The Grilled Cheese Sandwich: PAIN PERDUE, the lost sandwich - this is just a tribute!

There is a little story behind this and it goes something like this; not so long ago I stumbled on the great website, www.cheeseandburger.com, and I learned there a great deal about hamburgers and Wisconsin cheese. I showed the site to a couple of friends and a few weeks later we embarked upon mission to create four great hamburgers and at the same time drink alot of beer. Waddaya know, it was fantastic. I blogged about the venture on my blogsite and posted a comment on the cheese and burger facebook site. It appears they liked it, they awarded me as a member of high standing and sent me a couple of really nice T-shirts. They have now started a site devoted to the grilled cheese sandwich (which I love deeply).

They have promised a T-shirt for those who contribute a recipe and this will be my effort. Actually this is a recipe I stole from my father in law and he stole it from someone else. That is what is so cool about cooking. Nobody owns a recipe - you just get to cook it, and those who love to cook usually share their recipes for others to enjoy.

What is special about this version is that it uses my very own proscuitto which I have been working on since last fall.

The Grilled Cheese Sandwich: PAIN PERDUE, the lost sandwich - this is just a tribute!

It is not only the name of this sandwich that makes it stand out,  it is also the methodology. And this particular method I learned from my father in law; he even cooked the very sandwiches so elegantly displayed on the photos. The name of the sandwhich means; The lost bread. Maybe because the ham is stuffed, or that the bread is soaked in beaten eggs and is not directly visible after cooking. But the name is just a name - the sandwich is the big deal.

First you slice a whole loaf of bread in thick (5-7 cm) slices. Then you take each thick slice and cut into the middle of the slice only a third of the way, then sticking the knife into the opening and creating a pocket. The pocket is first smeared with coarse mustard, even a little mayo. Then stuffed with freshly sliced prosciutto and large amounts of white cheddar cheese (but any melting cheese will do fine). The sandwich is then rolled in beaten seasoned (salt and pepper) eggs and fried in butter/olive oil untill it turns golden brown. It is then moved from the pan to an oven plate and baked in a 180 centigrade warm oven for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with a dressed salad or just undulge it on its own. It is absolutely wonderful; tasty, savory, juicy and first and foremost packed with delicious cheese!

Bon appetit, I really mean it! BON APPETIT!