Cherry Sandwiches
Chop a quarter of a pound of candied cherries very fine, adding occasionally as you chop them a few drops of orange juice, if you use wine, a few drops of sherry. Mix thoroughly and spread over water thins, making it a little deeper in the center than at the edges. These sandwiches are better made from crackers than from bread. Arrange neatly on a pretty gla.s.s dish, and they are ready to serve.
Fig Sandwiches
Split a dozen figs and sc.r.a.pe out the soft portion, rejecting the skins; work this to a paste. Cut the slices of bread from the loaf, b.u.t.tering before you cut them; make them quite thin. Remove the crusts, and spread this thick paste over the bread and roll carefully; press for a moment until there is no danger of the roll opening; roll each in a piece of tissue paper; twist the ends as you would an old-fashioned "secret," or they may be tied with baby ribbon. These are exceedingly wholesome and palatable.
Fruit and Nut Sandwiches
These are perhaps the most attractive of all the sweet sandwiches.
Put through the meat chopper a quarter of a pound of almonds with half a pound of washed figs, the same quant.i.ty of dates, the same of raisins, and a pound of pecan nuts; put them through alternately so that they will be mixed in chopping. Pack the mixture into round baking powder tins, pressing it down firmly, and stand it aside over night. When wanted, dip the tin in hot water, loosen it with a knife and shake out the mixture. With a sharp knife cut into very thin slices and put them between two rounds of b.u.t.tered bread. Serve with chocolate.
The combination may be varied; candied cherries, citron or any of the candied fruits may be subst.i.tuted for the dates and figs. Brazilian and pine nuts may be subst.i.tuted for a portion of the pecans.
Orange Marmalade Sandwiches
These sandwiches may be made precisely the same as fig sandwiches, subst.i.tuting the orange marmalade for the figs.
Sponge Cake Sandwiches
Bake a sponge cake in a square loaf; cut it into slices a quarter of an inch thick; cut the slices into rounds with a small biscuit cutter. With another small cutter take out the center leaving the ring; put this ring on top of a solid round making sort of a patty as it were; fill the s.p.a.ces with a mixture of chopped candied fruit that has been soaked in orange juice over night; cover the top with the meringue made from white of egg and sugar; put them in the oven to brown, dish neatly and they are ready to use. These cannot stand over an hour as the fruit will soften the cake.
Fresh Fruit Sandwiches
These sandwiches are exceedingly nice to serve for afternoon teas. They must be used soon after they are made. They will, however, if wrapped in a damp napkin, keep for an hour, but as fruit is soft the bread is liable to become moist, which spoils the sandwich.
b.u.t.ter the bread and put between layers of sliced strawberries, dusted with powdered sugar; or raspberries, or large blackberries cut into halves; or peaches, finely chopped; or apple seasoned with a little salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice; or sliced bananas with a dash of lemon juice, are all nice.
Raisin Sandwiches
Put one-half pound of seeded raisins through the meat grinder, add a quarter of a pound of almonds that have been blanched, dried and ground.
Add a half tumbler of quince jelly, mix thoroughly and put between thin slices of b.u.t.tered white bread. These sandwiches are very nice in place of cake for afternoon teas or evening companies.
Afternoon Teas
Stone a quarter of a pound of dates, put them through a meat grinder, add to them a half tumbler of nut b.u.t.ter, mix until smooth, add four tablespoonfuls of sweet cream and a tablespoonful of orange juice. Put this mixture between thin slices of white b.u.t.tered bread, press together, trim the crusts and cut into fingers or four small triangles.
Nut and Apple Sandwiches
Put a half cupful of _thick_ stewed apples into a bowl, add the grated yellow rind of quarter of an orange and one cupful of finely chopped mixed nuts. Spread this on saltines, Uneedas, or any crisp cracker. Put on top another cracker and serve at once. These are very nice for children"s parties. Of course one may use b.u.t.tered bread, either white or brown.
Grape Fruit Sandwiches
Spread any crisp cracker with a thin layer of grape fruit marmalade, put on top another cracker and serve at once.
Ginger Sandwiches
Put four or five pieces of ginger through your meat chopper. Stir this paste into a half cupful of orange marmalade. Put between slices of b.u.t.tered bread, press them together, trim the crusts and cut into fingers. These are nice for afternoon teas. Ginger and carrot marmalade are also very nice.
CANAPeS
These are slices of bread cut into fancy shapes, toasted or quickly fried in hot oil, or they may be spread with b.u.t.ter and browned in a quick oven. One slice only is used for each canape. The mixture is spread on top, the top garnished, and the canape used at once.
Anchovy Canapes
Cover a round or square of toast with anchovies that have been mashed and seasoned with a little tomato catsup. Put a little chopped celery around the edge as a garnish and send at once to the table.
Caviar Canapes
Season the caviar with onion and a very little lemon juice; spread over a round or square canape, put chopped onion around the edge, garnish the top with a hard-boiled egg; place on paper mats and send at once to the table. These are used as first course at lunch or dinner.
Swedish Canapes
Cut thick slices of whole wheat or Graham bread, trim the crusts and hollow out the centers, being careful not to make a hole all the way through. Pound or mash the hard boiled yolks of three eggs with a tablespoonful of anchovy paste or two anchovies, two tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter and a dash of lemon juice. Cut a dill pickle lengthwise into slices an eighth of an inch thick, then cut these slices into long strips a half inch wide. Cut large pickled beets into strips of the same width. Cut a dozen pimolas into halves. b.u.t.ter the bread, fill with the paste, put over the strips of dill pickle, leaving one inch between each strip. Cross these with strips of pickled beets, put half of a pimola into each square. Dish on paper mats. Serve as an appetizer before soup.
Chopped Tongue Canapes
Chop cold, cooked tongue very fine; season it with two tablespoonfuls of olive oil and a dusting of pepper; spread it over the top of a round of toasted bread; garnish the edge with the small leaves of cress, put a little grated hard-boiled egg in the center and send at once to the table.
Sardine Canapes
Remove the skin and pound the sardines to a paste; put a thick layer of this paste over the top of a round of toasted bread. Cut one gherkin into very thin slices, arrange them overlapping around the edge; put a little finely chopped hard-boiled egg in the center, and they are ready to serve.
Fish Canapes
Pound a quarter of a pound of cooked fish to a paste; season it with a few drops of onion juice, a saltspoonful of salt, and a dash of black pepper. Stir into it two tablespoonfuls of sauce tartare; spread this on six or eight rounds of b.u.t.tered bread browned in the oven; garnish the tops with grated cuc.u.mber and send to the table.