Mosaic Tea Sandwiches

Beauty and the Beast week was upon us on Food Network Star last night and my victorious team had tea in the Library. What better way to commemorate the blooming of love in the Library than with iconic tea sandwiches? I originally made these for a friend's baby shower back in the day. In fact I am even recycling part of the post. I am mainly using it for the photos, because well, the ones I made on the show just weren't as lovely as these. See, even us "Food Network Stars" have our off days.

Holy beautiful and tedious ordeal! Okay, just look at them for a minute.

They're sooo pretty! I might lick my computer screen. They're dainty, delicious and people are going to be in awe of your artistic food skills! You're like an OG Martha. There isn't really any culinary skill needed here. There is no stirring, mixing, baking. But it is time intensive. You are probably dedicating a good 45 minutes of your day to making these. My husband asked me for one. And I piled all of the ingredients onto a piece of bread and said "Here you go." What? (He wasn't amused.) But it tastes the same was basically my reply. There are two variations here, one is for a Cucumber Smoked Salmon Mosaic Tea Sandwich, and the other is for Prosciutto, Apple and Shaved Asparagus Tea Sandwich.

Cucumber, Radish and Smoked Salmon: Ingredients: 1 loaf of bread (I used potato. Use a sandwich bread, but a decent one) 1 8 oz package of cream cheese (room temperature)

1 lemon, juiced and zested

pinch of salt

pinch of black pepper

pinch of cayenne 1 package of Lox 1/2 an English cucumber 6-8 radishes 4-5 sprigs of fresh dill

Instructions: 1. Using a sharp knife, thinly slice your cucumber and your radishes as thinly as possible. Then cut each one in half so that they are a half circle. Set them aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine lemon juice, lemon zest, dill (3-4 leaves, stems discarded, chopped) room temperature cream cheese, salt, pepper and cayenne in a bowl, mix well. 3. Spread a layer of cream cheese mix over a piece of bread. 4. Place a row of cucumber, a row of lox (about 1/2 inch width) and then a row of radishes across the bread. Repeat this pattern on the same piece of bread.

4. Cut off the crusts, and then cut two diagonal lines to form 4 individual triangles. You will have to be gentle when you do this so that you don't move or tear your toppings. (This image is halved, not quartered)

5. Put them on a plate and rip of little dill pieces, and sprinkle them on top. Enjoy!

Prosciutto, Honey Crisp and Shaved Asparagus Tea Sandwiches: Ingredients: 1 loaf of bread (I used potato. Use a sandwich bread, but a decent one) 6 oz of cream cheese (room temperature)

2 oz of goat cheese (room temperature)

1 tbsp lavender honey 2 packages of prosciutto 1 honey crisp apple 10 asparagus spears a little lemon juice to preserve the apple color

Instructions: 1. Using a sharp knife, slice your apple as thinly as possible. Put the slices into a bowl of water and a 1tbsp of lemon juice. This will help to keep them from browning. 2. Blanch your asparagus. Then, using a fruit/vegetable peeler, shave pieces off of your asparagus. Remove the tip and drag the peeler down the length of the body. You will probably only get 4-5 shavings off of each one.) Set these aside as well. 3. Mix together goat cheese, cream cheese and honey. Spread a layer of the cream cheese mixture on to your bread. 4. Lay 2 strips of shaved, blanched asparagus, a half inch strip of prosciutto and then a row of apple slices on your bread. Repeat this pattern on each piece of bread.