REC: Chhicken Saslad Tea Sandwiches with Smoked Almonds--For teatime or anytime you want a sandwich
CHICKEN SALAD TEA SANDWICHES WITH SMOKED ALMONDS
(From a Cooks & Company class held on 4/25/95 with instructor Marie Huntington.)
3 cups chicken broth
2 whole boneless chicken breasts with skin (about 1-1/2 lbs), halved
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup minced shallot
1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon leaves
24 very thin slices white bread (I use either Pepperidge Farm thin sliced bread OR Earth Grains thin sliced)
1/2 cup finely chopped smoked almonds (about 2 oz)--I use Blue Diamond Smokehouse almonds that come in a can
Softened butter for spreading on bread
In a deep 12-inch skillet, bring brother to a boil and add chicken breasts in one layer. Reduce heat and poach chicken at a bare simmer, turning once, 7 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and cool chicken in cooking liquid 20 minutes. Discard skin and shred chicken fine.
In a bowl stir together shredded cooked chicken, mayonnaise, shallot, tarragon, salt & pepper to taste.* Make 12 sandwiches spreading bread slices lightly first with butter before spreading with the chicken salad and pressing together gently. With a 2-inch round cutter, cut 2 rounds from each sandwich. (I usually just cut the crusts off and then quarter each sandwich.) Put almonds on a small plate and spread edges of rounds with softened butter to coat well. Roll edges of sandwich shapes in almonds.
NOTE: I stir the 1/2 cup smoked almonds into my chicken salad and leave the edges of the sandwiches plain after making. I put a small dot of butter on top of each quarter and "attach" a fresh tarragon leaf on top of the butter for a bit of color. Wigs
*Whichever way you use the almonds--glued to the sandwich edges or stirred into the chicken salad itselk--remember that the smoked almonds are salted so be sure to assemble and taste one sandwich first before adding any additional salt to determine how much extra salt you'll want to sprinkle in.
