Beverages and Sandwiches For Your Husband's Friends/Sandwiches
General Rules and Remarks
ON THE
Proper Making of Sandwiches
It is a mistaken idea that anybody can make a sandwich. To be sure any one can spread two pieces of bread, place a piece of meat between them and call the result a sandwich; but to make a sandwich that is, at the same time an epicurean poem and an artistic chef d'oeuvre, requires patience and dainty skill.
It is imperative that the bread should be a day old and close grained without air-holes; that the slices should be cut not thicker than one-eighth of an inch; that each slice should be evenly and thinly spread with butter or mayonnaise as may be required, before cutting from the loaf. Take one of these spread slices and place flat on your bread -board; spread with your sandwich mixture, whatever it may be, or with thin slices of meat or cheese; over this place another spread slice cut from the loaf. Trim off every vestage of crust and press firmly together with a broad-bladed knife.
Cut your sandwiches lengthwise and crosswise, divide each quarter diagonally, making triangles, trimming off carefully all protruding edges of filling. Pack them in a tin bread-box and cover with a towel damped with a very weak solution of brandy and water, in order to keep them moist until ready to serve.
We would like to say in addition, that if unsalted butter can be obtained it is preferable, both on account of its more dainty appearance and delicate flavor. If it cannot be obtained use the best creamery. Take a half pound box of Caviare (Blackwell's), empty it in a soup plate; squeeze over it the juice of a fresh lemon drop by drop alternating with olive oil. Beat well until you have a firm white paste. Pounded almonds may be beaten into the paste if desired. Make according to general directions, omitting butter. This mixture should be spread quite thickly on the bread.
Take a one-half pound box of Italian anchovies, pour off the brine and wash them in vinegar. Keep them in olive oil for two days in a cool place. Drain carefully, open them lengthwise, remove the bones and place between unbuttered slices of bread. With this exception, make as per general rules. These are particularly nice served with Chablis.
Take a pound box of Le Marchand's boneless sardines; remove the sardines carefully, so as not to break them; open each one lengthwise and place the halves on a fine wire broiler; broil quickly on each side; when cold trim off the tails and squeeze a little lemon juice over them. If the unsalted butter is used, it would be well to sprinkle a little salt over the sardines while hot. Allow two halves to each triangle cut and make as per general directions.
Sardines can be used without broiling but are not so nice.
Wash well and dry one quart of oyster crabs. Take a pint of olive oil and when boiling hot, throw in the crabs, leaving them for about two minutes. Remove and drain off every atom of oil. While still hot, season to taste with salt, pepper and a litttle chopped parsley. When cold arrange neatly on the thin buttered slices of Graham bread, cutting as per directions.
Schloss Johannisberger or Moselle cup may be served with these.
Take a large or small can (according to the number of sandwiches you require) of best Columbia river salmon. Drain from the oil and shred fine. Three-quarters of an hour before needed, prepare a salad of thinly sliced cucumbers with a highly seasoned French dressing and set away on the ice. Proceed with the sandwiches as follows: Take unbuttered slices of bread and spread evenly with the shredded fish. Lift out the cucumber slices with a silver fork, from the dressing, not draining too dry, and place one layer of them between the fish-spread slices.
This is an exception to the general rule, in-as-much as both upper and under bread slices are spread with the mixture. Cut according to general directions.
The bread spread with the fish may be prepared in advance, but the cucumbers must be added just before serving.
It might be well to suggest that cucumbers should always be pared and placed in cracked ice and plenty of salt, one hour before slicing.
Botargo (which is the dried eggs of the Tonno) makes a delicious sandwich. That put up in either Genoa or Tunis being considered by epicures the best. Season with lemon juice and make according to directions, using unbuttered bread slices.
Use Pretto's Italian Tonno. Remove from the can; drain off the oil; shred fine and season with a little lemon juice. Make according to general directions, using unbuttered bread slices.
Rub smoothly the yolks of six hard-boiled eggs, mixing with them sufficient mayonnaise to form a thick, firm paste. Add salt and pepper if required to season well. Spread the bread very thinly with mayonnaise, then cover with nice white lettuce leaves and place between the lettuce leaves the sandwich mixture. Cut and trim them according to directions, being very particular to press them well together. These must not be made long before serving.
Rub one even tablespoonful of grated Edam or American cheese, according to taste, into the yolks of six hard-boiled eggs, forming a paste, adding a little sweet cream if necessary to make smooth. Season with salt and a dash of red pepper, and make according to directions, using buttered bread slices.
Mince very fine six hard-boiled eggs. Season well with salt, mustard, a clash of red pepper and a very little chopped parsley if desired. Put into a sauce-pan with a piece of butter half the size of an egg; heat until the butter is well melted, mix thoroughly and when cold make into sandwiches according to directions, using buttered bread slices.
Wash, peel and dry six fresh mushrooms; sauté them with one sliced truffle in a little butter. When tender remove from the fire and mince very fine with six hard-boiled eggs. Season well with salt and pepper. When cold make into sandwiches according to directions, using buttered bread slices. Canned mushrooms may be used.
Select nice, large, fresh mushrooms; cut off the stems close to the top; wash, peel and dry well. Place them on the broiler, stem side up, and put in each one a piece of butter the size of a pea; season well with pepper and salt, and broil on each side. When cold make your sandwich as per general directions, flattening the mushrooms as much as possible before placing them between the buttered bread slices.
Take best Sultana raisins; split each one lengthwise and put one layer, arranged evenly, between buttered bread slices. Press very firmly together and cut according to directions. These will be found excellent served with fruit punch, the receipt for which will be found in this book.
Parboil a nice firm eggplant; cut off the top and remove all the inside; mash fine and season well with butter, salt and pepper. Put back in the shell and bake a few minutes in a quick oven. Spread while hot between thin slices of hot buttered toast. Cut the same as for cold sandwiches and serve at once.
Take large green peppers, split lengthwise and broil a few moments. After broiling skin them and remove most of the seeds. Chop very fine, adding a pinch of salt. Place a thin layer between the bread spread with mayonnaise, and cut according to general directions.
Take six small country sausages, split them lengthwise and broil on each side. Allow to cool. Now place on one of the buttered bread slices leaves of lettuce, then the broiled sausage, then the thinnest possible slices of cucumber pickle and lastly your top slice of buttered bread. Cut according to general directions in quarters, not triangles.
Remove all the gristle and fat from thinly sliced cold roast lamb, not too well done. Sprinkle both the upper and under buttered bread slices with pepper and salt, then place on the under slice the cold lamb. Cover this sparingly with capers mashed to a paste and add the top slice. Press firmly together and cut as per general directions.
Take very thin slices of ham. Broil them and season with a little pepper and spread with just enough butter to moisten. Cover a buttered bread slice with the heart leaves of lettuce, place on this the ham, then another covering of lettuce leaves and lastly your top slice of buttered bread. Cut according to directions and serve while hot.
To half a pound of boiled ham, chopped fine and from which the fat has been removed, add the well beaten yolks of two eggs, the juice of half a lemon, a level teaspoonful of dry mustard and a soupçon of pepper. Mix thoroughly. Spread evenly between the buttered slices of bread. Cut and serve according to directions.
Chop the breasts of a cold boiled chicken very fine and mix with sufficient highly seasoned mayonnaise to hold together. Add to this a few minced olives and spread between the buttered slices of bread. Cut and serve as usual.
Take dainty, fresh Vienna rolls, small and delicate; remove the inside of them. Spread the two halves thinly with butter. Now separate from the bones the breasts of a woodcock, then broil them on each side, being careful not to cook too much, season well with salt, pepper and sufficient butter to moisten them. As soon as broiled, while hot, place half the breast of one woodcock between each roll. To be eaten cold and served with champagne punch or burgundy.
From a freshly opened jar of foie gras, remove the top covering of fat. Make sandwiches according to general directions, either spreading on the foie gras as a paste, or using in thin slices. These are best served with champagne or champagne punch.
Select the green part out of good imported Roquefort cheese. To two parts of the cheese add one of butter. With a silver fork mix thoroughly into a paste and spread on the thinly buttered bread slices.
Spread your buttered slices of bread very thinly with German Mustard and place between them thin slices of Gruyere (Ementhaler preferred) cheese. One layer of very thinly sliced dill pickle may be added if desired.
Mix with the Fromage de Brie a soupçon of Coleman's English Mustard as prepared for the table. Spread on the buttered bread slices. Cut and make as usual.
These two sandwiches are much improved by using bread made from the genuine "Gluten Entire Wheat Flour."
Take a package of imported Neufchatel cheese and mix well with it a tablespoonful of quince jelly. Spread quite thickly on the buttered bread slices, cutting and making as usual. Cream cheese may be substituted if the imported Neufchatel cannot be obtained.
Take a box of good, creamy imported Camembert (not that packed in jars) and spread on the under buttered bread slice. Cover this with the thin slices of a Bartlett pear. Place over this the top buttered slice, pressing firmly together. Cut and serve. The excellence of this sandwich depends entirely on the condition and quality of the cheese, and none but a connaisseur should select it.
All cheese sandwiches are most excellent served with imported or domestic ales and beers. We have found that a sandwich made of "Gluten Entire Wheat Flour" bread, buttered without any filling, is very nice with ales or beers and highly relished by men "who know."
We have given no special receipts for plain beef, tongue, ham, chicken, turkey, capon or any meat sandwiches, for if made according to general directions they will each and all be found appetizing and acceptable.
We would say, it is better to sprinkle the seasoning of pepper and salt on the buttered bread rather than on the meat, and all gristle and fat must be removed, the meat thinly sliced and but one layer used.
We would also recommend that Graham bread be used with all fish sandwiches.
Never attempt to cut sandwiches with any but the sharpest of sharp knives.
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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