Lunch box recipes

Smoked Salmon

TEA SANDWICH

I’VE NEVER BEEN ONE to cut the crusts from my kids’ bread. “It’s a waste,” I hear myself saying, just as my own mother did when I was little. Tea sandwiches, such as this delicate, flavorful, smoked salmon one, are the exception, since going crustless is part of the charm. You can always save the crusts for making bread crumbs or feeding birds.

MAKES 1 SANDWICH

• 2 slices black or pumpernickel bread
• 2 tablespoons whipped cream cheese
• 2 teaspoons capers, drained
• 2 thin slices smoked salmon
• 6 thin slices English cucumber
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh dill (optional)

 Cut the crusts off the bread. Spread both bread slices with cream cheese. Scatter the capers over the cream cheese on one bread slice. Lay the smoked salmon over the capers, followed by the cucumber. Sprinkle with the dill (if using) and top with the remaining bread slice.

Cut diagonally into quarters. Wrap well or store in a snug container.

MAKE-AHEAD NOTES: can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator, but best made the morning before school.