Recipe: Bistro Ham and Cheese

Yum. For those of you who know me well, you know I am all about eating breakfast for dinner. It's pretty much my favourite thing. And this recipe? It's like French toast meets grilled cheese, which basically makes it the best breakfast-for-dinner sandwich EVER. Also, it takes all of 15 minutes to make. Bonus!

A key factor in this recipe is obviously the bread. I bought me some 3 cheese bread from Thrifty's, and it was perfect. Yum. Don't slice it too thick though if you want the sandwiches to heat evenly all the way through.

Slather one piece of bread with your preferred type of mustard - dijon, honey, regular ol' French's. Then layer Swiss cheese, smoked ham, and some more cheese. The original recipe called for slathering the top slice with mayonnaise, but I substituted some Chipotle Lemonaise instead. Yum.

Then dip the sandwich in the egg mixture, just like you would French toast. Shake off the extra liquid - you don't want it to be soggy! Then throw it in the frying pan.

Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and your preferred level of crispiness. Cut, and serve!

Here's the full recipe:

Bistro Ham and Cheese
Recipe from "The Guy Can't Cook" by Cinda Chavich


Ingredients:
8 slices French bread
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
8 slices Swiss cheese
12 thin slices lean, smoked ham
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk, or cream
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil

Directions:
1. Spread four slices of bread with mustard and place on counter. Top each with a slice of cheese, three slices of ham, and another slice of cheese. Slather each of the remaining four slices of bread with mayonnaise and set on top, pressing down slightly, to make four sandwiches.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the egg, milk and salt. Pour into a wide, shallow dish, large enough to hold a sandwich.

3. In a large, non-stick skillet, heat half of the butter and oil together over medium heat. When the pan is hot, dip each side of the sandwich into the egg mixture. Shake off any excess and place in the hot pan. Fry until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches, then slice them on the diagonal to serve.

Serves 4 - and believe me, these sandwiches are plenty filling.