I have never seen a recipe published for this sandwich, but it’s one of my favorites (probably because it’s more like dessert than a sandwich. I have my demons, and all of them are sweet…). I first encountered this sandwich on the campus of San Diego State University, in the late 1970’s, then I never saw it anywhere else, except in my own kitchen. I’ve made my version a lot over the years, usually for tea (tea-the-meal, the one with finger sandwiches, scones, little cakes, and served on fancy china). I love tea-the-meal. It’s a grazers delight; little bits of everything, and everything tasty and pretty. But I digress, back to the Strawberry Sandwich. (I have never been able to spell “sandwich” without spell check…, it just doesn’t look right without another “h” in there. And I digress yet again…) With strawberries now showing up in our farmer’s markets (yes, in January!) I had a hankering for this sandwich, so I made one, or two.
Like I said, this s-a-n-d-w-h-i-c-h is a great addition to any tea, but it’s a good treat to serve at play dates (PB&J for the kids, SBS for the moms), pack for a walk or a picnic, or to pull together if someone stops by and you want to keep them around for awhile. The trick to pulling these together at the last minute? Keep a loaf of raisin bread in the freezer! Pull out 2 or 4 slices when needed, by the time you get the honey and cream cheese out, the strawberries sliced, and the tea brewing, the bread will be defrosted and ready to use. These sandwiches would also be good for a Valentine’s Day treat, or a special Mother’s Day event. My daughter had a catering gig on Sunday and I suggested this sandwich to round out a fabulous spread of finger sandwiches. This sandwich could fit in anywhere! I really can’t understand why no one else makes it.
So, a big Thank You to the cafeteria ladies of San Diego State University for this lovely sandwich. I hope you get your day in the sun 🙂
Strawberry Sandwich
For each sandwich:
2 slices of good quality raisin bread or cinnamon-raisin bread
approx 1T cream cheese (whatever kind you like, full fat, low fat, no fat…)
approx 1 teaspoon honey (or a little less)
3-4 strawberries, thickly sliced, rounded edges set aside for another use.
Thinly spread the cream cheese on both sides of the raisin bread. On one side, drizzle the honey and spread evenly over the cream cheese. On the other slice, lay thick, flat slices of strawberry. It’s bit of a jigsaw puzzle to get them all to fit without leaving too much space between the slices, but it’s only a small puzzle, nothing intimidating. Put the bread with honey on top of the bread with the strawberries. For easiest slicing, flip the sandwich over. Cut off all the crusts, and then slice as desired. I usually get three rectangular shaped finger sandwiches from each, but in the picture above I cut in half on the diagonal. Eat within a few hours. The sandwich does not keep long, and definitely not overnight.
Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today! If you are looking for a more savory sandwich to serve with this, check out the post for Smoked Chicken & Almond Sandwiches!
