Tea Party

Reserved for the swankest occasions, the tea party is a gilded gift of spring. We go goo-goo over few party precepts like the garden soiree (it's a celebration) that's all finger treats and fragrant spirits and such. Fragfile toasts, like "To accomplishing the winter, friend! To birthing the spring, traveler!"

Or in this case, a Happy Birthday to Hot Knives accomplice, Lake Sharp.

Last weekend, we whipped up cold pasta salads and celery root remulaude, but the biggest seller was finger sandwiches. We did a take on cucumber, but WITH crust, and with a Chilean pevre of oil and garlic, and a quasi-untraditional one with fresh Japanese hot-house tomatoes and lemon zest mayoanaise. And served it all garden-side with difficult teas, cheap champagne, challenging Mexican pineapple beer juice and olives cured in salt in Alex's basement. Chop Chop!

Chilean Cucumber

1 loaf wheat bread
2 Persian cucumbers
1/4 quarter cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp. salt

1. Slice your loaf of bread length-wise. Place face up for stacking.

2. Wash your cucumbers and cut into thin slices. Lay cuke slices onto one side of the loaf.

3. Fix Pevre spread by combining oil, chopped cilantro, pressed or minced garlic and salt into a mixing bowl.

4. Spoon pevre onto the other side of the bread, spreading evenly. Press together and cut into 1-inch wide finger sandwiches.

Tomato-Mayo

1 loaf sourdough bread
2 large tomatoes
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
kosher salt to taste
1 lemon

1. Slice your loaf of bread length-wise. Place face up for stacking.

2. Wash and cut your tomatoes into thin slices. Lay tomatoes onto one side of the bread.

3. Whip up the lemon mayo by beating one egg yolk with the olive oil in a mixing bowl. Then add mustard and salt. Whip well. Finally, zest a lemon using a grater or micro-plane into the bowl. Then juice said lemon. Finish with another touch of olive oil, lemon-infused, or regular.

Beverage: North Coast's Merry Prankster
Soundtrack: Flaming Lips “She Don’t Use Jelly”