Strawberry Sandwich

A tea-table sandwich that depends entirely on assembly and timing rather than technique. The whole thing is over in five minutes, so everything hinges on keeping the bread dry.

• Butter is structuralButter matters structurally -- a thin, complete film of butter helps seal the crumb against strawberry juice as well as adding flavour. Use butter at soft room temperature and spread it thin and right to the edges, or the bread will be pink and sodden within minutes.
• Assemble at the last momentHalved berries begin weeping as soon as sugar touches them. Cut, sugar and close the sandwiches immediately before they go to the table; anything made half an hour ahead will be a wet failure.
• Powdered sugar in 1909Powdered sugar -- in this period the term usually meant sugar ground fine, generally coarser than modern confectioners' sugar and often without the cornstarch commonly added now as an anti-caking agent. Either modern confectioners' sugar or superfine (caster) sugar works; caster gives a slight crunch.
• The breadA close-crumbed white sandwich loaf, a day old, slices thinner and more cleanly than fresh. Aim for about 1/4 inch, and trim the crusts after filling so the edges stay square.
• Choosing berriesSmall, deeply ripe, fully red-through berries are essential; large supermarket strawberries with white cores are watery and bland against plain bread and butter. Hull and dry them thoroughly on a towel before cutting.
• The sugared garnishRoll a whole hulled berry in a little water, then in sugar, and set it on top. (Lightly beaten egg white is the traditional alternative, but it stays raw here; see caution.) It is decorative rather than structural, so serve these flat and in a single layer.
• Yield and servingA standard slice of sandwich bread makes four small triangles or three fingers. Figure two or three pieces a head as part of a tea spread, and count on roughly one pint of berries for a dozen sandwiches.