Ham, Cheddar, and Apple Butter Open-Faced Sandwiches (Or Pizza)
"This is published in the October 2004 Bon Appetit as open-faced sandwiches, but I make this as a 12-inch pizza (a big, round, open-faced sandwich?). I wasn't sure whether we would like the sweetness of the apple butter, but there is enough savory/salty flavor in the rest of the recipe that it works well (I probably used more Dijon, though, and less apple butter, than called for in the recipe). In pizza format, it is good with some sauteed onion and some very well wrung out thawed frozen spinach added. I think this is a recipe that depends a lot on the types of ingredients used; since it has the apple butter, sweeter mustards and milder cheeses would probably not be as good. The relative proportions of Dijon and apple butter (and meat and cheese) can be adjusted for personal taste."
- Ready In:
- 20mins
- Ingredients:
- 7
- Yields:
-
6 sandwich halves
- Serves:
- 4-6
ingredients
- 3 ciabatta rolls, halved horizontally (or 6 slices country-style bread)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 tablespoons apple butter
- 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 1⁄4 lbs black forest ham, thinly sliced (I ended up with smoked turkey, and used less than half this amount)
- 12 ounces white cheddar cheese, extra sharp, sliced (can use non-white and adjust amount to taste)
- 1 bunch chives, chopped (optional)
directions
- Brush cut side of rolls with oil.
- Place rolls, cut side up, on baking sheet, and broil until rolls begin to brown around edges, about 2 minutes. For pizza, use crust of choice, brush with a light coating of oil, and prebake.
- Spread apple butter and mustard on each roll half. For pizza, spread the mustard over the whole crust and add the apple butter as small dollops (over whole crust).
- Top with ham, then cheese (if using onion/spinach addition, add after ham or any desired order).
- Broil until cheese melts and begins to brown in spots (2 minutes for sandwiches; if baking a pizza, probably 7 to 8 minutes--not under broiler--are fine depending on the directions for the dough used). It is good if some of the edges of the sliced meat get a little singed!
- Optional: sprinkle with chopped chives. Black pepper is a good addition at the end as well.
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Reviews
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This is a great recipe ... a classic in our family. I'm asked for the recipe again & again. When my daughter's college roommates get together, this is the one of the things that they request to have. Thanks for sharing.
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I spend time out of the kitchen working (sometimes more than my RDA), riding motorcycles, training for triathlons, and a few other things. There's the occasional burst of yard work and housecleaning, too. Although I seem to be able to come up with a reaction to almost any plant, so I have to almost dress up like a spaceman for gardening. In general, I like to spend as much time outside as possible in the nice weather, so I tend to cook in concentrated sessions for the freezer and fridge. That way, when we come home starving, there's always something tasty and reasonably healthy ready to go with minimal effort.
Right now I have just two recipes posted; I cleaned up my kitchen and tore out the interesting recipes from the magazines I got rid of. As I make them for the first time or refresh my memory, I will be posting them for preservation and with any findings about the results. Fortunately for me, many of the interesting ones have already been posted! Thanks for the effort to all who were more on the ball than I. And, I would like to thank you if you have added a review. I'm too shy about my own 'recipes' to post those at this point, but I still think it's the reviews that make this site especially useful.
