Jewish deli sandwiches are a quintessentially Jewish-American dish. Generally speaking, while we do associate deliciousness with Jewish deli sandwiches, words like “light” or “elegant” rarely come to mind when discussing the a reuben. Though after a recent tea we attended, we were inspired to remake the pastrami sandwich we grew up with in the classic English tea sandwich format. So dainty!
For those unfamiliar, the British tea sandwich is finger sized and served without a crust. Traditional recipes include cucumber and butter. Their petite size qualifies them more as an afternoon pick me up than the sleep-inducing meat overload of a typical deli sandwich (see the article on Nighthawks Diner if you’re looking for one of those). Here is our new go-to afternoon snack when you just want a nibble or if you want to create a tray for guests. They could also be great as a light break-fast meal on Yom Kippur. We encourage sandwich lovers to try these refined and easy-to-make treats:
What you’ll need (makes 7-10 sandwiches, depending on size):
- 5 slices of rye bread
- ¼ lb pastrami
- 4 cornichons (miniature sized french version of the pickle)
- 2 tablespoons mustard
- 1 tablespoon horseradish (optional)
From start to finish:
- Take two slices of rye bread and lay on top of one another, then cut into a small triangle (length of thumb) and remove crust. Repeat as many times as necessary to make your desired number of sandwiches. Pro tip: we suggest cutting from the bottom left hand corner of the bread to maximize your cutting area.
- Lightly cover one side of each sandwich with mustard. Optional: also add a touch of horseradish.
- Slice cornichons thinly and place 3-4 slices on top of the sandwich half with mustard
- Cut pastrami sandwich sized slices and add 1-2 slice on each sandwich
- Place on dish, platter, tray or cake stand and enjoy!
