A watercress sandwich is a traditional English high tea finger food made with crustless white bread and a mixture of butter and watercress greens. Variations include adding hard-boiled eggs or cream cheese to the filling. The sandwich is often cut into triangles for presentation.
A watercress sandwich is an English sandwich or finger food that is traditionally served during an English high tea as part of a larger spread of foods. The simplest type of watercress sandwich has two pieces of crustless white bread with a mixture of butter and watercress greens spread inside. Variations on the classic sandwich include mixing watercress with hard-boiled or deviled eggs, using mayonnaise instead of butter, or adding cream cheese to the mixture. Although white bread is the type of bread most frequently used for the sandwich, sometimes pumpernickel or rye is used as a contrast to the color of the filling. Serving a watercress sandwich depends as much on the taste of the sandwich as it does on the presentation, with many versions seeing the sandwich cut into sharp little triangles that are stacked elegantly on a platter.
The basis for a traditional watercress sandwich is the filling. This is done by placing watercress, room-temperature butter, and a little lemon juice together in a bowl and mixing them by hand or in a food processor until an even spread has formed. The spread can also have other ingredients – such as salt, pepper, curry or cumin – added. Other smooth ingredients, such as mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, cream cheese, or sour cream, can also be combined with watercress.
Once spread, it can be chilled until needed or used immediately. When used, the watercress spread should be at room temperature. It is spread inside a slice of bread in an amount sufficient to hold the bread together.
The bread that is used for a watercress sandwich is usually plain white or country bread. The crust is cut from the bread both for presentation and to create a more substantial texture in the sandwich. After the spread has been applied and the sandwich is closed, it is usually cut from one corner to the opposite corner to make four triangular pieces. Alternatively, you can use a round pastry cutter to make small circular sandwiches. In some cases, especially if a more rustic loaf is used, the bread can be left untouched as a whole sandwich.
A few variations of the classic watercress sandwich have made their way into English high tea services. These include a watercress and egg sandwich in which watercress is mixed with mashed hard-boiled eggs and mayonnaise, and watercress and cucumber sandwiches which are made with watercress, butter, and cucumbers. More rarely, sandwiches may include meats such as shredded oxtail or thin slices of roast beef.
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