honey ham & grilled cheese sammy

sandwiches don’t have to be boring. this honey ham & grilled cheese sammy just oozes with flavour and personality. the perfect (non-boring) companion for a tall glass of milk. yummers.

and what’s even better is that it’s a simple recipe for leftover redux. still not sure what to do that leftover ham from the holidays that’s still sitting in your freezer? check this out…

prep the ingredients:
- defrost slices of leftover honey ham
- cut a few slices of appenzeller cheese (gouda or gruyere would melt well, too.)
- cut thick slices of wholewheat sourdough bread

i love the locally-made, artisan sourdough from sidewalk citizen bakery. there’s something really comforting about aviv’s artisan bread — perfect for grilled cheese sammies!

grillin’ the sammy:
- melt 1.5 tbsp unsalted butter in pan on medium heat
- on the inside of the sourdough slices, spread horseradish dijon mustard on each slice
- place slices of appenzeller cheese on inside of each slice

- pile on the sliced honey ham on one of the sourdough slices
- lightly drizzle honey on the ham
- sandwich together the slices of sourdough
- press sandwiches firmly w/ kitchen spatula
- grill in pan on medium heat for 2-3min (flip sides) until toasted brown & cheese is melted
- remove from heat & set aside to cool slightly

croque madame

sweet & savory. a little bit of this, a little bit of that.

so i thought i’d put a twist on this classic brunch recipe — sweet fig & honey paired with savory smoked prosciutto and ricotta. the best of both worlds in one delicious bite. thanks to fellow foodie blogger poor girl eats well for the culinary inspiration to cook my first-ever croque madame. check out this eggs-cellent sammy…

i’m a big fan of locally-made artisan bread. and this challah bread from itza bakeshop is a pretty fantastic treat. i picked up a loaf on a whim, after hearing rave reviews from another customer when i came in to buy some fresh pizza dough. so glad i picked up some challah that day. perfect for grilled cheese sammies — or. if you’re feeling fancy — a delish croque madame.

prep the toast:
- lightly spread unsalted buttter on the outside of 2 thick slices of fresh challah bread (or you can substitute with sourdough)
- melt 1 tsp of unsalted butter in large saucepan on high heat
- add both slices of challah to pan and toast 1 side until slightly toasted
- remove bread from pan & set aside

sunny-side-up!
- fry 1 large egg (sunny-side-up, yolk intact)
- remove egg from pan & set aside

the filling:
- spread honey on the untoasted side of each slice
- add a thin layer of ricotta cheese
- add 2-3 figs (peeled, halved) and 3-4 slices smoked prosciutto (sandwiched in between the bread)