i am a food blog

It’s Sunday! You know what that means: it’s time for Sunday Brunch. Why don’t you skip the line and make brunch at home this week? The coffee’s truly bottomless, the booze doesn’t have a crazy markup and you can chill out in your pajamas. Every Sunday I’ll post a brunch recipe. Soon you won’t be asking, where should we go for brunch – instead it’ll be, what should we make for brunch today?

I have a big ol’ girl crush on Joy the Baker, so when her newest book, Homemade Decadence, arrived at my door, I nearly squealed. When I unwrapped the package and found a fancy new green moleskine notebook and a handwritten note, I was even more smitten. I wanted to make nearly everything (especially the banana bread biscotti, dark chocolate pistachio smoked sea salt cookies, and bourbon-chocolate pecan pie bars), but what stood out was the breakfast grilled cheese, because grilled cheese.

This sandwich is a salty-sweet party in your mouth with whole grain mustard, black forest ham, cherry jam, and brie. I think brie was one of my first “fancy” cheeses. Keep in mind, as a child the only cheese in the fridge was Kraft singles. I still get extremely nostalgic when I see those pre-wrapped orange squares. Since then, I’ve expanded my cheese tastes just a little. I don’t know where or when I first tried cheese other than Kraft, but I do remember how my first bite of brie was, like Lucky Charms, magically delicious.

Brie is silky smooth creaminess. It’s mild and melty, which lends itself well to bold flavours and grilled cheese. This sandwich was, as Joy says, is “utterly inspired” and perfect for an easy, breezy brunch. I cut my sandwich up in to teeny-tiny squares and skewered them for fun because if I can put food on a stick, I will. I imagine these guys would be super popular at a cocktail brunch party. Which is totally a thing, right? Please excuse me while I go plan out the menu (and my outfit!) for a fancy, standing room only cocktail brunch party. Happy Sunday!

Breakfast Grilled Cheese with Ham & Cherry Jam via Homemade Decadence
makes 1 sandwich, adjust as needed

• 2 thick slices brioche bread or bread of choice
• 1 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 3-6 thin slices black forest ham
• 1 tablespoons cherry jam
• 2 ounces brie
• butter, for the pan

With a sharp knife, cut the brie straight from the fridge, into even slices. Spread the mustard on one slice of bread and the jam on the other. Layer the ham on the mustard-clad slice of bread and the brie on the jam slice. Sandwich the slices together. Melt about a tablespoon of butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Swirl and add the sandwich and cook, flipping once, until golden brown and gooey, about 6 minutes total. Cut in to desired shapes and enjoy immediately.

briecherryham