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They should be served with sour cream and red or black caviar. [ Editor: Beard developed these for a restaurant consulting job with L’Auberge in Philadelphia. ]
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup whole milk, as needed
1 cup shredded raw carrot
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Sour cream and red or black caviar, for serving
    Put the flour in a bowl. Stir in the eggs, salt, oil, pepper, and just enough milk to make a thick batter. Stir in the shredded carrot. Heat enough butter in a heavy skillet to cover the surface, and drop the batter in by spoonfuls, enough to make pancakes about 3 inches in diameter. Cook on both sides until lightly browned, adding more butter to the pan as needed. Serve hot.
    CREAM CHEESE-AND PISTACHIO-STUFFED BREAD RINGS
    MAKES ABOUT 12 SERVINGS
    For this process you need patience and determination, so don’t try to perform it at the last minute and expect marvels. You will need a very thin baguette known in the French bakeshops as French flutes , about 24 inches long. [ Editor: These are also called ficelles .] Cut the loaf in half lengthwise and scoop out the center so that only the crisp tubes of crust and a little of the white center for contrast in texture are left.
    Cream 12 ounces of softened cream cheese with 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley . Add 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ½ cup of coarsely chopped pistachio nuts. Spread the mixture into the bottom half of the bread (be sure that you pack the cheese in tightly so as to get even slices), and sandwich with the top half. Refrigerate for half an hour before slicing. Slice with a very sharp knife in slices 3 ⁄ 8 - to ½-inch thick and arrange on a platter. [ Editor: The result is small rings of bread filled with the herbed cheese. ]
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The Highball Sandwich
The highball sandwich is a coinage of my own, I believe. It has been the solution for many of my friends and pupils who wanted to know what to serve a group of men meeting for an evening of cards or talk, or to a mixed group that was to have highballs during an evening gathering.
It is the larger brother of the cocktail sandwich. It is thicker by an eighth of an inch or so and about three inches square. It fills in when a substantial snack is desired and where a buffet table would be a nuisance. Furthermore, such sandwiches may be prepared or ordered in advance and kept in the refrigerator until they are to be served.
The highball sandwich should be on dark, well-flavored bread and should be well filled and substantial in appearance. Chicken, meats, and cheese are the most acceptable fillings with plenty of spice and sauce. The mixtures welcome at cocktail time are not as desirable here nor are the very “gooey” fillings, which have a tendency to drip here and there.
Serve plenty of pickles with these snacks, additional mustard and horseradish, and some celery and radishes; usually scallions will be appreciated.
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    OLD-FASHIONED PICKLED EGGS
    MAKES 24 EGGS
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    Editor: There was a time when every picnic featured these magenta-colored eggs. Canned beets are fine. If you wish, roast the beets yourself. Wrap 2 scrubbed but unpeeled medium beets in aluminum foil and bake on a baking sheet in a preheated 400°F oven until tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Unwrap, cool, and slip off the skins before slicing.
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2 dozen Hard-boiled Eggs , shelled
2 cups cooked beet slices
2 large yellow onions, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon plain salt
1 bay leaf
Cider vinegar, as needed
    Place the hard-boiled eggs in a large jar or bowl. Add the beets, onions, sugar, salt, and bay leaf. Add just enough vinegar to cover all the ingredients and cap the jar or cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours or up to 48 hours.
    To serve,