Are you entertaining for Christmas or New Year this year? We had 14 people round the table for Christmas dinner last year, so we decided that Christmas day would be just the four of us this year, then we’ll have family round and do some visiting starting on Boxing day. I’m one of those people who likes to plan my food (my holidays, my work schedule, basically anything I can get into a list) well in advance. And these sandwich bites are on my party table list because:
I’m thinking of making a sweet version too - with banana and mascarpone, raspberries, Nutella and figs. Or how about doing it all in one loaf! Starting with savoury at one end and finishing with sweet at the other end! The middle slice might be a bit Russian roulette though….. A week tomorrow till the big day and despite the fact that I’m that annoying list-maker that we talked about earlier, I’m definitely NOT organised for Christmas. My Christmas cake is in the oven as we speak - several weeks after I was planning to make it (I even have a post titled November is the time to make your Christmas cake!). When I came to make it this morning, I accidentally squeezed the juice of a lemon in the mixture (instead of just the zest), I discovered we had no mixed spice - so had to improvise and make my own, and worst of all, that bottle of cherry brandy I thought I had at the back of the cupboard turned out to be grenedine. So my cake has a mixture of rum and amaretto in it instead. I’m sure it will be fine. I also have several pressies left to buy, I need to replenish the ferrero rochers that we stuck in the Christmas tree because I ate them all (and it was a LARGE box), and I haven’t posted a single Christmas card. At least the cats have Xmas outfits though.
(which, by-the-way lasted about 90 seconds, because I couldn’t stand looking at their sad/grumpy faces). So back to the sandwich bites. Hollow out a ciabatta loaf, then spread the base with cream cheese. This helps to waterproof the sandwich, so the bread doesn’t go soggy. I wanted three different types of sandwich - So I started with a layer of cucumber, spinach and carrot. Next a layer of salmon, red onion and radish. Then mizuna leaves, roasted peppers and hummus, and finally lemon zest, pesto and grated beetroot.
Replace the ciabatta lid. Then if you can’t wait, you can chop into bite-size pieces right away (hold each bite together with a cocktail stick). Or if you want to press it, wrap in parchment and place in the fridge. Place a baking tray on top with a heavy weight (I used a heavy pestle and mortar), and leave for a few hours or overnight.
Then unwrap and chop!
Can I make it ahead?
Yes, so long as you have a good thick layer of cream cheese, and you’re using really fresh ciabatta, you can make this 2 days ahead, then wrap and refrigerate.
Can I make it gluten free?
So far I haven’t found a decent, thick gluten free ciabatta. If you know of one, let me know and I’ll add it to this post. Warburtons do a pretty good gluten free sourdough cob that would work for this though. If you’re using a cob, you’ll be better off slicing into wedges. The wedges will probably be bigger than the bites, so it will serve fewer people.
What can I use instead of cream cheese?
The cream cheese acts as a barrier to prevent the bread getting soggy. You could use a spreading of butter or some thinly sliced cheese instead.
The French Pressed Sandwich Bites Recipe:
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