flipBackstage Ham-and-Butter Sandwich
Backstage Ham-and-Butter Sandwich
Why this dish? The sandwich eaten backstage between cues, when there's no time to sit: the real food of theater in the making, at the Théâtre de l'Atelier as on the Boulevard.
Half a fresh baguette, split and generously buttered with demi-sel butter, filled with thin slices of white ham: nothing more, nothing less.
Don't look for refinement, there is none, and that's its merit. A morning baguette, still a bit crunchy, split with a knife stroke, demi-sel butter spread generously to the corners—it's the butter that makes everything, never skimp on it—and two slices of ham, no more. We ate it standing, in the shadow of the fly loft, watching the stage, and believe me, no banquet is worth that bread when the play has you by the gut.
- •Fresh baguette — half (support)
- •Demi-sel butter — generously (binding and flavor)
- •White ham — two slices (filling)
Backstage Ham-and-Butter Sandwich
Half a fresh baguette, split and generously buttered with demi-sel butter, filled with thin slices of white ham: nothing more, nothing less.
Why this dish? The sandwich eaten backstage between cues, when there's no time to sit: the real food of theater in the making, at the Théâtre de l'Atelier as on the Boulevard.
Don't look for refinement, there is none, and that's its merit. A morning baguette, still a bit crunchy, split with a knife stroke, demi-sel butter spread generously to the corners—it's the butter that makes everything, never skimp on it—and two slices of ham, no more. We ate it standing, in the shadow of the fly loft, watching the stage, and believe me, no banquet is worth that bread when the play has you by the gut.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh baguette — half (support)
- Demi-sel butter — generously (binding and flavor)
- White ham — two slices (filling)
Ingredients
- Fresh traditional baguette — 1 half-baguette (support)
- Quality demi-sel butter — 20 g (binding and flavor)
- Bone-in white ham — 2 nice slices (filling)
Method
- Split the half-baguette lengthwise without separating completely.
- Generously butter both sides with room-temperature demi-sel butter.
- Fold the ham slices into the bread.
- Press lightly and enjoy immediately, ideally standing up.
How it was made : Born with the Parisian baguette at the turn of the 20th century, the ham-and-butter sandwich became the quintessential popular urban snack, sold at bakeries and café counters alike.
The contemporary twist : A thin layer of whole-grain mustard and a few split cornichons inside, an unabashed 'actor's dressing room' version.
Sources : History of the baguette and Parisian sandwich (French bakery references)
Jean Anouilh · Charactorium
