Chicken Salad Rolls (Luncheon Dish)

An assembly rather than a cooked dish, and it stands or falls on the bread staying dry. The instructions assume you already have chicken salad and a soft dinner roll on hand.

• Parker House rollA soft, enriched white dinner roll, originally folded over on itself, from the Boston hotel of that name. Any soft slider bun or small brioche roll of about 3 inches works; avoid crusty rolls, which will not hollow cleanly or press shut.
• The hinge: hollow, do not gutPull out the soft crumb through the top or side but leave a shell thick enough to hold its shape; too thin and it tears when filled, too thick and there is no room for salad.
• "Cream dressing"In this period the name usually covers a dressing based on cream rather than whipped cream, either cooked with egg and milk or stirred up uncooked with vinegar and mustard. Either is looser than mayonnaise, so use less of it or the bread will soak through.
• Dress lightly and fill lateBind the chicken just enough to hold together. Fill the rolls no more than an hour before serving and keep them covered and cold; a wet salad turns the shell to paste.
• The chickenThe recipe assumes chicken salad already made. Poached or roast meat cut in dice rather than shredded holds up best in a filled roll. Celery was a common addition; blanched almonds or grapes appear in some recipes of the period.
• Holding temperatureCooked chicken in a dressing should not sit out. Refrigerate the salad until the moment of filling and keep the finished rolls below 40F until they go to the table.
• YieldThe recipe gives no quantities; as a rough guide, allow enough salad to fill each hollowed roll and figure two rolls per person for a luncheon plate with something alongside.
• The lettuceA frill of romaine heart or the crisp inner leaf of iceberg protrudes best and holds its shape; butter or leaf lettuce wilts and looks limp within the hour.