Ham and Jam

One of my favorite things to eat for any meal is ham and cheese. I love Cuban sandwiches, ham and jam sandwiches, and especially croque monsieurs. I first had a ham and jam sandwich in Stockholm, where their breakfasts are more like our lunches, with cold cuts, smoked fish and sliced onions and cucumbers.  I tasted my first croque monsieur in Paris, but the first one I fell in love with was actually here in New York. I was having brunch with friends at Prune and they serve this delicious croque monsieur for breakfast. Ever since my time abroad in Europe, I have been enamored by the combination of ham and jam. A croque monsieur with an over-easy egg and some strawberry jam has become my favorite breakfast. Jon and I wanted to create a single bite that would encapsulate the joy of a perfect breakfast croque monsieur. What we wound up with did just that.

INGREDIENTS
(Makes 4)

For the Sandwich:

1 slice brioche, toasted
1 thick slice smoked ham, cut into rounds
2 slices Swiss or Jarlsberg cheese, cut into rounds
4 Quail eggs, cooked over easy

For the Onion Jam:

2 large Spanish onions, thinly sliced and caramelized (will have extra)
1 tablespoon Canola oil
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper

For the Strawberry Jam:

1 pint strawberries, halved and hulled
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp white granulated sugar
2 tbsp sherry

Process:

For the Caramelized Onions:

1. Halve onions and slice thinly to create half-moon shapes.
2. Heat ¼ cup of oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a pot and add onions. Stirring occasionally, allow onions to brown and caramelize.  If bottom gets too brown, use a little water to deglaze and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape off bottom of pot.
3. Cook onions until they have reached a golden brown color and are sweet.

For the Strawberry Jam:

1. Caramelize 1 tablespoon of honey in a small saucepan.
2. When honey has turned a golden brown color, add strawberries. Cook for a minute and deglaze with sherry.
3. Add sugar and butter. Cook on low heat, allowing berries to sweat out juices.

For the Bite:

1. Toast brioche and cut into circle using circle cutter 1 inch wide.
2. Using the same sized cutter, cut out circles of the ham and cheese.
3. In a small sauté pan, heat a tablespoon of oil. Crack quail egg into hot pan and cook over easy, until whites are cooked through and yolk is runny, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and using small circle cutter, cut away outside whites so that only a small round of white surrounding the yolk remains.
4. To assemble bite, spread strawberry jam on brioche. Top with ham and cheese circles. Spoon caramelized onions on cheese and gently nestle eggs onto onions.

© 2010 Jonathan Meter and Jessica Hertle

Tagged as: Croque Monsieur, eggs, Ham, Jam, Quail eggs