Russian Sandwiches

A cracker sandwich of the kind that turned up at card parties and afternoon teas. Nothing here needs cooking, so the only real questions are what the ingredients were and how far ahead you can assemble them.

• ZepherettesA brand-name thin, crisp wafer cracker of the period, unsalted or lightly salted. Any plain thin water cracker or a saltine, as the recipe allows, does the same job.
• Rich cream cheeseSoft fresh cheese of this kind was often sold loose by weight as well as in branded packages, and some versions ran closer to a Neufchatel or petit-suisse than to modern block cream cheese. Whipped or spreadable cream cheese, or block cheese beaten with a spoonful of cream, gives the right texture.
• Entire wheat breadWhole wheat. Boston brown bread is the steamed loaf of rye, cornmeal and wheat or graham flour sweetened with molasses, steamed at home in a mould or can and also sold ready-made in a can; slice it thin and it makes a much sweeter, denser sandwich than the cracker version.
• OlivesGreen olives in brine were the default; chop them fine and blot them dry, or the brine will thin the cheese and soften the crackers. Two tablespoons chopped olives to four ounces of cheese is a reasonable ratio.
• MayonnaiseUsed here only to bind the olives. Keep it to a teaspoon or two, and if you make your own with raw egg, hold the finished sandwiches refrigerated and serve the same day.
• Assemble lateCracker sandwiches go limp within an hour or so. Mix the filling ahead, chill it, and spread just before serving. The bread version tolerates being made up an hour in advance if wrapped closely.
• YieldThe recipe gives no quantities. A cup of filling, if you make that much, would cover roughly twenty cracker sandwiches or eight to ten bread sandwiches cut in fingers.