Chapter XVI
SANDWICHES
SANDWICHES AND CANAPÉS
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.
