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Toast Sandwiches for Invalids
1216. Toast carefully a very thin slice of bread; cut off the crust spread two slices of thin bread and butter, also cutting away the crust, seasoning each with a very little made mustard and a sprinkle of salt; lay the toast in the middle, serving it as a sandwich.
A three-slice sandwich in which the filling is itself a slice of toast. It works only if every element is thin, so weigh the bread choice before anything else.
- The hinge: thinnessAll three slices must be cut very thin, ideally under 1/4 inch. A standard thick-sliced supermarket loaf produces an unmanageable wedge of dry crumb; use a firm white tin loaf cut by hand, or the thinnest sliced bread available.
- Made mustard"Made mustard" means mustard prepared as a paste ready for the table rather than dry powder: mustard flour mixed to a paste shortly before use, most often with water though sometimes with vinegar. English mustard powder mixed with cold water and left five minutes is a close match, and it is fiercely hot, so "a very little" is meant literally.
- Toast the middle slice dryThe inner slice is toasted and left unbuttered; only the two outer slices are buttered. Butter on the toast as well makes the whole thing greasy and defeats the contrast of textures the dish depends on.
- CrustsThe crusts come off all three slices. Do this after toasting the middle slice, or the small trimmed piece curls and browns unevenly.
- Assemble and eat at onceThe point is a warm crisp centre against cool soft bread and butter. Left to stand, the toast draws moisture from the butter and the sandwich becomes uniformly limp.
- YieldAs written this makes a single sandwich, cut into two or four small pieces for a tray. It is a light bite rather than a meal, which is what "for invalids" signals.
- If you want it savouryThe seasoning is only salt and mustard. A grind of pepper is a reasonable modern addition; anything more substantial turns it into a different sandwich.