Grilled ham and cheese are delicious to begin with, but when you add fig jam, it takes it to another level! The salty ham and the nuttiness of the Swiss cheese gets a boost from the sweet fig jam. The three together make for an incredible sandwich. This is one of the best ham and cheese sandwich recipes I have had. You are not just limited to Swiss, ham, and fig jam. You can use ham and cheddar with an apricot jam. Roast beef, brie, and a berry jam are also a great combination. As always, make it your own!
The ingredients for the grilled ham and cheese
I used a ham off the bone lunchmeat by Kretchmar and shredded Swiss cheese for this recipe. I buy the Swiss cheese and shred it by hand. This is because bags of cheese already shredded have a coating put on the cheese to keep it from clumping. The fig jam was purchased at Whole Foods. Whole Foods has a variety of fig jams. I just purchased the cheapest jam they had and it was wonderful. The bread is up to you. I suggest a hearty bread that will stand up to the grilling. I have tried a few different types such as wheat, a thick white bread, Italian, and a nice seeded bread. The one that I liked the best was a flavorful rye. I just added a special something to the sandwich. I used a white bread for the picture.
Making the ham and cheese
Melt the other 2 tablespoons of butter and brush on one side of 4 pieces of bread. Set aside. This will be the top piece of bread. This is a good time to also warm up the ham. Warming up the ham ahead of time helps the cooking process. If the ham needs to be heated from the skillet, then the bread may get too brown or the cheese may not melt.
Next, place two tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Make sure the butter melts and spreads over the bottom of the whole skillet. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of fig jam over one side of the beard that does not have the butter on it. Place the piece of bread jam side up in the skillet. Then layer three slices of warm ham on the fig jam, (see picture above) add the cheese, and add the bread that has butter spread on it. Butter side up.
Check the bottom piece to see if it is golden brown. Carefully, turn the sandwich over to brown the other side. If the other side gets brown before the cheese melts, place the sandwich in your oven to finish the melting. Around 350 degrees F for 3-4 minutes should do it. Make sure to keep an eye on it while it is in the oven though.
Try my apple Swiss salad with cashews to go with the grilled ham and cheese!
Also, please visit my sides and salads page for more ideas!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons of room temperature butter divided
- 1 pound of warm sliced ham about 12 slices
- ½ pound of swiss cheese sliced or shredded
- ¾ cup of fig jam
- 8 slices of a bread of your choice
Instructions
- Place 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Make sure the butter melts over the bottom of the whole skillet.
- Melt the other 2 tablespoons of butter and brush on one side of 4 pieces of bread. Set aside. This will be the top piece of bread.
- Spread 2-3 tablespoons of fig jam over one side of the beard that does not have the butter on it. Place the piece of bread jam side up in the skillet with melted butter.
- Layer three slices of warm ham on the fig jam. Then add the cheese. Then add the bread that has butter spread on it. Butter side up.
- Check the bottom piece to see if it is golden brown. Turn the sandwich over to brown the other side.
- If the other side gets brown before the cheese melts, place the sandwich in your oven to finish the melting.
