Recipe: Jame Beard's Sandwich Spreads (chicken, ham, and cheese, 1930's)

SANDWICH SPREADS
"These sandwich spreads are a good indication of the creativity that Beard brought to his catering company in New York in the late 1930s." - Editor


TO ASSEMBLE THE SANDWICHES:
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.

THE SPREADS:

CHICKEN, PIMIENTO, AND PINE NUT SPREAD

1 1⁄2 cups cooked chicken
2 drained canned pimientos
1⁄2 cup chopped pine nuts
1 finely chopped shallot
A few leaves finely chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
A few tablespoons of ketchup-style chili sauce
Kosher salt (to taste)
A few grains ground cayenne pepper.

Chop together chicken and pimientos. Add pine nuts, shallot, and parsley. Bind with chili sauce to make a firm paste. Season the spread with kosher salt and cayenne pepper.

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HAM AND PICKLE SPREAD

8 ounces (about 1 1⁄2 cups) cold baked ham
3 sweet gherkins (small pickles)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 or 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Finely chop ham with gherkins and dry mustard. Moisten with mayonnaise.

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SWISS CHEESE AND OLIVE SPREAD

2 cups grated Swiss cheese
3 tablespoons pitted and chopped green or black olives
2 tablespoons finely chopped green bell pepper
Mayonnaise (as needed)

Thoroughly mix Swiss cheese, olives, and bell pepper. Moisten this with enough mayonnaise to make a thick paste.

Adapted from source: The Essential James Beard Cookbook by James Beard, Edited by Rick Rodgers