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Ham and Cheese Canapes
1/2 loaf bread 1/2 cup melted shortening 1 cup ground ham 3 ounces finely grated cheese 2 tablespoons green pepper, finely minced Remove crusts from bread and slice one-fourth inch thick. Brush with melted shortening and brown in hot oven. Spread with ham, cheese and green pepper, mixed well. Cut in fancy shapes to serve. Serves 8.
A 1930s cocktail-hour canapé built on oven-toasted bread rather than crackers. Two things in the method need attention: the spread as written has no binder, and it is easier to cut the shapes before you top them.
- "Hot oven"In period usage this means roughly 400-450F. The bread slices need only a few minutes to colour; watch them, since quarter-inch slices brushed with fat go from golden to burnt quickly.
- ShorteningIn this period that means hydrogenated vegetable shortening or lard. Melted butter gives a better flavour on toast and behaves the same way; half a cup is generous for half a loaf, so brush rather than soak.
- The spread needs a binderGround ham, grated cheese and minced green pepper will not hold together dry. A tablespoon or two of mayonnaise or softened butter turns it into something spreadable.
- Cut first, spread secondCutting fancy shapes through a loaded canapé drags the topping. Stamp the shapes out of the sliced bread before toasting, and keep the trimmings for crumbs.
- Ham quantityOne cup of ground ham is roughly 5-6 ounces of cooked ham; a food processor does in seconds what a hand grinder was meant for. Well-flavoured baked or smoked ham is worth using, as there is nothing else carrying the dish.
- CheeseThree ounces finely grated is about three-quarters of a cup loosely packed. A sharp cheddar or aged American cheese suits it; skip pre-shredded, which is coated to stop caking and stays gritty in a cold spread.
- Serving temperatureAs written these are served cold on warm toast. If you would rather have the cheese melted, run the topped canapés under the broiler for a minute or two, and serve at once before the bread softens.
- Yield"Serves 8" assumes a few small canapés each alongside other things. Half a loaf cut into shapes gives roughly 24 to 30 pieces depending on the cutter.