Grilled Ham and Kaltbach™ Le Gruyère® Cheese Sandwich

By Brianna Bond

Simple, sweet and savory are the best words to describe this new take on ham and cheese. Kaltbach™ Le Gruyére® AOP Cheese is known for its slightly more assertive flavors of spice and dried stone fruit which makes for an ideal complement to the apricot mostarda and caramelized onions. This sandwich is the perfect balance of salt and savory from the ham and cheese and sweet and tangy from the mostarda.

*Recipe compliments of Brianna Bond, Student of the Culinary Institute of America
Yield
1 sandwich

Ingredients

  • 2 slices sourdough bread
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 thin slices deli ham
  • 6 ounces Emmi Kaltbach™ Le Gruyére® AOP Cheese, sliced 1/8″ thick
  • 2 tablespoons caramelized onions (recipe below)
  • 1 tablespoon apricot mostarda (recipe below)

  • For Caramelized Onions:
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, sliced thin
  • ½ teaspoon salt and sugar

  • For Apricot Mostarda:
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 cup dried apricot, chopped
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • ¾ cup dry white wine
  • 1 tablespoon whole mustard seed
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Method

  1. Prepare Caramelized Onions: Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the butter and oil. Once the butter is just about melted, add the onions. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the salt and sugar. Uncover and increase the heat to medium-high and cook for an additional 25-30 minutes stirring occasionally until onions are a rich brown color.
  2. Prepare Apricot Mostarda: Heat a medium sauté pan. Add oil. Once warm, add diced onion and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until fruit is tender, about 10 minutes.
  3. Assembly: Brush the bread with the olive oil. Grill the bread in a saucepan for 3-4 minutes and flip. Place the Kaltbach™ Le Gruyère® cheese on both sides of the bread and melt. Adding a lid to the pan will help melt the cheese. Once the cheese is melted, add the sliced ham and caramelized onions. Close the sandwich and serve with the apricot mostarda.