Afternoon Tea

We went to afternoon tea at the JW Marriot at Grovesnor Square in London--it was elegant, expensive, and very atmoshpheric. Also ridiculously expensive--$60 for some tea and sandwiches? Really? Well we did it to do it, and for the clotted cream that came with the scones (while I am sure this is somehow worse for you than butter and cream put together, it is so sinfully delicious that I suspended any qualms one might have and piles it on). We also had gorgeous desserts, but the tea sandwiches were really quite divine.

2 cooked whole chicken breasts*
1/2 cup halved seedless red grapes
1/4 cup finely-chopped pecans
1/2 cup finely-diced celery
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Salt and pepper to taste
Mayonnaise (just enough to moisten)
16 slices best-quality white bread**
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
* Poached, baked, steamed, or barbecued until the center of the chicken is no longer pink and reaches a temperature of 165 degrees F. on your meat thermometer. You could even use canned chicken, if desired.
** Choose the best-quality white or wheat bread as possible. Never serve end slices. Freezing the bread before cutting and then spreading makes for easier handling.
Preparation:
Place cooked chicken in the food processor and process just until very small, but not a paste (watch carefully).
In a large bowl, combine chicken, grapes, pecans, celery, and cranberries. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add mayonnaise, a little at a time, to your taste. Note: All the ingredients can be added this way so you get the amount that you prefer.
Spread one side of each piece of bread very lightly with butter. Top the buttered side of 8 slices of bread with some of the chicken salad mixture and top with the remaining bread slices, buttered side down.
Carefully cut the crusts from each sandwich with a long, sharp knife. Cut the sandwiches in half diagonally and then cut in half again.
Yields 8 whole sandwiches or 16 halves or 32 fourths.