Luncheon Sandwich Torte

Layers of chicken salad, pesto cheese, and egg salad. A very pretty torte.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• Chicken Salad

• 1⁄2 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
• 1⁄4 cup  chopped green onion
• 1  tablespoon lemon juice
• 1  tablespoon poppy seed
• 2 1⁄2 cups  finely diced  cooked chicken breasts
• 1⁄3 cup ground walnuts, lightly toasted
•  salt and pepper

• Pesto Cheese

• 1  cup  loosely packed basil leaves
• 2⁄3 cup  loosely packed flat leaf parsley
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 3  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  lb cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 -3  tablespoons sour cream
•  salt and pepper

• Egg Salad

• 8  large hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 2⁄3 cup mayonnaise
• 1⁄3 cup  finely chopped green olives
• 3  tablespoons  minced red onions
•  salt and pepper

• Torte Base Layers

• 1  loaf  whole wheat bread
• 1  loaf  white bread

Directions

1. Chicken Salad: Beat cream cheese, mayonnaise, green onion, lemon juice and poppy seeds until blended. Add chicken and walnuts and season to taste. Chill until ready to assemble.
2. Pesto Cheese: For pesto cheese, pulse basil, parsley, garlic and olive oil until a paste. Add cream cheese and pulse to combine, adding sour cream as necessary to make smooth. Season to taste and hold at room temperature until ready to assemble.
3. Egg Salad: Grate eggs coarsely on a box grater. Toss with mayonnaise, olives and onion and season to taste. Chill until ready to assemble.
4. Torte Base Layers: To assemble torte, line a 9-inch springform pan with plastic wrap so that it hangs over the sides. Remove crusts from sandwich bread. Cut each crustless slice of bread in half (so they are about the size of ladyfingers). Line the bottom of pan with bread slices, alternating whole wheat and white bread. Line alternating bread fingers up side of pan.
5. Spread chicken salad over bread-lined bottom of pan. Layer bread slices over chicken salad (alternating whole wheat and white again) and spread egg salad over. Repeat with bread slices and pesto cheese, and top with a final layer of bread slices. Pull hanging plastic wrap over top to cover and chill for at least 3 hours.
6. To garnish, top torte with remaining pesto (pipe as you would a cake). To serve, slice as you would a cake and serve with a side salad. Serves 8.
7. Chef Anna Olson.