Rosemary Olive Bread from Petite Provence
As previously stated on this broadcast, last night Mrs BDB picked up an olive/rosemary loaf of bread for me at Petite Provence on Alberta Street. Besides being a total glutton for gluten, being in a bakery like this evokes my memory bells, of when I lived in Paris and wandered the streets for hour after hour, ping-ponging from smell-to-smell, as it were.
As part of our grazing run last night included Parker’s Waffles, and they had a ham & cheese on the menu which we didn’t go for, but it surely planted a subliminal message in my brain (“you will get some ham and cheese, you will get some ham and cheese”), I woke up this morning, cozied up next to Mrs BDB, and her first words were “I don’t think I’ll be able to eat for a week,” and my retort was “I’m off to Barbur Foods to get some Black Forest Ham and some Swiss, back in a few minutes.” Getting in the last word(s), she exclaimed “I don’t want to talk about food!”
So off I went, to pick up the appointed items, and since I can’t go into a grocery store without automatically getting ten more things I didn’t go for and really don’t need, I hit the register and zipped back home.
Threw a couple sticks of butter in the cast iron (OK, a tablespoon), sliced the bread, slapped on some of the world’s finest mustard (Maille), some ham, a couple slices of cheese, and flopped that sucker in the pan.
Grill, flip, grill again. I have a superstition or a “trick” maybe that although the tendency of most people when removing a grilled sandwich from heat, is to just slide it on to the plate, I always flip mine when they come right off the heat, even in a restaurant. I believe it stays crispier that way. I could be full of shit on that point.
Anyway, the bread was superb, and the sandwich divine. It’s gonna be a big food weekend for Mrs. BDB and I, I can see it coming. (Ok, hell yes, you’re right, every weekend is a big food weekend here!)
Black Forest Ham & Swiss Grilled Sandwich