The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook (31 page)

While French etiquette would insist that no salad, regardless of its ingredients, should be cut with a knife, the British felt themselves above such nitpickiness and would use knives freely to cut their fruit.

Served between 3 and 5
P.M.
, “afternoon tea” was more of an elegant snack than an actual meal. Nonetheless, afternoon tea was not nearly as low key as it sounds — at least not for the cook! The menu usually consisted of several kinds of tea, finger sandwiches, scones, pastries, fruitcakes, and perhaps a more elaborate layer cake served as the grand finale. If you were invited to a “high tea,” you’d find more of a working-class meal, part of a homey, sit-down meal that included meat dishes and lots of bread and cheese.

Serving from a low side table with good china and silver, the Victorian and Edwardian hostess would offer tea in the drawing room, living room, or library, careful to pour the right tea for each guest. In addition, while the Dowager Countess of Grantham is known to just “show up” at the Crawley’s or at Downton Abbey expecting tea, it is proper to give two weeks’ notice so the host can prepare — and to show up for tea only when invited. While Henry James claims, “There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hours dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea,” those scheming over the tea service might find the tea anything but agreeable. After all, it was over tea that the Countess of Grantham and the Dowager Countess schemed to return the entail to Mary, and it's over tea when many a marriage is proposed — and denied.

This is a tea sandwich that even Mrs. Isobel Crawley’s cook would be able to prepare for last-minute tea visits from the nosey Dowager Countess. Whether or not their conversation would be as enjoyable as these sandwiches is another question.

1 pound unsalted butter, room temperature

1
¹
⁄
₂
tablespoons minced chives

1
¹
⁄
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tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons sea salt

¹
⁄
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teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1
¹
⁄
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loaves grain bread, sliced
¹
⁄
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-inch thick

1
¹
⁄
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pounds smoked salmon, thinly sliced

1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine butter, chives, dill, garlic, lemon juice, sea salt, and pepper. Beat until mixed but do not whip.
   
2. Lay out bread slices, then spread with butter mixture. Top half of bread slices with smoked salmon. Lay remaining bread slices buttered-side down on top of the salmon slices. Place sandwiches on a large baking sheet, then cover with plastic wrap, and place in refrigerator until butter is cold, about 35 minutes.
   
3. Transfer sandwiches to a cutting board. Remove crusts, then cut diagonally, twice, to make small triangle sandwiches. Serve chilled.
   

Just as there is an etiquette to serving tea, there’s even an etiquette for making the food served at said tea! For instance, a true tea sandwich has the crusts removed only after the sandwich has been prepared and not before.

No tea party is complete without this classic finger food. If the Countess of Grantham had tea without this delicacy, she would likely raise many an eyebrow — especially one belonging to her mother-in-law. However, if the Crawleys realized just how common the ingredients were, they might not feel so pleased with these treats.

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

¹
⁄
₃
cup mayonnaise

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon garlic salt

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon white pepper

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

24 slices white bread

12 sprigs dill, for garnish

1. Blend cream cheese and mayonnaise in a blender until smooth, careful to scrape down sides and blend thoroughly.
   
2. Combine cream cheese mixture with garlic salt, white pepper, and chopped dill. Spread mixture on top of 12 white bread slices, and garnish with dill sprigs. Cover with other bread slices to form sandwiches. Cut and discard crusts from bread, then cut sandwiches into quarters.
   

Legend has it that one of Queen Victoria’s ladies-in-waiting is the creator of afternoon tea. Knowing the Queen felt hungry around 4
P.M.
and perhaps fretted before dinner, her lady-in-waiting started the trend of serving tea with a few breadstuffs. Soon, tea time had taken hold of England.

No tea at Downton Abbey would be complete without these delicious tea sandwiches. One can just imagine the Dowager Countess nibbling on these sandwiches while plotting with Lady Grantham.

6 large hard-boiled eggs

4 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon mustard

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

20 slices soft white bread

1. For bright yellow egg yolks, place eggs in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a medium boil for an additional 10 minutes. Immediately place eggs in ice water and chill for 10 minutes.
   
2. Once chilled, remove eggshells and cut eggs into cubes.
   
3. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together cubed eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, cayenne pepper, and salt.
   
4. Spread egg salad over 10 slices white bread. Cover with bread. Remove crusts. Place sandwiches on a large baking sheet and cover in plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator for 35 minutes. Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes, or use a knife to quarter sandwiches diagonally.
   

A courteous hostess would never ask her guests if they wanted another cup of tea. Instead, she would refill the guests’ cups until they told her they had had enough. Leaving a cup empty without being told that the guest had finished was the height of poor taste.