The Essential James Beard Cookbook (5 page)

Editor: Loaves of brioche bread are available at specialty bakeries. Or make your own (see recipe
Brioche Bread
). Use a sharp round biscuit or cookie cutter to cut out the rounds.

Sandwich Spreads

Editor: These sandwich spreads are a good indication of the creativity that Beard brought to his catering company in New York in the late 1930s. Sandwich the fillings on top-quality bread (firm white sandwich or brioche bread with a tight crumb work best, not sourdough breads with lots of air holes), and cut into fingers. Or cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter.

Chicken, Pimiento, and Pine Nut Spread

Chop together
1½
cups of cooked chicken
and
2 drained canned pimientos
. Add
½
cup of chopped pine nuts, 1 finely chopped shallot,
and
a few leaves of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
. Bind with
a few tablespoons of ketchup-style chili sauce
to make a firm paste. Season the spread with
kosher salt
and a
few grains of cayenne pepper
.

Ham and Pickle Spread

Finely chop
8 ounces (about 1½
cups) cold baked ham
with
3 sweet gherkins (small pickles)
and
1 teaspoon of dry mustard
.
Moisten with 1 or 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
.

Swiss Cheese and Olive Spread

Thoroughly mix
2 cups of grated Swiss cheese
,
3 tablespoons of pitted and chopped green or black olives
, and
2 tablespoons of finely chopped green bell pepper
. Moisten this with enough
mayonnaise
to make a thick paste.

Compound Butters

The following basic butters here are useful for canapés and sandwiches, and they fill a need very often for snacks and sauces. [
Editor: They are also useful to have in the freezer to put on top of hot grilled steaks, chops, chicken breasts, and fish fillets, or to flavor boiled or steamed vegetables.
]

Chutney Butter

Cream
8 tablespoons (1 stick) softened unsalted butter
and add
2 tablespoons of finely chopped chutney
. This is improved by the addition of a little curry powder; the amount has to be left to your own taste. [
Editor: About
½
teaspoon of curry powder
would tint the butter a vibrant orange-yellow and give it a brilliant flavor, too. Melt a pat on grilled chicken or pork chops.
]

Fines Herbes Butter

Chop together
1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
,
¼
cup each packed stemmed spinach and watercress leaves,
and
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh chives
. Add a
tablespoon of chopped fresh chervil, tarragon, basil, dill, thyme, or sorrel
(either a single herb or in any combination) and chop again to blend the flavors. Put in a bowl and mix in
1 teaspoon salt
and
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
. Add
1 cup (2 sticks) softened unsalted butter
until the herbs have been thoroughly blended and the butter is completely green. [
Editor: Melt a tablespoon of this butter on top of grilled lamb chops or fish, or stir into plain cooked vegetables.
]

Garlic Butter

Crush
several cloves of garlic
through a garlic press and cream with
8 tablespoons (1 stick) of unsalted butter
and
½ teaspoon of salt
. This is a matter of “stop and go,” for you know better than I your capacity for garlic flavor. So, let your own taste guide you.

Hazelnut Butter

Grind
1 cup (4 ounces) toasted salted hazelnuts
very finely. [
Editor: You can use a food processor for this.
] Mix with
8 tablespoons (1 stick) softened unsalted butter
to form a thick paste. This is delicious by itself or blended with ham or tongue for a canapé.

Mustard Butter

Cream
8 tablespoons (1 stick) softened unsalted butter
with
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
. [
Editor: Serve this tossed with steamed asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or cauliflower, or over grilled chicken or pork chops.
]

Roquefort Butter

Blend together
¼ pound room-temperature Roquefort cheese
and
8 tablespoons (1 stick) softened unsalted butte
r. [
Editor: Serve a pat on grilled steaks or or mix with boiled new potatoes.
]

Cocktail Sandwich Fillings

America is a confirmed sandwich nation. Everywhere you go you find sandwich stands, sandwich shops, and nine out of ten people seem to stick to the sandwich-and-a-glass-of-milk or cup-of-coffee luncheon. America has developed variety in fillings, breads, and shapes, from the four-decker combination to the pale slab of white bread with a paper-thin slice of meat and much floury gravy poured over all to a vast array of really good sandwiches that distinguish our menus. It is no wonder, then, that the cocktail sandwich has come more and more into vogue.

First cousin to that aristocratic and refined member of the family, the English tea sandwich, the cocktail version should be commanding in appearance and richly attired in a simple way. The bread should be thin enough to be almost revealing, well filled, the sandwich large enough for only two bites, and tailored to the last degree of perfection. Stars, crescents, tigers, rabbits, and four-leaf-clover shapes may be acceptable for tea; but for cocktails—ah ha! Thin rectangular fingers or small squares, diamonds, and rounds should be the only shapes ever seen on a tray served with drinks.

Try to find the most interesting breads in your community and always use them for such sandwiches. In almost any town or city today, there is some semblance of variety offered by commercial bakeries; and there are many recipes for breads to be made at home for this service. I think the dark, heavier-textured breads are most desirable for the cocktail tray. There are many different types of pumpernickel and rye breads that are excellent. The Scandinavians, all of whom are sandwich lovers, have developed a dozen different types of dark, meaty breads; the Danish pumpernickel, dark and light; the Swedish rye breads; the coarse, very dark bread of the Russians. All these are remarkably good with drinks. There seems to be a renaissance these days in this country for the very close-grained homemade type of bread that we all knew as children. One energetic woman in the East perfected a firm white bread that sold over the entire seaboard, with the result that many commercial bakeries are now offering a loaf of this same type. [
Editor: Beard is very likely referring to Margaret Rudkin, the founder of Pepperidge Farm.
] The vogue is growing in every section of the country. Then, there is the delicious egg bread [
Editor: challah
] that is so much a part of the Jewish food tradition, and its cousin, the brioche.

Have bread cut very, very thin for cocktail sandwiches. If you have a very sharp knife and a good eye, you may be able to cut it at home; otherwise, ask your delicatessen manager to put it on his electric slicer and cut it as thinly as possible. Have him cut it the long way of the loaf, for that way you save labor and get more sandwiches per loaf. If bread is very soft and new, it should be placed in the refrigerator for an hour or two before slicing.

Have spreads ready and soft, meat sliced, knives sharp, and off you go. Pile the sandwiches on a tray as they are cut; cover them with waxed paper and a damp cloth, and give them at least an hour or two in the refrigerator before serving. Cut sandwiches in fingers, about 1 by 3 or 2 inches, or cut with a round cutter.

Here are some of the “regulars”:

Anchovy fillets with chopped hard-boiled egg.

Thinly sliced avocado with
Garlic Butter
.

White meat of chicken or turkey with
Chutney Butter
.

Crabmeat mixed with chopped chives and mayonnaise.

Chopped ham and chopped chicken in equal parts and a few chopped, toasted Brazil nuts mixed with them. Season with prepared hot English mustard or horseradish.

Thin slices of baked ham and smoked salmon with plenty of unsalted butter; delicious on heavy black bread.

Chopped olives and nuts in equal portions bound with cream cheese.

Sliced onion marinated in
Basic Vinaigrette Sauce
for several hours and drained.

Sliced salami with
Fines Herbes Butter
.

BUCKWHEAT BLINI

MAKES 12 SERVINGS

A sophisticated form of tiny pancake made popular by the Russians, eaten hot as a first course with quantities of melted butter, sour cream, and caviar (fine California caviar or Gold caviar from the Great Lakes), smoked salmon, or herring, according to the taste of your bank account.

One-and-a-half ¼-ounce packages (1 tablespoon plus ¼ teaspoon) active dry yeast

2½ cups warm (110° to 115°F) whole milk

1 teaspoon sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup buckwheat flour

4 large eggs, separated, at room temperature

3 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking the blini

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Melted butter, sour cream, and smoked salmon, caviar, or herring, for serving

Sprinkle the yeast into the milk with the sugar in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes, then stir to dissolve the yeast. Add the all-purpose and buckwheat flours. Lightly beat the egg yolks and add to the flour mixture. Stir slowly, then beat vigorously until the batter is smooth—this can be done by hand, with an electric mixer, or in the food processor. If using a food processor, transfer the batter to a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1½ to 2 hours until doubled in bulk. Punch down the batter; stir in the sour cream and melted butter. Beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff but not dry, and fold into the batter.

Brush a hot griddle or heavy skillet well with melted butter and drop the batter on it by spoonfuls, enough to make pancakes 3 inches in diameter. When the bottom is lightly browned and bubbles have formed on the surface, flip them over and brown the second side. Keep warm in a 200°F oven, drizzled with a little more butter. Serve warm with more melted butter and the sour cream, accompanied with smoked salmon, caviar, or herring.