Sandwiches are usually the chief reliance for cold lunches, and are always acceptable if well made and attractively served. Where they are to be kept some time, as in traveling, they should be wrapped in oiled or paraffin paper, for this will keep them perfectly fresh.
Sandwiches may be made of white, Graham, or brown bread, or of fresh rolls, and may be filled with any kind of meat, with fish, with salads, with eggs, with jams, or with chopped nuts.
Shapes. They may be cut into any shapes, the square and triangular ones being the usual forms, but a pleasant variety may be given by stamping them with a biscuit-cutter into circles, or by rolling them, and these forms are recommended for sandwiches made of jams or jellies, as it gives them a more distinctive character.
How to prepare the meat. The meat used in sandwiches should be chopped to a fine mince, seasoned with salt and pepper, mustard, if desired, and moistened with a little water, stock, cream or milk, or with a salad dressing, using enough to make the mince spread well. Fish can be pounded to a paste, then seasoned. Potted meats can also be used. Slices of anything that has a fibrous texture make the sandwich difficult to eat, and as knives and forks are not usually at hand when sandwiches are served, it is desirable to make the primitive way of eating as little objectionable as possible.
Butter. The butter for sandwiches should be of the best, and should be soft enough to spread easily without tearing the bread. The butter may sometimes be worked into the meat paste. What are called “sandwich butters” are frequently used. They are made by rubbing the butter to a cream, combined with anchovy paste, with mustard, with chopped parsley and tarragon, with pÂtÉ de foie gras, etc.
These butters are used to spread the bread for meat sandwiches, using with the butter any flavoring that will go well with the meat.
See caption BREAD-AND-BUTTER SANDWICHES.
Made of White, Graham, and Boston Brown Bread. (See page 364.) Rolls. When rolls are used for sandwiches, they should be very fresh, should be small, and have a tender crust. The finger rolls are good for the purpose, also Parker House rolls, when made in suitable shape. Graham bread makes excellent sandwiches.
How to prepare the bread. Bread for sandwiches should be of fine grain and a day old. A five-cent loaf cuts to good advantage. The crust should be cut off, and the loaf trimmed to good shape before the slices are cut. The crusts and trimmings can be dried for crumbs, so they are not wasted, and no butter is lost in spreading bread which will afterward be trimmed off. When the bread is ready, the butter should be spread on the loaf, and then a slice cut off evenly one eighth of an inch thick. The next slice will have to be cut off before being spread, in order to have it fit exactly the preceding piece. After the first slice is covered with the filling, lay the second slice on it. In many cases the second slice of bread does not need spreading with butter. Cut the sandwich to the desired shape. One cut across the loaf will make two square, or four triangular, sandwiches.
Meat sandwiches. Poultry, game, ham, beef, and tongue can be prepared as directed above, or they may be mixed with a French or a Mayonnaise dressing. Chicken pounded to a paste, then well mixed with a paste made of the yolks of hard-boiled eggs mashed, a little milk or cream, and a little butter, then seasoned with salt, pepper, and a few drops of onion-juice, makes a delicious chicken sandwich.
Fish sandwiches. Anchovies, sardines, or any fresh boiled fish may be used for sandwiches. It is better pounded to a paste. Moisten sardines with a little lemon-juice.
Fresh fish should be well seasoned with salt and pepper, and moistened with a white or any other sauce, or with Mayonnaise. A little chopped pickle may be added. Shad roe, mashed with a fork to separate the eggs, and seasoned in the same way, makes excellent sandwiches.
Note.—Sandwiches of any kind which are left over are good toasted, and can be served at luncheon.—M. R.
EGG SANDWICHES
No. 1. Cut hard-boiled eggs into slices; sprinkle with salt and pepper plentifully, and spread the bread with butter mixed with chopped parsley.
No. 2. Lay the sliced eggs between crisp lettuce leaves, and spread the bread with butter, then with Mayonnaise.
No. 3. Chop the hard-boiled eggs fine. Mix with Mayonnaise and spread on the buttered bread, or mix them with well-seasoned white sauce.
SALAD SANDWICHES
No. 1. Lay a crisp lettuce leaf sprinkled with salt between buttered thin slices of bread; or spread the bread with Mayonnaise, then with lettuce or with water-cress.
No. 2. Chop chicken and celery together fine; mix it with French or with Mayonnaise dressing.
No. 3. Chop lobster meat; mix it with any dressing; cut lettuce into ribbons; cover the bread with the lettuce; then a layer of lobster; then with lettuce again.
No. 4. Mix chopped olives with Mayonnaise; serve with afternoon tea.
SPANISH SANDWICHES
Spread buttered Graham bread with mustard; then with a layer of cottage cheese; and then with a layer of chopped olives mixed with Mayonnaise.
CHEESE SANDWICHES
No. 1. Cut American cheese in slices one-eighth of an inch thick, or about the same thickness as the bread. Sprinkle it with salt, and have the bread well buttered.
No. 2. Cut GruyÈre cheese in thin slices. Lay it on the bread, sprinkle it with salt and pepper; then add French mustard.
No. 3. Grate any cheese. Rub it to a paste with butter, and spread the bread; dust with salt and pepper. Cut into strips and serve with salad.
No. 4. Mock Crab. Rub to a smooth paste one tablespoonful of butter, two tablespoonfuls of grated cheese, a saltspoonful each of salt, paprica, and dry mustard, a little anchovy paste, and a teaspoonful of vinegar. Spread between thin slices of dry toast.
RAW BEEF SANDWICHES
Scrape the raw beef; spread it between thin slices of plain bread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the sandwiches on a toaster, and hold them over the coals until well heated. Serve them hot.
SWEET SANDWICHES
No. 1. For Æsthetic Sandwiches, see chapter “Five O’clock Tea,” page 33.
No. 2. Spread thin slices of bread with any jam, or with fruit jelly, or with any preserved fruit, or with chopped canned fruit. Cut them into circles, or roll them as directed above.
No. 3. Spread very thin buttered slices of Boston brown bread with chopped walnuts, or with chopped almonds, or with both mixed, or with salted nuts chopped.
CANAPÉS
CanapÉs are slices of bread toasted or fried in hot fat, or dipped in butter, and browned in the oven. The slices are then covered with some seasoned mixture. They are served hot, and make a good first course for luncheon. The bread is cut a quarter of an inch thick, then into circles two and a half inches in diameter, or into strips four inches long and two inches wide. They are sometimes used cold, and are arranged fancifully with different-colored meats, pickles, eggs, etc.
CHEESE CANAPÉS
Cut bread into slices one quarter inch thick, four inches long and two inches wide. Spread it with butter, and sprinkle it with salt and cayenne or paprica. Cover the top with grated American cheese, or with grated Parmesan cheese, and bake in the oven until the cheese is softened. Serve at once, before the cheese hardens.
HAM CANAPÉS
Cut bread into slices a quarter inch thick, then with a small biscuit-cutter into circles; fry them in hot fat, or sautÉ them in butter. Pound some chopped ham to a paste; moisten it with cream or milk. Spread it on the fried bread; dust with cayenne, sprinkle the top with grated Parmesan cheese, and place in a hot oven until a little browned.
ANCHOVY CANAPÉS
Spread strips of fried bread with anchovy paste. Arrange in lines, on top, alternate rows of the white and yolks of hard-boiled eggs chopped fine.
SARDINE CANAPÉS
Spread circles of fried bread with a layer of sardines pounded to a paste. Arrange on top, in circles to resemble a rosette, lines of chopped hard-boiled egg and chopped pickle.
CANAPÉ LORENZO
- 2 tablespoonfuls of butter.
- 2 tablespoonfuls of flour.
- 1 slice of onion.
- 1 cupful of stock.
- 1 cupful of crab meat.
- 1 tablespoonful of milk.
- 2½ tablespoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese.
- 2½ tablespoonfuls of Swiss cheese.
- Salt, pepper, and cayenne.
Put in a saucepan one tablespoonful of butter, and fry in it one slice of onion chopped fine, but do not brown; then add one tablespoonful of flour and cook, but do not brown; add the stock slowly, and when smooth add the cooked crab meat. Season highly with salt, pepper, and cayenne, and let simmer for six or eight minutes.
Put into another saucepan one tablespoonful of butter; when melted, add one tablespoonful of flour and cook, but not brown; then add the milk and stir in the cheese, and let cook just long enough to soften the cheese. Remove from the fire and let cool; then form the cheese mixture into six balls. Have ready six slices or circles of buttered toast, or bread fried in butter, and cover them with a layer of the crab mixture, and in the center of each piece place a ball of the cheese. Place in a hot oven for five minutes.
This is a good supper dish, and may be made of lobster, fish, or chicken.
Serve with water-cress.
CHEESE AND CHEESE DISHES
Varieties. Among the best cheeses are Stilton, Cheshire, Camembert, Gorgonzola, Rocquefort, Edam, GruyÈre, and Parmesan. The Parmesan is a high-flavored, hard Italian cheese, and is mostly used grated for cooking. Our American dairy cheeses are much esteemed, and are largely exported to foreign markets; but as they have no distinctive names, it is difficult to find a second time any one that is particularly liked. The Pineapple cheese is the only one that differs radically from the other so-called American cheeses. The foreign cheeses are, nearly all of them, very successfully imitated here. Cheese is served with crackers, wafer biscuits, or with celery after the dessert, or with salad before the hot dessert. Any of the cheese dishes, such as soufflÉ, ramekins, omelets, etc., are served before the dessert. Cheese straws are used with salad. Serving. Cheeses small enough to be passed whole, like Edam, Pineapple, etc., have the top cut off, plain or in notches, and are wrapped in a neatly plaited napkin. The top is replaced after the service, so as to keep the cheese moist. A Stilton or Chester cheese is cut in two, and one half, wrapped in a napkin, served at a time. Rocquefort and Gorgonzola are served in the large slice cut from the cheese and laid on a folded napkin. American dairy cheese is cut into small uniform pieces. The soft cheeses, Brie, NeuchÂtel, etc., are divested of the tinfoil and scraped before being passed. They are placed on a lace paper. Fresh butter, wafer biscuits, and celery are passed with cheese.
CHEESE SOUFFLÉ
- 2 tablespoonfuls of butter.
- 1 heaping tablespoonful of flour.
- ½ cupful of milk.
- ½ teaspoonful of salt.
- Dash of cayenne.
- 3 eggs.
- 1 cupful of grated cheese.
Put into a saucepan the butter; when it is melted stir in the flour and let it cook a minute (but not color), stirring all the time; add one half cupful of milk slowly and stir till smooth, then add salt and cayenne. Remove from the fire and add, stirring constantly, the beaten yolks of three eggs and the cupful of grated American or Parmesan cheese. Replace it on the fire, and stir until the cheese is melted and the paste smooth and consistent (do not cook too long, or the butter will separate). Pour the mixture on a buttered dish and set away to cool. When ready to use, stir into it lightly the well-beaten whites of the three eggs; turn it into a pudding-dish and bake in a hot oven for twenty to thirty minutes. Do not open the oven door for ten minutes; do not slam the oven door; do not move the soufflÉ until after fifteen minutes; serve it at once when done. Like any soufflÉ, it must go directly from the oven to the table, or it will fall.
CRACKERS AND CHEESE
Split in two some Bent’s water biscuits; moisten them with hot water and pour over each piece a little melted butter and French mustard; then spread with a thick layer of grated cheese; sprinkle with paprica or cayenne. Place them in a hot oven until the cheese is soft and creamy.
CHEESE CANAPÉS
Cut bread into slices one half inch thick; stamp them with a biscuit cutter into circles; then, moving the cutter to one side, cut them into crescent form; or, if preferred, cut the bread into strips three inches long and one and one half inches wide; sautÉ them in a little butter on both sides to an amber color. Cover them with a thick layer of grated cheese; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dash of cayenne. Fifteen minutes before the time to serve, place them in the oven to soften the cheese. Serve at once very hot; or, cut some toasted bread into small triangles; spread with a little French mustard; dip in melted butter; then roll in grated cheese; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dash of cayenne, and place in a hot oven for a few minutes to soften the cheese. Serve at once on a hot dish.
WELSH RABBIT
- 1 pound of cheese.
- ½ cupful of ale or beer.
- Dash of cayenne.
- ½ teaspoonful of dry mustard.
- ½ teaspoonful of salt.
- Slices of toast.
Grate or cut into small pieces fresh American cheese. Place it in a saucepan or chafing-dish with three quarters of the ale. Stir until it is entirely melted; then season with the mustard, salt, and pepper, and pour it over the slices of hot toast, cut in triangles or circles. Everything must be very hot, and it must be served at once, as the cheese quickly hardens. Some use a scant teaspoonful of butter (more will not unite), a few drops of onion-juice, and the beaten yolks of two eggs, added just before serving. The egg makes it a little richer and prevents the cheese hardening so quickly. Milk may be used instead of ale to melt the cheese, in which case the egg should also be used. If any of the cheese fondu is left, it can be heated again with the rest of the ale for the second helping.
GOLDEN BUCK
Make Welsh rarebits as directed above, and place on each one a poached egg (see page 263).
CHEESE STRAWS
Mix with one cupful of flour one half cupful of grated Parmesan cheese, a dash of cayenne, one half teaspoonful of salt, and the yolk of one egg; then add enough water to make a paste sufficiently consistent to roll. Place it on a board and roll to one quarter inch thickness. Cut it into narrow strips and roll so each piece will be the size and length of a lead pencil. Place them in a baking-tin and press each end on the pan so they will not contract. Bake to a light brown in a moderate oven. Serve with salad. These straws will keep for several days, and should be heated just before serving.
CHEESE STRAWS No. 2
Take bits of puff paste; roll them to one half inch thickness; cut them into strips one inch wide and three inches long; sprinkle them with grated cheese and bake; or, the pastry may be rolled to one quarter inch thickness; then spread with cheese, doubled over, and then cut into strips, leaving the cheese between two layers of paste.
CHEESE PATTIES
Make some small round croustades as directed (page 82). Dip them in butter and toast them in the oven to a delicate color. Fill the centers with a mixture of two ounces of grated cheese, one half tablespoonful of butter, one tablespoonful of milk, a little salt and pepper. Place the croustades again in the oven to melt the cheese. Serve very hot.
COTTAGE CHEESE
Place a panful of milk which has soured enough to become thick, or clabbered, over a pan of hot water. Let it heat slowly until the whey has separated from the curd; do not let it boil, or the curd will become tough; then strain it through a cloth and press out all the whey; stir into the curd enough butter, cream, and salt to make it a little moist and of good flavor. Work it well with a spoon until it becomes fine grained and consistent, then mold it into balls of any size desired.
FONDUE
See page 335.
