Ham and Cheese Panini with a Balsamic Drizzle
Panini is the plural word for panino in Italian, meaning bread roll. Although toasted sandwich makers were popular by the 1930s in many regions, it wasn’t until the 1970s that the panini craze first caught on in Lombardy, Italy. There, bars or paninoteches served hungry Milanese workers with filling food.* **The rest was history. Fast-forward fifty years, the idea for this panini came to me a year ago when I was bored with the regular ham and cheese grilled sandwich. I thought, maybe I can swap out smoked cheese, like gouda, for sharp cheddar cheese, then pair it with hickory ham and fruity pear for a sweet note. While I liked the pairing so far, this panini missed a savory element. So, I ran through my mental rolodex of savory recipes and struck on my Quick and Best Balsamic Vinaigrette. Voilà! My Ham and Cheese Panini with a Balsamic Drizzle was born.
Ingredients
- 6 thin slices deli smoked ham
- 2 by 3-inch square slices smoked gouda cheese
- 2 by 3-inch square slices pear
- 2 slices sourdough bread
- 4 t. Grey Poupon Country Mustard
- 2-3 t. My Quick and Best Balsamic Vinaigrette, see recipe under Salad
Directions
- Step 1 If you have a Cuisinart Griddler® or panini press, then follow this set of instructions. First, fire up your panini press or Griddler®. While your grill is heating up, take two fresh slices of sourdough bread and spread 4 t. mustard on one side of two slices of bread. Next, cut (2) 3” square by ¼” thick slices of pear and cheese. Pile the pear, cheese, and 6 slices of ham on what will become the bottom slice of bread. Then, brush the top slice (on the side the mustard is spread on) with 2-3 t. balsamic vinaigrette or wait until the panini is grilled if the dressing makes a mess on your grill. Next, place the sandwich on your griddle and heat until the cheese melts, leaving sear marks. Cut the panini in half with a serrated knife and serve. *Note: you don’t need to coat the face of the sandwich, which makes contact with the grill, with any butter, olive oil, or mayonnaise.
- Step 2 If you don’t have a panini press or Griddler®, don’t fear. I’ve found a workaround, so follow this set of instructions First, toast your bread in the toaster. I need to cut my sourdough in four halves to fit in the toaster. Either way will work—toasting in 1 or 2 batches. While the bread is toasting, cut (2) 3” square by ¼” thick slices of cheese and arrange 1 slice of cheese over the 3 slices of ham. Repeat this step for the other 3 slices of ham. Heat just the ham and cheese in the microwave until the cheese begins to melt, about 20 seconds. Then, cut the pear in (2) 3” square by ¼” thick slices. Next, when the bread is done toasting, spread 1 t. mustard over 4 sourdough halves. Now, top two halves with a slice of pear, cheese, and 3 slices of ham. These will become the sandwich bottoms. Drizzle with my Quick and Best Balsamic Vinaigrette. Cover with the sandwich tops. Serve and enjoy!
My sensational panini will awaken your taste buds with a burst of hickory ham, melting gouda cheese, fruity pear, and my secret ingredient, a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette. The homemade vinaigrette plays off the pungency of the Dijon mustard and complements the smokiness of the gouda cheese and hickory ham while allowing the tangy pear to sing.