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Bohemian Sandwich
On thin slices of lightly buttered graham bread, spread a thin layer of mustard; on top of that spread a layer of cottage cheese, then a layer of olives that have been chopped fine, and mixed with a little mayonnaise dressing. Cover with another slice of bread and press together. Cut in strips and serve on a lettuce leaf.
A straightforward cold sandwich that needs no cooking; the only real difficulties are moisture control and the vagueness of "mustard" and "olives" in a 1909 kitchen.
- Drain the cottage cheesePeriod cottage cheese was drained curd, drier and firmer than today's creamed tubs. Tip modern cottage cheese into a sieve for 20-30 minutes, or use a dry-curd or farmer's cheese, or the sandwich will soak the bread through.
- The mustardThis means prepared yellow or brown table mustard spread thin, not dry mustard powder. A scant teaspoon over two slices is enough; the cheese is bland and the olives are salty, so the mustard is the seasoning.
- OlivesGreen olives in brine are the likeliest reading, though the book does not specify; black ripe olives were also on the market by this date. Chop them fine, blot them dry, then bind with just enough mayonnaise to hold, perhaps a tablespoon for a half cup of chopped olives.
- Graham breadGraham flour is coarse whole wheat with the bran and germ retained, so a dense whole-wheat sandwich loaf is the closest match. Slice thin, about a quarter inch, and use bread a day old so it cuts cleanly.
- Assemble to orderLayered wet fillings on thin bread go limp within the hour. Butter both slices right to the edge; butter acts as a moisture barrier as well as a flavour, which may be part of why the recipe calls for it, and build the sandwiches shortly before serving.
- Cutting in stripsPress firmly, trim the crusts if you want a neater look, then cut into three or four fingers per sandwich. A serrated knife wiped between cuts keeps the layers from smearing.
- YieldThe original gives none. Figure on one round of bread per person as part of a lunch or tea spread, more if the sandwiches are the meal.
Sandwich books were a small publishing genre in the first decade of the twentieth century, aimed at the luncheon, card party and afternoon tea rather than the packed lunch, which is why so many of these fillings are soft, cut into fingers and served on a lettuce leaf. "Bohemian" here is almost certainly a fashionable label rather than a Central European one: around 1900 the word attached itself to anything artistic, slightly unconventional or associated with cafe life. Graham bread, named for the temperance and dietary reformer Sylvester Graham, had by this date long since escaped the reform movement and become an ordinary wholesome loaf; cottage cheese was still commonly made at home from soured milk, and appears throughout these books as a cheap, fresh spread that needed no cooking in a kitchen without reliable refrigeration.