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Waukesha Cheese Sandwich

Posted by David Brostrom on Dec. 26, 2009

I just discovered a Waukesha recipe from sixty years ago. A now defunct Milwaukee brewery created a book of sandwiches to complement their beer and to sell more beer to women.  This how-to book was only distributed to certain customers and businesses, so it was scarce -- since it went out-of-print many decades ago, it still is. I imagine it was so obscure, in fact, that even recipe-hound Julia Child was unaware of it -- and the Waukesha Cheese Sandwich on page 73 that honored the 'quality dairy products' our city was once known for.

The Waukesha Cheese Sandwich is one of 300 delicious recipes from around the world featured in "Frederic Girnau's Sandwich Book Of All Nations," a unique 1948 paperback cookbook sponsored by the A. Gettelman Brewing Company, "Milwaukee 8, Wisc." The author is very earnest about the company's passion for good food, and in this case, scrumptious sandwiches, appetizers and canapes. Here's why.

According to the book's introduction, "More homes are wrecked by the daily menu than the other woman. Without a doubt, the American housewife is one of the finest purchasing agents in the world, and that is why housewives depend on Gettelman Milwaukee beer."

This is how you concoct our city's cheese sandwich:  "Cream one brick of 'Waukesha cheese' with a little sweet cream; add a pinch of salt, a few chopped pecan nut meats, and a handful of chopped olives. Place between thin slices of lightly buttered rye bread." Sounds like a New Year's Eve or Superbowl winner to me. Easy and salty.

If you don't care for those particular ingredients, here are other distinctive alternatives included in this historical recipe book: the Sportsman Stag Sandwich, the Automobile Sandwich, the Cannibal Sandwich, the Jessie A. Mills Special Peanut Mayonnaise Sandwich, the Horseradish Sandwich, the Maple Cream Sandwich, or, one of my all-time favorites, the Chestnut and Prune Sandwich.

Let me know if you make any Waukesha Cheese Sandwiches and what you think of the overall taste.

Bon Appetit!