Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Grilled Cheese Month: Grilled Buffalo Mozzarella & Prosciutto



As grilled cheese month marches on this entry is not my most creative, they are flavors I love, or maybe it's better to say worship.  Given the Italian spin of the this sammie and the Italian title of the blog and the fact that I post at lest one Italian recipe most months, I'm going to guess that's no big surprise.   I knew that this sandwich would make me very happy and make for an amazing lunch.  But this went so much further than that. If someone were to ask me what my ultimate sandwich is, this one would be it.  From the melty buffalo mozzarella to the slow roasted tomatoes and salty prosciutto, it's heaven on bread.  I'd happily eat this sucker once a week for the rest of my life.

As you'll see in the title and recipe I'm calling for buffalo mozzarella in this recipe.  I promise it's worth it.  If you just aren't sold on spending the extra dough or don't have easy access, you can use fior di latte (cow's milk mozzarella) which is widely available at most grocery stores.   I took the extra step to make a batch of slow roasted tomatoes, which I LOVE to just eat on bread or put in salads.  They keep for a good week in the fridge and require very little active cooking time and pack an intense flavor punch to anything you use them in.  They finish this sandwich and are part of what puts it into perfection for me.  But again, if you can't be bothered I'm sure a fresh tomato would be adequate.



Grilled Buffalo Mozzarella & Prosciutto
makes 1 sandwich
printable recipe


2 slices of artisan bread - I used the master recipe from ABin5
1/2 ball of fresh buffalo mozzarella - you can use fior di latte, but the buffalo is sooo much better
2-4 pomodori al forno - just a fancy name for slow roasted tomatoes that are heaven
1-2 slices of prosciutto - I only needed 1
3 basil leaves
butter -  at room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Slice the 1/2 mozzarella ball into 4 slices.  On one slice of bread, layer 2 slices of mozzarella, a thin layer of tomato, proscuitto, a few basil leaves and top with the remaining mozzarella.  Top with the second slice of bread and butter the top.
2.  Heat a medium skillet over medium low.  Carefully place the sandwich butter side down into the heated pan.  Carefully butter the top slice of bread, while the sandwich grills slowly for 5-7 minutes or until the first side is golden.  Flip carefully, using your fingers if necessary to keep it all together.  Grill for another 5 minutes.
3.  Carefully transfer the skillet into the oven and let bake for 5-10 minutes until the mozzarella is melted. You'll want to keep and eye on it, as my sammie started to slide apart, which I easily rearranged, but it signaled that it was time to come out of the oven.
4.  Remove the skillet from the oven., place the sandwich on a cutting board or plate and let rest for 5 minutes before diving in.

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you'll have seen my tweets regarding this sandwich.  From planning it, to prepping it, to the complete and utter satisfaction I felt after eating it.  As you can imagine, the Boy was not too happy to know he missed out on eating it.  I offered to make him one for dinner, but we ended up going out for pizza for dinner, so he got his fix and I was in a serious bread and cheese coma.

Do you have any go to flavors that make your perfect grilled cheese?

Enjoy!

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