Nut Sandwiches

A one-line formula rather than a recipe, of the kind that filled the sandwich pages of tea-table cookery. The proportions are left to the cook, so the useful work is in the details.

• ProportionsFigure roughly 2 tablespoons chopped nuts and 1 to 2 teaspoons cream or mayonnaise per sandwich. The mixture should hold together when pressed with a spoon but not slump; too much liquid and it soaks the bread within minutes.
• "Brown bread"In American books of this period this may mean whole-wheat or graham bread, though steamed Boston brown bread is also common, particularly in New England. Either works, but the steamed loaf is sweet and crumbly and needs to be chilled firm before slicing.
• CreamCream then meant something with real body. Use heavy cream, or cream cheese thinned with a little milk, if you want a spread that will not weep. Half-and-half is too thin.
• Mayonnaise and raw eggHousehold mayonnaise of this period was generally made fresh with raw yolks. For a sandwich that is never cooked, use commercial mayonnaise or one made with pasteurized egg, and keep the finished sandwiches cold.
• Toast the nutsThe recipe does not say to, but 8 to 10 minutes at 350F transforms walnuts, pecans or almonds and keeps them from tasting merely damp under the dressing. Cool completely before chopping or the oils will smear.
• Chop, do not grindAim for pieces about the size of a peppercorn. A food processor turns nuts to paste in seconds, which gives a spread with no texture at all -- the whole point of the sandwich.
• SaltA scant pinch per portion is enough with mayonnaise, which is already salted; be more generous if using plain cream.
• ServingMake these no more than an hour ahead, keep them under a damp cloth in the refrigerator, and trim the crusts and cut into fingers or triangles at the last moment. One made-up sandwich, crusts trimmed, cuts into two to four tea sandwiches.