| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 29 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Cook: | 9 min |
| Yield: | 4 sandwiches |
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded Pepper Jack cheese
- 6 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 scallions, sliced very thinly
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 thin slices ham
- 8 slices Jewish rye bread (or whatever bread you like)
- 1 green apple, cored and sliced thinly
- Mayonnaise, for coating
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix the cheese, hoisin, cilantro, sesame oil, scallions, and freshly ground pepper (to your liking). Mix with a spatula until well combined. Taste for seasoning, and avoid the temptation to eat the whole bowl as is.
- To make a sandwich, warm a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Then, lay 2 slices of ham on the bread. Place a layer of apple slices over the ham, and then spoon about 1/2 cup of the filling on one side of the bread, making sure it’s evenly spread. Cover with the other slice of bread.
- Coat the top slice of bread with a very thin coating of mayonnaise, about 1 teaspoon.
- Place the sandwich in the skillet, mayonnaise-coated side down. Weigh down with another small cast iron skillet, if you have one. After 45 seconds, slather the uncoated side of the sandwich with a similarly thin layer of mayo. Flip. Wait another 30 to 45 seconds and remove to your cutting board. Slice in half. Repeat with the rest of the sandwiches and serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 207 |
| Total Fat | 12 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 13 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 12 g |
| Cholesterol | 38 mg |
| Sodium | 595 mg |
Reviews
Oh my GOODNESS was this ever delicious! I read the other ratings and decided to use only 2/3’s of the hoisin sauce. But honestly, I could’ve used more and it would have been every bit as delicious.
This is one of the best ham & cheese recipes I have had in a very long time. All the flavors meld together and your taste buds are dancing with pleasure.
Thank you Aarti. You are a delight to watch.
Thank you Aarti. You are a delight to watch.
I was really uncertain about this one — the ingredients sounded like one hot mess to me. But, I decided to brave it out and make it just as Aarti instructed. Boy was I glad I did. It was the perfect comfort sandwich with a twist. Now my husband is just plain bored with my formerly “good enough” grilled cheese. The sesame was a nice toasty touch. I’ve made it with pumpernickel bread, too…and it’s equally yummy! My hubsand re-heated leftovers in the toaster oven and work and got dirty looks from the Lean Cuisine crowd waiting for the microwave. His co-workers think he’s got the best wife ever. (Of course, that’s true!
My roommate made these sandwiches and they are SO good. A great twist on grilled cheese…I’m in love! The apples, cheese, and hoisin sauce went really well together.
What a good way to jazz up a lunch instead of making the same old grilled ham and cheese! I’ve never grilled with mayo before but definitely will again. Of course apple goes with ham… now why didn’t I think of that? I didn’t have any pepper jack but used cheddar instead with good result. I will probably also use a little less hoisin next time but I will definitely make these sandwiches again!
Love the flavor of this sandwich! I made it a 2nd time with less hoisin, which made it much neater…my 1st attempt had the filling sliding out with every bite. I prefer using Milton’s whole grain bread, rather than rye. I love hoisin, so the flavor works for me.
I like the concept of this sandwich and only made half a sandwich to try it. The hoisin sauce I found to be too sweet and I only used ONE tablespoon, but enjoyed it otherwise. I’m racking my brain to come up with another substitute for the way too sweet hoisin sauce.
Love Aarti. Slowly working my way through most of her recipes. I made this with the corn chicken soup (like on her show) and the whole thing took me two hours to cook. Everything looked and smelled great. This sandwich had mixed reviews in my house. My son took one tiny bite, my step-daughter took three bites, my husband really liked the hoison and ate all of his and half of our son’s – – and I was doing good just to get through mine – although I did eat it all. I think I agree with the other poster that said the hoison is just overpowering (which it’s probably meant to be). But you really have to like hoison sauce to dig this sandwich. I’d never had it before – – and I can’t really compare it to anything else. Anyway, won’t be making these again. 🙁 Sorry Aarti!! I still love you!
Really surprisingly good! After reading the other reviews I decided to go with the 2 Tbsp. of Hoisin instead of 6 and I’m very glad I did – it seemed just right to me!
I liked the concept of this sandwich–the sweet heat–but all we tasted was hoisin sauce! I think next time I will use the hoisin as a light spread, more cheese, and no sesame oil. The cilantro was a nice bright taste. I probably should have read the reviews before I embarked on this, as it seems many people have the same ideas as I do!