The mojo of the sandwich - part 1

Keeping with my food theme, and referring back to the strength of maximizing, today I will share the mojo of the sandwich.

Sandwiches are either private or public. Private sandwiches can be anything the creator/eater prefers. Public sandwiches, including everything from finger sandwiches at cocktail parties to open sandwiches at restaurants with tablecloths, must always conform to their public nature and not expose their eater to embarrassment or ridicule.

There essence of any sandwich is proportion. While it is hard to totally cock up a sandwich, it's also harder than most people realize to make a great sandwich. Too wet, too dry, too many flavours, too plain, to skimpy or too big to get your mouth around: a sandwich can be unsatisfactory in many different ways.

Consider the occasion: finger food sandwiches need to be dainty enough to stay together when raised to the mouth, which means some kind of edible glue: butter, mayo, avocado, cream cheese etc. A finger sandwich also needs to be dry/firm enough not to leak all over the expensive clothes of the eater. For this reason I contend that beetroot, delicious though it is, has no place in the public sandwich.

The ingredients should cover the surface of the bread without heaping in the middle. A centre heap is likely to end in tears, or at least in the eater's lap. The ingredients should be lavish enough to be visible to the named eye. The only possible exception is the Vegemite sandwich - that should NOT be thick enough to see (it is not really a public sandwich).

My experiences in the catering world - both as a discerning consumer and as a provider - suggest that most people prefer simple sandwiches. Two or three generous, quality ingredients are preferred over more complex filling. Classic combinations such as ham and avocado, egg and lettuce, chicken salad and rocket, smoked salmon and cream cheese etc always go early.

Experiment with subtle variations in flavour or texture. I like crispy bacon and avocado - even better with some fresh spinach leaves. I also love cold roast beef, mushroom, tasty cheese and a really good chutney. That is four ingredients, but there is some leeway with condiments. Most people view ham and mustard as 'ham' for example.

Vegetarians often prefer a few high quality ingredients to wild experimentation. I recall a colleague's disgust at shredded carrot and sultana sandwiches, for example. In the roast beef sandwiches mentioned above, I found vegetarians like the same combination without the beef: tasty cheese, mushroom and good relish is great on it's own or with rocket (aragula) or spinach.

The bread should be good quality, obviously. Finger food sandwiches work better with a high end mainstream bread (say, Helga's) rather than true artisan bread which can be a bit crusty to handle well. Different fillings work better with different types of bread: white, brown, wholemeal, light rye or dark rye.

Bon apetit!

This is post 7 of 43 posts
Sent from my iPhone