Most of the recipes I post here are pretty healthy, so I feel okay about sharing a heart attack in a pan once in a while. I’ve had this recipe in my binder for several years, but never found the right occasion to make it. Then I was asked to bring an appetizer to a party last night, and I thought, why not? Now that I’ve tried it, I think it would be good for a football party, wine and cheese party, or even a brunch. It’s very easy and quick to make.
Drunken Cheesy Bread
From Real Simple, May 2007
Ingredients (adjust amounts for the size of your pan and/or baguette):
butter for the pan
½ baguette, cut into 2-inch slices
½ small yellow onion, thinly sliced (I recommend mincing it instead)
1/8 pound thinly sliced cooked ham
¾ cup white wine
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ cups (6 ounces) grated Gruyere (Other cheese options: Fontina, Swiss, Monterey Jack, or white Cheddar. I chose white Cheddar because it was special-occasionish but still affordable. Real Simple looooves Gruyere, but it’s like $10 for a small brick.)
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400° F. Place the bread in a buttered ovenproof skillet, square baking dish, or casserole dish.
2. Scatter the onion and ham over the bread. (I had more than one layer of bread, so I added onion, ham, and cheese to the first layer before topping with more bread.)
3. Pour wine over everything, and top with the pepper and cheese.
4. Bake until the cheese has melted and begun to brown at the edges, about 20 minutes.
So is the resulting bread all soggy with wine, or does it cook somehow? What is it like? Tell us more! :)
:) The pieces I had were pretty crunchy, not soggy at all! I think some of the wine might evaporate in the baking process.
I have known you (well, to a degree) for years, but I only stumbled on this blog just now while hopping off some Facebook links.
Ohmigosh I must make this. THANK YOU!!