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Horse-Radish Sandwiches
Mix two tablespoonfuls of grated horse-radish with the same quantity of roquefort cheese and soften with whipped cream to a nice consistency to spread. Cut whole wheat bread into inch strips and spread with the mixture.
A short, sharp spread built on three ingredients, so the balance of the three is the whole recipe. The only real variable is the horseradish.
- Which horseradishThe original assumes a fresh root grated at home, which is fiery and watery. Bottled prepared horseradish is packed in vinegar and is milder and wetter, so drain it well and taste before adding the second tablespoonful.
- Cheese consistencyRoquefort must be at room temperature or it will not blend; mash it smooth with a fork before the horseradish goes in, or you get lumps that tear the bread.
- Whipped cream, not whippedThe cream is there to loosen and mellow, not to lighten. Whip it only to soft peaks and fold it in, then stop mixing as soon as it is spreadable; overworking turns the mixture grainy.
- "Inch strips"The bread is cut into fingers roughly an inch wide, not an inch thick. Crusts off, and the slices want to be thin so the strong filling is not overwhelmed.
- Make it close to servingGrated horseradish loses its heat within a few hours of being cut, and the cream will weep into the bread. Mix the spread up to an hour ahead, keep it covered and cold, and assemble at the last minute.
- YieldThe recipe makes only a small quantity of filling, and how many fingers it covers depends on the size of the loaf. It is a small tray's worth, not a party's.
- SeasoningNo salt is called for, and none is needed: Roquefort carries plenty. A few grinds of black pepper is the only useful addition.
Savoury sandwich fingers of this kind belonged to the tea table and the cocktail tray, and books of the period filled out their menus with small variations on bread and a spread. The pairing of blue cheese with horseradish trades on the same logic as horseradish with roast beef -- a pungent root cutting richness -- and whipped cream is used elsewhere in such books to soften a strong cheese. Whole wheat bread gives a slight bitterness that stands up to Roquefort. The appeal of a recipe like this is that it needs no cooking and no oven at all.