Fig Sandwich
Chop figs fine, moisten with a little maple syrup and work to a paste; spread mixture on thin slices of lightly buttered white bread, roll, and tie with baby ribbon.
A rolled tea sandwich from the era when sandwiches were expected to look like favors as much as food. The whole thing hinges on the bread: it must be fresh, thin, and crustless or it will crack when rolled.
- FigsDried figs, not fresh. Stem them first, since the hard stub will not break down in a paste. Mission or Calimyrna both work; Calimyrna is milder and lets the maple through.
- Getting a real pasteChopping by hand gives a coarse, seedy jam. A food processor with a splash of hot water or the syrup added gradually will bring it to a spreadable paste in under a minute. It should be thick enough to hold a peak, or it will soak the bread.
- Maple syrup"Maple syrup" at the period could mean anything from pure sap syrup to a cane-sugar blend flavored with a little maple. Use pure syrup and go slowly, a teaspoon at a time; too much and the filling will not hold the roll.
- BreadA soft white sandwich loaf sliced thin, crusts trimmed. Rolling is far easier if you flatten each slice lightly with a rolling pin first; day-old bread will split.
- Rolling and holdingRoll firmly from one edge, seam side down, and let the rolls rest under a damp towel for half an hour so they set in shape. The baby ribbon is chiefly decorative, though the tie does help hold the roll closed.
- Butter mattersThe thin butter layer is a moisture barrier between the fig paste and the bread, not a flavor. Have it properly softened and spread it edge to edge.
Rolled and ribbon-tied sandwiches belong to the afternoon tea and "ladies' luncheon" culture of the early 1900s, when a hostess was judged on presentation and sandwich books could run to many variations on buttered bread. Figs and dates were among the dried sweet fruits readily available at the period, cheap by the box and needing no preparation beyond chopping, which made them common in church-supper and reception fare. The baby ribbon is a period detail: narrow satin ribbon, sold by the yard at dry-goods counters, was used to tie everything from bonbon bags to menu cards.