I am a huge HUGE fan of the sandwich!  Sandwiches are one of my absolute favourite things and if they are hot sandwiches so much the better! 

I love, Love, LOVE Hot Sandwiches!  Yummy! Yummy!

 

There is not a lot of cooking going on here at the moment with our cooker being out of service!  We have an engineer booked to come and have a look at it on Monday, and God willing, he will be able to fix it!  Fingers crossed! Cookers are big ticket items!  In the meantime after  figuring out what it would cost to eat out for five days, we purchased a counter-top hot plate, which will be great for heating up soups, scrambling eggs, etc.  I don't think there will be any real cooking going on, but you never know.  Today we had some delicious Roast Beef, Horseradish and Baby Rocket Sandwiches, along with some Deli potato Salad and Cheese Slaw.  They went down a real treat.  I thought I would take this opportunity to share with you my rules and tips on how to make a better sandwich.

 

I can tell you that the whole time I was growing up, I never had a horrible sandwich made by my mother.  Mom made the best sandwiches and I learnt a lot from watching her.  Even a humble sandwich of white bread and Heinz sandwich spread was a feast. 

How many times have you been disappointed with a purchased sandwich . . .  dry bread . . .  lack of filling . . .  tasteless filling, etc. Too many times for me to count, in my experience.  I don't know how they can get something which is so simple so very wrong, but more often than not they do! 

 

Making your own Sandwiches doesn't really take a lot of effort or time. There are a few rules to follow however, which will help to make your sandwiches/butties/sarnies to be the best darned ones on the block!  These are my tips and secrets, and now they can be yours too! 

 

Any sandwich worth making, or eating is worthy of only the best ingredients. If you start with the best, you are well on your way to a fine eating experience.  I like to use quality bread, and the freshest bread that I can.  I also like to use interesting bread.  Sour Dough loaves, whole grain breads, seeded buns,  French Baguettes, and even the humble sliced white bread can make for a really great sandwich if you start with the best and the freshest you can find.  Today I used fresh store baked Croissants.  The starch/bread/wrap is one of the key factors in your sandwich.  Why stint on quality, when to do so can make a huge difference between making a sandwich, or making a SANDWICH!  Just make sure that the bread you choose is sturdy enough to stand up to the filling you are going to use.  Quality and care can make a huge difference between a sandwich that isn't worthy and a sandwich that will hold up to a journey and be able to stand for several hours prior to eating.

Fresh meats, fish, or cheeses . . .  fresh vegetables . . .  quality condiments, all of these things go a long ways towards building a better buttie.  Do NOT stint on any of these items.  

 

Choose the right bread for the right filling.  Chewier, crustier bread works well with study fillings, softer bread works best with soft fillings.  For instance serving an egg salad on a very chewy crusty bread doesn't work. By the time you have chewed through the bread, half of your filling is escaping from the edges and falling into your lap. Not all breads and fillings are created equal.  Texture is important. On a softer bread you might be able to get away with more filling, but on a super crusty bread this can be disastrous. Be judicious about balance between your choice of bread, your filling and the amounts you choose to use.

 

So now you have gathered all of your ingredients, and they are the best, and balanced, and you are ready to begin . . .  in all truth, even with all of these factors in place, you can still ruin a sandwich by not treating it properly.  Spread any sandwich which is going to have a wet filling generously with butter, or mayonnaise, and right to the edges of the bread.  This helps to provide a barrier which can prevent a soggy filling from soaking into the bread.  It also helps to prevent dry corners which will only end up being discarded in the trash, uneaten.  Don't be chintzy with any of your condiments really, but do remember there is a fine line between just enough and over the top.  You also don't want them to overwhelm the sandwich.  So a thin even spread of butter works well, and then any other condiment you are using, bearing in  mind that strong flavours need to be used sparingly or they will completely take over and can even create an inedible sandwich.  When I first moved here to the UK, I had no idea of how really strong English Mustard was.  I was slathering it on my husband's sandwiches just like regular American Mustard.  It was only once he told me that it was blowing his head off I realised that less was actually more. 

  

When using sliced meats and cheeses, I find that they work much better when thinly sliced.  It is easy to layer them, and you can create something much more visually beautiful. They are also easier to bite through, when they are thinly sliced.  Also layer them evenly so that you don't end up with more in the middle than you do at the edges.  I like to put any vegetables on first, after the mayonnaise or horseradish or mustard, chutney, etc.  

Make sure your vegetables are washed and dried.  I slice tomatoes super thin and then layer, it is the same with cucumbers, or pickles, lettuces or any other vegetables.   I often use my  Essential 5-in-1 vegetable shredder to slice my vegetables. It is  a really handy tool to have in the kitchen.  Easy to use, clean, store and maintain.  I love it and use it a lot.  You can find out more here. 

 

If you are taking your sandwiches on a journey, either to school, or work, or even on a picnic, you will want to make sure that you have cut them into manageable shapes and sizes. I like to cut them either in half diagonally or horizontally, depending on where I am going with them.  If I am going on a picnic, cutting them in half horizontally makes them much easier to pack.  

If I am eating them at home, cutting them in half diagonally is perfect, and if you are using them for a tea party, removing the crusts and then cutting them into smaller sized shapes is best, not much more than two bite size. 

If you are packing them to go, make sure that you wrap them well in either greaseproof/waxed paper, plastic cling film, or even bees-wax wraps (best for the environment) to help to keep them fresh. Make sure you store them in a sturdy container or box to help prevent them from being crushed.

If you have some really wet ingredients/add-ins you might even want to store them separately, ready to add to the sandwich at the last minute.  That way you can be really sure that your sandwiches won't be soggy. 

If you are making sandwiches ahead to serve for something like a tea party, I cover them with damp paper towels or tea towels.  Just wet the towels with cold water and then squeeze out as much of the water that you can.  Lay the towels gently over the top of the sandwiches, covering them completely, and store in a refrigerator, until you are ready to lay them out, uncovering them only at the last minute.  They will stay fresher longer.

 

By choosing the right ingredients, layering them proportionately, and with care, you can always be assured that you are going to have a great sandwich, that everyone will be able to enjoy.  Look for a balance in flavours and structure.  Its never pleasant to eat a sandwich that is falling apart as you are eating it, or whose fillings are slipping out the sides and back.  Its also not nice to eat a sandwich whose flavour is completely over-powered by the strongest flavoured ingredient in the mix! By following these simple hints and tips you can be sure that every sandwich, even a simple one,  is a feast to be enjoyed!  Bon Appetit! 

 

I am a person who hates waste. I always try to use up everything that I can, all my leftovers, etc.  I think I get that from my mother.  

Its a good habit to get into, especially when you consider how much food is thrown away each day in the world, and how many people are starving in the world. Throwing anything away seems like a great sin to me!

I am enjoying a quiet Saturday as I sit and write this. Usually at the weekends, I like to bake a cake or some such. 

 

Sometimes it will be a fancy cake, especially if we are celebrating something. More often than not it is a Victoria Sandwich Cake.  This is quite simply,  the best.

 

In all truth our favourite cake is the simple Victoria Sandwich Cake.  That is the one we enjoy eating most of all, and the one I enjoy baking most of all. 

 

I know I have shared it with you before, but can you ever share something that you love too many times?  I think not  . . .you can never have too much of a good thing!

 

My mother always filled our cakes with jam.  With jam in the middle a cake needs no other adornment. Especially if you use really good jam.  And I always do.  

 

My father always loved cake with jam in the middle and it was something we all enjoyed. My jam of choice has always been Bonne Maman. It just has the nicest consistency and the right amount of fruitiness!

 

Jam is a very versatile ingredient.  You can change the flavour of a plain cake such as this just by varying the type of jam you choose to use.  

But it must always be a good jam.  Homemade is good of course, but if you are buying your jam, make sure you get a quality one.

 

More often than not I will use strawberry jam. That is my favourite, along with raspberry which follows a close second.

 

These are what are the most traditional for this purpose. Any red jam looks great actually. 

 

Here are some suggestions to shake it up a bit. Add a bit of lemon zest to the batter before baking and fill it with some wild blueberry jam. 

 

You have yourself another tasty combination. The flavour of lemon and blueberries together is unmatchless. 

 

If you add some freshly grated nutmeg and a bit of vanilla.  Fill it with peach or apricot jam and your cake is lifted to an entirely different level.

 

Or you could fold raspberries into the cake and fill it with peach jam. Voila, a sort of a peach melba cake!

 

And don't get me started on lemon curd.  Lemon curd in the middle is another favourite of mine. I completely adore Lemon Curd.

I could eat it with a spoon. Shhh . . .  don't tell, but whenever I use it I always eat a cheeky spoonful. That's yours and my little secret now.

 

In the summer  filling this cake with a layer of whipped or clotted cream and sliced strawberries turns this cake a beautiful indulgence . . .   

 

You cannot get much better than a cake filled with softly whipped cream and berries.  You do have to eat the whole thing on the day, but that is so not a problem!

 

This is a cake that can be as simple as you wish. It can also be as  elaborate as you wish. It suits all occasions. 

 

It is the Birthday cake of choice in this house and so quick and easy to whip up.  You can seriously have one of these on the table in less than an hour, tops and that allows for cooling.

 

It is perfect for cold and dismal, rainy autumn afternoons near the end of September.  A day when all you want to do is hunker in with a good book and a hot cuppa.

 

A day when you can pull a blanket over your knees and just hunker down.  A day when you are wanting comfort of the utmost kind.

 

If ever there was a cake that you could consider to be a comfort cake, this is it.  Comfort, pure and simple and most delicious.

 

If I am lucky this will last us several days, but since it is a favourite of both of us, I don't expect that it will be around much longer that.  Quick, easy and delicious. Qualities that are pretty hard to beat!

Up Tomorrow: Fried Egg Sandwiches (brought forward from the other day)