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Open faced 'mini' sandwiches

As Murphy’s Law would decree, I managed to get behind a woman in the grocery checkout line with a two huge carts full of items that only could signify a major celebration party or a dozen plus relatives arriving for their annual summer vacation in Maine.  It was going to take a long time, so I cheerfully inquired about which of these events she was about to cater at her house. The answer was given proudly with a broad smile: “It is for my son’s graduation party”.

The leisurely wait gave me time to think of all the upcoming summer events from graduations, family reunions and all those wonderful opening nights of friends art exhibits, each requiring at least some food offering, preferably in the finger food category. Something that can be carried on a napkin, does not drip or fall apart, can be easily eaten in no more than two bites,can be made ahead and will look good for a couple of hours.

Aha!  Some version of a sandwich! The sturdy lunch sandwich has survived brown bagging for centuries and tea sandwiches look dainty on trays, but are sometimes difficult to guess about their contents. However the third alternative, open faced sandwiches, can come to the rescue for everyone who may be able to boil an egg, but lack more impressive culinary skills. Many Northern countries display colorful assortments of open faced sandwiches in cafes and shops and thus provide us with a ready made answer to our criteria for the perfect finger food. Best of all, ingredients can be obtained in a good deli and a little time and playful assembly of ‘mini’ open sandwiches will earn you applause from any hostess.

Bread for this purpose needs to be dense, in order to slice it thin and not have it become soggy once it has been covered. Cocktail rye works well cut diagonally in triangles and so does thin German rye sold in packaged square slices, which can be divided in sixths. Both cream cheese and softened unsalted butter work well as the basic spread for these breads before assembling any toppings. For white bread use baguette, the small and dense variety cut thin or dense English toasting bread slices, which should be cut in quarters without removing the crust. Use only unsalted butter as a spread for these breads, since cream cheese will make them soggy upon standing.

Toppings are the fun part, from plain to extraordinary with your imagination and pocketbook setting the limits. The simplest are cold cuts, such as smoked turkey, ham and salami, which can be decorated with a green olive, slice of cucumber, pickle or even thin pickled jalapeno pepper. For cheeses pick sharp cheddar, provolone or smoked gouda and decorate with half a grape tomato. The humble slice of an egg takes on a sophisticated taste on cream cheese, when decorated with sliced black olives and chopped chives, or for the daring - an anchovy. Another colorful combination on rye is cottage cheese topped with sliced radishes and chives.

Some elegant open sandwiches, which would not even be amiss at a wedding reception, can be made with smoked salmon or smoked shrimp. The salmon goes very well topped with thinly sliced red onion, some capers and a sprig of dill. Smoked shrimp can be displayed decoratively with small strips of roast red pepper and chopped dill.

The recent popularity of deviled eggs as pretty finger food at gatherings can’t hold a candle to the fantastic mouthwatering selection you can create with open “mini’ sandwiches, without even being able to cook. Well, you may have to boil that egg for the egg sandwich.

 (I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)