Sandwiches.
by Sarah Tyson Heston Rorer.
Sandwiches may be made from one of three or four kinds of bread; whole wheat bread, Boston brown or oatmeal bread, white bread and rye bread made into square, deep loaves; in fact, all bread used for sandwiches should be made especially for the purpose, so that the slices may be in good form, and sufficiently large to cut into fancy shapes.
The b.u.t.ter may be used plain, slightly softened or it may be seasoned and flavored with just a suspicion of paprika, a little white pepper, and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce.
For ordinary sandwiches use the bread without toasting. For canapes, toast is to be preferred. Sandwiches are princ.i.p.ally used for buffet lunches or evening sociables, where only a light, substantial lunch is required. In these days they are made in great varieties. Almost all sorts of meat, if properly seasoned, may be made into delicious sandwiches. If the meat is slightly moistened with cream or olive oil, sandwiches for traveling, provided each one is carefully wrapped in oiled paper, will keep fresh three or four days. The small French rolls may have the centres scooped out, the s.p.a.ces filled with chicken salad or chopped oysters, and served as sandwiches. The rolls may be made especially for that purpose, not more than two inches long and one and a half inches wide; with coffee, they make an attractive meal easily served.
Ordinary sandwiches may be made either square, triangular, long, narrow, round or crescent shaped. One slice of bread will usually make one round sandwich and one crescent, provided the cutting is done economically.
Meat used for sandwiches should be chopped very fine and slightly moistened with cream, melted b.u.t.ter, olive oil or mayonnaise dressing well seasoned. Fish should be rubbed or pounded in a mortar; add enough sauce tartare to make it sufficiently moist to easily spread.
Turkey, chicken, game, tongue, beef and mutton, with their proper seasonings, moistened with either mayonnaise or French dressing, make exceedingly nice sandwiches.
To Keep Sandwiches
It is frequently necessary to make sandwiches several hours before they are needed. As they dry quickly they must be carefully wrapped or they will be unpalatable. Wring from cold water two ordinary tea towels; put one on top of the other. An old tablecloth will answer the purpose very well. As fast as the sandwiches are made put them on top of the damp towel; when you have the desired quant.i.ty, cover the top with moist lettuce leaves; fold over the towels, and put outside of this a perfectly dry, square cloth. Sandwiches will keep in this way for several hours, and in perfectly good condition. On a very warm day they may be covered all over with moist lettuce leaves; use the green ones that are not so palatable or sightly for garnishing.
Bread
To make good sandwiches, especially when one is a long way from a city, it is quite necessary to know how to make sandwich bread, which is quite different, or should be, from ordinary bread. Compressed yeast is always to be preferred, but if one cannot get it, the next best is good home-made yeast. Bread for sandwiches must be baked in rather large square pans, and must be just a little lighter and softer than bread for the table. The following recipes will, I am sure, help the "out of town"
housewife. Nut bread is usually made into simple bread and b.u.t.ter sandwiches; the nuts in the bread are quite sufficient filling.
Yeast
4 good sized potatoes 1 quart of boiling water 2 tablespoonfuls of sugar 1 tablespoonful of salt
Pare and grate the potatoes into the hot water, stir over the fire until it reaches boiling point, and simmer gently for five minutes. Take from the fire, add the sugar and salt, and when lukewarm add a cupful of yeast, or two dry yeast cakes that have been moistened in a little water, or one cake of compressed yeast. Turn the mixture into a jar and cover with a saucer. Stir it down as fast as it comes to the top of the jar. When it falls, or ceases to be very light, which will be five or six hours, pour it into a bottle, put the cork in very loosely and stand it in a cold place. Use one cupful of this to each two loaves of bread.
German Potato Bread
Boil one potato until tender; mash it through a sieve, add to it a half pint of warm water and a teaspoonful of sugar. Stir in one cupful of flour and one cupful of yeast; let this stand for two hours, or until very light. It is better to make this at seven o"clock, so the bread may be sponged at nine or ten. Scald a pint of milk, add to it a pint of water, beat in a quart and a pint of flour. The batter should be thick enough to drop, rather than pour from the spoon. Then stir in the potato starter, and stand in a place about 65 Fahr. over night. Next morning knead thoroughly, adding flour. Put this aside until very light, about two hours, then mold into loaves, put it into square greased pans, and when light bake in a moderately quick oven three-quarters of an hour.
This recipe will make two box loaves and a dozen rolls.
Nineteenth Century Bread
Scald a pint of milk, add a pint of water, a teaspoonful of salt, and when lukewarm, one compressed yeast cake moistened in a little warm water. Add sufficient whole wheat flour to make a batter, beat thoroughly, cover and stand aside two and a half hours; then stir, adding more whole wheat flour until you have a dough. Knead quickly, separate into loaves, put each in a square greased pan, cover and stand in a warm place about one hour, until very light. Slash the top with a sharp knife, brush with water and bake in a moderate oven three-quarters of an hour.
White Bread
Add a pint of water to a pint of scalded milk; when lukewarm add one compressed yeast cake, moistened, and a teaspoonful of salt. Add sufficient flour gradually, beating all the while, to make a dough.
Knead this dough until it is soft and elastic, and free from stickiness.
Put it into a greased bowl, stand it in a warm place three hours.
Separate it into loaves, knead five minutes, put the loaves in square greased pans and stand aside until very light. Slash the top with a sharp knife, brush with water, and bake in a moderate oven three-quarters of an hour. This should make two loaves, or a dozen bread sticks and a dozen rolls.
Nut Bread
1 quart of flour 4 level teaspoonfuls of baking powder 1 teaspoonful of salt 1 cupful of chopped nuts 1 cupfuls of milk
Add the baking powder and salt to the flour and sift them. Add the nuts, mix thoroughly and gradually add the milk. Knead this into a loaf, put it into a square pan, brush the top with melted b.u.t.ter, let it stand twenty minutes, and bake in a moderate oven three-quarters of an hour.
Anchovy Sandwiches
Beat a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter to a cream, adding gradually two tablespoonfuls of lemon juice, a saltspoonful of paprika, two tablespoonfuls of anchovy paste. Spread this on thin slices of bread, put two together, trim off the crusts, and cut into triangles.
Anchovy and Egg Sandwiches
Mash the yolks of four hard-boiled eggs with two tablespoonfuls of melted b.u.t.ter or olive oil, add a half teaspoonful of salt, a dash of paprika and a tablespoonful of anchovy paste or two mashed anchovies.
Spread this between thin slices of b.u.t.tered bread, press the slices together, trim off the crusts and cut into triangles.
Sardines may be used in the place of anchovies.
Cold Beef Sandwiches
Take the remains of cold roasted beef, and chop very fine; put it into a bowl; to each half pint of meat, add a half teaspoonful of salt, a tablespoonful of tomato catsup, a teaspoonful of Worcestershire sauce and a teaspoonful of melted b.u.t.ter; work this together. Cut the crust from the ends of a loaf of whole wheat bread; b.u.t.ter lightly and slice; so continue until you have the desired number of slices; spread the slices with a layer of the seasoned meat; put two slices together, and cut into desired shapes.
Caviar Sandwiches No. 1
Beat a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter to a cream; add two tablespoonfuls of onion juice, the same of lemon, a saltspoonful of paprika, and gradually four tablespoonfuls of caviar. Spread this on thin slices of brown bread or pumpernickel, put two together, press lightly and cut into long, narrow shapes.
Caviar Sandwiches No. 2
Cut slices of bread in crescent-shaped pieces, b.u.t.ter one side and toast. Have ready two hard-boiled eggs, remove yolks, put them through sieve, chop whites very fine, and spread toast with layer of caviar; then sprinkle over first a little of whites, then a little of the yolks of the eggs. Put over in the form of a ring a piece of onion, the onion having first been cut into thin slices, and then separated.
Celery Sandwiches
Cut slices of bread, b.u.t.ter one side and toast. Cut the white part of celery into thin slices, cover it over the bread, then cover this with a layer of mayonnaise dressing, cover with another piece of toast, cut into squares and serve. All sandwiches of this kind must be used as soon as made.
Celery Salad Sandwiches
Put four eggs into warm water; bring to the boiling point, and keep there, without boiling, for fifteen minutes. Take the white portion from one head of celery; wash and chop it very fine. Remove the sh.e.l.ls from the hard-boiled eggs, and either chop them very fine or put through a vegetable press, and mix with them the celery; add a half teaspoonful of salt and a dash of pepper. b.u.t.ter the bread before you cut it from the loaf. After you have a sufficient quant.i.ty cut, put over each slice a layer of the mixed egg and celery; put right in the center of this a teaspoonful of mayonnaise dressing, and sort of smooth it all over. Put two pieces together and press them lightly. Trim off the crusts, and cut the sandwiches into pieces about two inches wide and the length of the slices.