Maple Drizzled Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich

I read about a teacher in a prison that bought a food truck and was using it to train released prisoners in food service.  This is a great idea.  It gives them practical experience with food prep and customer service.  A laudable goal.  But what REALLY caught my eye was one of the recipes they were known for, Maple Drizzled Grilled Cheese sandwiches.  That sounded pretty good, so I decided it needed to be investigated.

I decided a Panini sandwich might work with this.  The only thing holding me back was the lack of a Panini press.  But I DO have a George Foreman Grill and it makes a darn good Panini press.  We have a pretty big kitchen, but not enough room for every gadget on the market.

Maple Drizzled Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Provolone slices
shredded Cheddar cheese
Sliced ham
bread
softened butter
maple syrup

 

There are no amounts given here.  Just pile on what you like and make a sandwich.  You are only limited by what stays in between the bread slices.

Heat up the grill of choice.  A hot pan would work, too.

 

I placed the cheese on each slice of bread.  I wanted the melty cheese to hold the ham in.  I thought that if I had the ham against a slice of bread, it might slide around and the cheese would work to hold it in. I wanted to see what went better with the ham and maple, so I used Cheddar and Provolone.  Any cheese that you like on a sandwich should work. 

If you think ham and syrup are strange then you have never had pancakes with sausages and dipped the crispy sausages in a syrup puddle.

 

Place the thinly sliced ham on top of one of the slices of bread and cheese.  Layer the sandwiches and brush softened or melted butter over the outside of the bread.  Place the butter side down on the grill and butter the top side.  Close the grill and wait impatiently.

 

I lifted the top for a peek a few times and when it was sufficiently brown and crispy I put the finished sandwiches on a plate and drizzled them with some Maple syrup.

 

In order to investigate fully, I cut the sandwiches in half so we could each have some of both sandwiches.

These sandwiches were buttery, crispy and the syrup added a nice sweet touch.  I worried that it would be too sweet, but it was great.  Don't over syrup your sammies!

 

I think I liked the Provolone better with the ham as it had more of a bite than the sharp Cheddar.  Both of the sandwiches were good and worth having again.

And these are the lengths your intrepid reporter goes through to investigate claims on the internet.

You're welcome.