will thicken.
• Add the mayonnaise to the onion, parsley, and scallion mixture. Cube the cooked potatoes and add them to the herbed mayonnaise; toss to combine.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh chives, if you like.

* Remember, you can purchase one of the last copies of our cookbook ‘Tea & Sympathy: The Life of an English Teashop in New York’ from our store, over the phone ((212) 989-9735) or by email: info@teaandsympathynewyork.com. It is now out of print, so take this chance to get your hands on the remaining few!

…And what to drink at your garden party? Pimm’s, of course! The perfect accompaniment to finger sandwiches

Pimm’s is THE drink of British summertime. If you haven’t tried it, do your best to get your hands on some – it’s stocked at some of the larger liquor stores. It will keep you thirst-quenched and merry (in, of course, that most civilised of ways that the Brits do best – think “elegantly wasted” in that old classic ‘Withnail and I’) for the remainder of the sunshine months.

Pimm's!

 

To whip up this most delectably, lightly-spiced of beverages – Take a jug and fill it with ice, mix one part Pimm’s with three parts chilled lemonade, add some mint, cucumber, orange and strawberry and you’re good to go!

Cucumber Finger Sandwiches – another summer classic

Oh, we do like to spoil you. Here’s a third summer classic from our cookbook ‘Tea and Sympathy: The Life of an English Teashop in New York’. For many, finger sandwiches are the height of refined English summertime. Classically held between the forefinger and thumb, with a glass of Pimm’s in the other hand, while standing on an expansive lawn, as the warm summer sun begins it’s afternoon descent and jovial conversation fills the air. No village fete or garden party is complete without this must-have summertime culinary accessory.

A typical British garden fete

Here we provide instructions for cucumber and cream cheese finger sandwiches on white bread. This is the most typical of finger sandwiches – the soft give of the crustless white bread complimented perfectly by the luxuriance of the cream cheese and the satisfyingly crisp bite of the cucumber. A good tip – with a simple recipe like this, seasoning is the key: be especially liberal with your salt to coax out the subtle flavor of the cucumber, while making sure not to overdo it! And it’s a good idea to peel the dark green skin from the outside of the cucumber which can often be bitter and ruin the delicate flavor of the sandwiches.

Finger Sandwiches

The finished product!

Finger Sandwiches are great as lunch or a snack and are a must at afternoon tea. The thinner the bread the better, however, some whole loaves are difficult to slice thinly, especially when they are very fresh, so try to choose quite dense bread when slicing yourself. To help the sandwiches stay fresh before serving them, cover with paper towels sprinkled with a little water, or wrap in cellophane. Do not refrigerate as they will go soggy. White bread goes stale much faster than seven-grain or wholewheat.

Makes about 10 sandwiches

Ingredients:
Cream cheese, softened
Very thinly sliced cucumber, peeled
Salt and Pepper

• Choose a selection of good-quality, thinly sliced white, wholewheat and seven-grain breads.
• Peel the dark green skin from the outside of the cucumber with a vegetable peeler.
• Spread a little cream cheese on one side of each slice of bread, then layer cucumber to desired thickness. Season to taste
• Top with a plain slice.
• With a sharp knife, cut the crusts off of the bread and discard. Cut the sandwich diagonally into triangles or finger shapes.
• Serve garnished with a sprig of fresh watercress.

Here are a few other ideas for fillings:

Chicken salad
Tuna Salad
Egg Salad & Watercress
Cucumber & Cream Cheese
Ham & Cream Cheese

Yum, yum, yum – now everyone out to the lawn before it rains again!