Ham and Cheese / Chicken Salad Open-Faced Sandwiches on French Bread

These are simple, two-bite canapés, although “canapé” seems like too fancy a word to describe them. They’re easy and casual, but nonetheless delicious and attractive.

Ingredients to make at least 48, serving at least 12:

2 baguettes
¾ lbs. ham, sliced 1/8-inch thick
8 oz. Gruyère, room temperature
Mayonnaise
Dijon
Chicken Salad in a Hurry

How to do it:

1. Slice off the baguettes’ heels and eat them, or feed them to someone who loves crusts (like me).
2. Slice the remainder of the baguettes into rounds no thicker than ½-inch, preferably slightly thinner. If you have more than 48 rounds, set the extra aside for another use (such as making more, should you need to).
3. Tear the ham into pieces that will fit nicely onto the rounds, and top half of them with it. You may not use all the ham, or you may, depending on how lush and manageable you want these sandwiches to be.
4. Place a couple tablespoons of mayo into a small bowl, and stir in teaspoons of mustard, to taste. Place a dollop of this mixture atop each ham-laden round.
5. Use a paring knife to cut slivers or shavings of the cheese off the block, and push them into place atop the mayo mixture. Preferably as you do this, the mayo mixture will squish to the sides and remain visible. Cut your shavings in a manner that helps make this possible. You may not use all the cheese.
6. Garnish with black pepper.
7. Top the other half of the bread rounds with chicken salad and garnish them with one of the recommended herbs or spices.

Sandwich Notes

• How many sandwiches you’ll make depends on a lot of factors. First, how long is your baguette? Second, how thin do you want to slice it? Third, how generously do you want to top it?
• The ham has got to be fantastic, otherwise these sandwiches will be utterly ordinary. I used “ham off the bone,” from Kasia’s Deli – one of the best Polish delis in Chicago (which says a lot, because Chicago has a lot of fantastic Polish delis) in the heart of Chicago’s Ukrainian Village (which also says a lot: you see, we all can get along). This ham is delicious, but in addition, it is precisely what it sounds like: a whole ham, baked, then deboned, that they slice to order. So, it doesn’t wind up looking like cold cuts, but looks like, well, you took a real, homemade ham and sliced off a few pieces.
• The cheese has also got to be exceptional. You may already know where to get the best cheese. If you don’t, go someplace upscale and spend some money; tell them exactly what you’re using it for, and ask for their recommendation. That may lead you someplace other than Gruyère, but what a cool way to discover something!

Sandwich Logistics

Make the chicken salad ahead. You can make it earlier in the day, or even a few days ahead. A baguette is a same-day item, and quality varies greatly. If you know a place that makes them well, you may want to put in an order that they can hold for you to pick up that morning. You could make the sandwiches before the party, cover them, and hold them in the fridge. However, in time, the bread will soften. I prefer to start making them exactly as the clock strikes the time the party is to begin. No one arrives on time, but by the time they do, you’ll be just finishing, and the sandwiches couldn’t be fresher.

I invited the MILAM! crew and some of our foodiest friends to this potluck, and encouraged them to make whatever excites them.

But of course I exerted just enough influence over their choices to create an overall balance. When doing this sort of thing, it’s important not to overlook the outsourcing of cocktails and/or wine. People love to bring wine. It’s easy, and if they know of good ones, they get to show that off a bit. It may be less common for people to bring handcrafted cocktails, but that needs to become a thing. One of the crew did bring a cocktail: a hand-crafted hot spiced rum. Others of the crew brought meatballs, mini short ribs, pickles and mozzarella wrapped in salami (which are downright addictive), falafel, a huge assortment of cookies, and I can’t tell you how many bottles of wine and prosecco.

Other than hosting duties, my main contribution to the party was Liège waffles. (I made the canapés, because I wanted to be sure to have food on the table when the first guests arrived. I saved the waffles for later in the party.)

Liège Waffles with Nutella, Chocolate Sauce, Caramel Sauce, Lemon Curd, and Whipped Cream

Follow the links (above) for recipes. Buy the curd, or make your own. Buy the Nutella, too, obviously – unless you know how to make it, and in that case, I’d love to see the recipe. The waffle recipe may have to be TRIPLED to serve twelve, but a single batch of everything else will be fine.

Waffle Notes

• Experience has shown me that alcohol-fueled people in the midst of a party, even though they’ve already eaten, will consume at least one half of a waffle, and that about half of them will eat the waffle plain if you suggest to them that any condiments are truly optional. Some will eat two whole waffles. There’s always someone who will ask for a quarter. It’s easy to make full-size waffles and cut them all in halves (or the occasional quarter). You could, though, make twice as many half-sized waffles, but that will take longer.
• I set out the condiments and let people make their own choices.
• I’m using the word “condiment” instead of “topping,” because although you can top a waffle with so much stuff, that you need to eat it with a fork (and in that case, you’ve used “toppings”), you can also lightly scrape it with something – the way you’d butter toast – and then eat it by hand, in which case, to my way of thinking anyway, you’ve used a condiment – and I want to push you in that direction. I think these waffles are the most fun when eaten by hand.

Waffle Logistics

It’s easy to whip the cream and microwave the chocolate and caramel (to reheat them, because you made them well in advance, and they’re waiting for you in the fridge) as you cook the waffles. The waffles themselves have a very controlled timing. I planned to serve them at what I anticipated as being the half-way point of the party. It’s always exciting to have something new appear as the party’s roaring. These waffles are perfect for that: they’re fun, unusual, spectacular – perfect as a mid-party snack. In order to manage this, the final rise had to begin just before the time the party was slated to start. That meant I had to start portioning the dough about 45 minutes before then. In the midst of the party, I had to remember to transfer the dough to a warm oven and then remember when the oven time was up; set alarms for those things, so that if you’re engrossed in playing “5-Second Rule,” you won’t forget, OR get yourself a helpful husband who never forgets anything (on second thought, that can be a double-edged sword). Cooking the waffles while you’re in the midst of throwing/enjoying the party is a breeze; you’ll barely even need to put down your cocktail.

Hors d’Oeuvre Potluck for Twelve

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! Thank you, Kesor. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything.

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