Harry's Bar Ham and Cheese Cocktail Sandwiches

This isn’t my recipe, which is not my norm, but these are so good that they are worth bending the rules for. That said, it fits the other Orderves criteria, namely: “things you never thought to make at home” and “things that are actually surprisingly easy to make despite seeming hard”. Put this in your appetizer arsenal, it’s a universal hit. One bite and you will be instantly transported by gondola to Venezia where Giorgio will be appearing shortly with your bellini. 

Harry’s Bar Sandwiches

Harry’s Bar Ham and Cheese Cocktail Sandwiches

Makes about 18 mini sandwiches, depending on the size of your bread

¾ cup freshly grated Gruyere

¾ cup freshly grated Fontina

1 TB Dijon mustard

2 TB Worcestershire sauce

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

1 egg yolk

3 TB heavy cream

12 slices of sourdough bread - try to go for biggish slices

6 slices of good quality prosciutto 

Lots of olive oil for frying

Whisk together the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne and egg yolk together. Put the cheese, mustard mixture and cream into a food processer and pulse a few times. The cheese mixture should be a thick spreadable paste. Cut the crusts off of the bread. Spread one side with the cheese mixture and lay one slice of prosciutto over the cheese, then place another slice of bread on top. Cut the sandwich vertically twice, making three thin long cocktail sandos. Repeat with remaining pieces of bread, ham and cheese mixture. 

Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a frying pan. Fry the sandwiches flipping (carefully!!!) once, about 4 mins a side, or until golden brown. Add more olive oil as the pan dries with each batch – and be liberal with it! About three sandwiches in a pan is as much as I can handle at one time, so it takes me several batches to fry them all. Serve piping hot, wrapped in a paper cocktail napkin alongside a peach bellini.