James Beard's Onion Sandwich
Sandwiches and Appetizers - How To Make An Onion Sandwich


  Home    |   Recipe Indexes   |   Dinner Party Menus   |   Food History   |   Diet - Health - Beauty

Baking Corner |  Regional Foods | Cooking Articles Hints & Tips | Culinary Dictionary | Newspaper Columns


Follow What's Cooking America on Facebook


James Beard refers to these cocktail sandwiches in his book Beard on Food in 1974. He said, "I can easily make a whole meal of onion sandwiches." These sandwiches were very popular when Beard’s catering company introduced them on the New York social scene in 1938.

I first tasted these wonderful onion sandwiches at a wine tasting. They are fantastic! Excellent with wine! This is quite possibly the perfect reward, along with a glass of wine, for yourself and your guests. They will disappeared in no time and people, even the none onion lovers, were a bit shocked at how good they were. Give them a try and you will see what I mean!

onion sandwiches

To learn about the history and legends of favorite sandwiches, check out the History of Sandwiches.




Onion Sandwich Recipe

Recipe Type: Onion, Sandwich, Appetizer
Yields: 16 sandwich rounds
Prep time: 20 min


Ingredients:

8 slices firm-textured white bread, cut into quarters
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large sweet onion, peeled and sliced into paper-thin slices*
Fleur de sel, coarse salt, or sea salt

2 tablespoons Mayonnaise (preferably homemade)
4 tablespoons of finely minced parsley

* Choose from Vidalia, Walla Walla, Maui, Imperial, Carzalia, or Texas Spring sweet onions.


Preparation:

Arrange the quartered bread slices next to one another on a flat work surface. Using a glass or an 1-inch round cookie cutter, cut out two (2) small rounds from each sandwich; discard trimmings.

Spread each bread circle with 1 tablespoon butter. Place a thin layer of sliced onions over the butter. Lightly season the onions with salt. This is a great place to use your Fleur de sel.

Assemble the sandwiches with remaining bread slices, pressing lightly to make them adhere.

Spread some of the mayonnaise around the outside rim of each sandwich round. Roll the rim of each sandwich in the minced parsley to coat completely.

Serve immediately or cover and refrigerator for a few hours.

Makes 16 sandwich rounds.

 


Making Sandwiches Ahead of Time:

If you need to make tea sandwiches in advance and need to keep them from drying out, cover them loosely with a sheet of wax paper and then place a damp kitchen towel over the wax paper (never place a damp towel directly on top of the bread because the sandwiches will become soggy). Refrigerate.

When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator. Uncover sandwiches just before serving.