One Pan, Two Plates by Carla Snyder Read Free Book Online Page A

artisan bread (see “It’s that easy), each about ½ in/12 mm thick
    2 tbsp Dijon mustard
    4 slices Gruyère or Swiss cheese
    4 oz/115 g Black Forest ham, thinly sliced
    1 ripe plum tomato, thinly sliced
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    2 large eggs
    1 tbsp all-purpose flour
    ¾ cup/180 ml milk, warmed in the microwave
    1. Spread about 1 tbsp of the butter on one side of each bread slice. Turn them butter-side down and spread the other sides with the mustard. Top two of the slices with one slice of cheese on the mustard side. Arrange half of the ham on each cheese slice, followed by a layer of tomato and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Finish with the remaining two cheese slices, one on each, and close the sandwiches with the two remaining bread slices, butter-side up.
    2. Heat a 12-in/30.5-cm skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the sandwiches to the pan and brown them on the first side, about 4 minutes. If they are browning too fast, reduce the heat—you want the heat to reach the inside of the sandwich so that the ham is hot and the cheese is melted, without burning the bread. Using a wide spatula, carefully flip the sandwiches over and brown the second sides, about 3 minutes longer. They should be crispy and crunchily browned. Transfer to warmed plates.
    3. Add 2 tbsp of the butter to the hot pan and raise the heat to medium-high. When the butter is melted and begins to sizzle, break the eggs gently into the pan and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.Fry the eggs just until they are set, about 1 minute, then give them a gentle flip with a spatula and cook the other side for another minute. Try not to break the yolks so they’re still a little runny on the inside. Transfer the eggs to a separate warmed plate and cover to keep warm.
    4. Scrape out any crunchy egg remaining in the pan and discard it. Add the remaining butter to the hot pan and when the butter is melted, add the flour, ¼ tsp salt, and a few grinds of pepper and stir until the flour foams, about 30 seconds. Whisk in the warm milk and continue to cook the sauce until it boils and thickens, about 1 minute. Remove the sauce from the heat and pour it over the sandwiches. Top them with the fried eggs and serve hot.
    variation: Swiss, Cheddar, fontina, Monterey Jack . . . literally any melting cheese will work in this sandwich. Also feel free to use any sliced meats like roast beef, corned beef, prosciutto, turkey, et cetera. Other spreads like horseradish, mayonnaise, and flavored mustards are fun ways to experiment as well.
    it’s that easy: When it comes to sandwiches, bread is usually the main ingredient, so buy the best bread you can find. The price difference between a so-so loaf and a really good artisan loaf is minimal, so it is worth the splurge. Artisan breads don’t usually contain preservatives, so to keep fresh, store the sliced bread in the freezer and remove it by the slice when you need it.
extra hungry? A petite salade of pickled vegetables would be a welcome addition to this sandwich meal. You can find them at the grocery in multiple combinations (think cauliflower, carrots, onions, peppers), spicy or not, in glass jars near where the olives are displayed.
in the glass: Look for a white wine with low acid and a hint of sweetness, like a Müller-Thurgau from the Alto Adige in Italy or Alsace, France.

Cuban Sandwiches

    This hot sandwich is a complete meal wrapped between two slices of bread. I love the combination of tart pickles, salty ham, and gooey hot cheese but the pork in this sandwich really makes it sing. Slow-cooked shredded pork can be purchased in the deli section of most markets or it can be found packaged in the refrigerated meat sections. Just look for it. It makes an epic sandwich like this possible. Oink, oink.
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START TO FINISH 20 minutes
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HANDS-ON TIME 20 minutes
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serves 2
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    2 hoagie rolls or French rolls, split
    1 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
    2 tbsp mustard of your