Grilled Jarlsburg and Black Forest Ham with a Surprise

(Printable Recipe)

A touch of apple jelly added to the smokey flavor of Black Forest Ham just seems natural, especially with the nutty sweetness of Jarlsburg. I've always liked the addition of sweet honey mustard to this sandwich but decided to try something new and it was even better! Black Forest Ham develops a distinctive flavor as it is smoked with fir branches and seasoned with juniper, pepper, garlic, coriander.  Echo these flavors by adding a sprig of rosemary to purchased apple jelly and leaving it overnight.

 The result is not pungent; just a hint of something mysteriously woodsy and well matched to the ham. Fresh herbs are always available in the produce area if you don't grow them. I picked this from the herbs growing on my sunporch and realized the entire plant had completely dried out while I was away on vacation. It still worked just fine. Little bit crispy, that's all.

Well, since I had all that great crispy rosemary crumbled up I decided to add some to a bit of softened butter and carry the flavor boost on to another level. Have a little pot of herbed butter on hand all the time. After using it to grill my sandwich I'll use it later to enrich some french green beans, maybe brown a bit of it to make an omelet, or just slather some on a piece of toast. 

And on to ham and chee assembly. Shopping List: Black Forest Ham, Jarlsburg Cheese, Apple Jelly, Italian Bread, Rosemary Sprigs.

Spread both pieces of bread with jelly. Pile on the ham, grate a heap of Jarlsberg on top, and squeeze it all together for the move to the griddle.

AFTER a butter up, of course.

Make sure the griddle is sizzling along, but lower it a bit if the bread is browning too fast for the cheese to get warm and melty. Any cheese bits that fall out and get crispy are purely a bonus. Eat them immediately. 

Ahhh, the toasty finish. Hot and sizzley, sweet and savory. Carry on.

You'll find me at the Comfort Food Feast which continues at the Food Network Blog this season. Here are the other Foodies who blogged about grilled cheese this week:

 Jeanette's Healthy Living: Grilled Cheese With Kale Artichoke Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Cooking With Elise: Inside-Out Grilled Cheese With Bacon
Red or Green?: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Red or Green-Style
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
Weelicious: Kentucky Hot Brown Panini
Virtually Homemade: Grilled Cheddar, Apple and Arugula Sandwich
The Sensitive Epicure: Individual Goat Cheese Mac & Cheese (Gluten-Free, Lactose-Free)
Devour: Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese
Thursday Night Dinner: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
The Heritage Cook: Open Faced Grilled Halloumi Sandwiches
Big Girls, Small Kitchen: Muhammara Grilled Cheese
FN Dish: Grilled Cheese Goes Beyond Cheese
Feed Me Phoebe: Mexi Grilled Cheese With Avocado, Pepper Jack and Refried Black Beans