Chicken Sandwiches

A tea-sandwich filling built on hard-cooked yolks rather than mayonnaise, which is what keeps it pale and smooth enough to spread thinly. The ingredient list runs the quantities together; read it as 2 egg yolks, 1 teaspoon melted butter, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 cup chicken, salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon stock.

• The hinge: yolks cooked gentlyHolding the eggs in water just below the boil, rather than at a rolling boil, is the whole point. The yolks set mealy and pale instead of rubbery and grey-rimmed, and they mash to a powder that absorbs the butter and stock.
• A realistic timeThirty to forty-five minutes is far longer than needed; eggs held in water just off the boil are fully hard-cooked in something like fifteen to twenty minutes. Longer does no harm beyond drying the yolk, which here is not fatal, but it is wasted time.
• The chickenOne cup means cooked chicken, chopped very fine — breast meat from a poached or roast bird. Chop by hand or pulse briefly; a food processor run long will turn it to a stringy paste that no longer spreads.
• StockA single teaspoon of chicken stock is there for flavour and to loosen the paste, not to moisten it. If the mixture still crumbles, add stock half a teaspoon at a time until it just holds together.
• ConsistencyThere is no mayonnaise in this filling, so it is stiffer than a modern chicken salad. Work the butter in while it is still liquid and the yolks still warm, which helps it bind.
• Yield and breadEnough for about six to eight thin sandwiches, or two to three dozen small fingers. Thin-sliced white bread with the crusts trimmed after filling gives the neatest edge.
• KeepingCooked chicken and egg in a moist paste spoils quickly. Make it the day you serve it, keep it refrigerated until you spread it, and cover assembled sandwiches with a damp cloth so the edges do not curl.