Ham and Jam Sandwich

The instructions for cutting the baguette (Step 1) are the most confusing instructions I have ever read.

Lol. I'm very comfortable with knives, but after reading those bread prep instructions, I tore the thing apart anyway.

A colon often precedes an explanation. So... after the colon is where the instructions start. Pretty much anytime you need to cut something in multiple pieces... you first cut in half, then each half in half, and keep doing it until you reach the desired quantity. So you have 4 pieces... can you guess what to do next in order to have each piece ready for a sandwich?

The baguette instructions are funny. Here you go: Cut your baguette into four equal parts. Split each part as if for a sandwich (or butterfly). This is also a take on the wonderful American left-over turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce, a sandwich I will never forget from my childhood at a fancy hotel in Door County, Wisconsin.

Mixing the jam with dry mustard at a ratio of 3 to 1 makes a mock mostarda which is delicious on sandwiches. I learned about this in one of Marcella Hazan's books.

One of my favorite sandwiches is prosciutto and fig jam on a baguette. Sometimes I add a small handful of mixed sprouts or arugula.

I prefer less jam - it really shouldn’t overwhelm the ham. But it is a glorious one. The sweet and savory, is nothing new. I once had a lovely breakfast in a pub across the street from the Palace of Westminster- a bacon sandwich of brown bread - one piece spread with wonderful soft butter, and the other with a surprising schmear of strawberry preserves, with a mound of lovely rashers between. This - at 08:00 - was served with a half-pint of warm beer. I shall never forget it.

How about this: cut the baguette into 4 equal pieces and cut each piece lengthwise to split it open - remember - you’re making sandwiches.

I think the cutting of the baguette after cutting it into 4 equal pieces should read: then slice each of the 4 pieces through middle to open for sandwich.

add melted brie..now were talkin

Mixing sweet and savoury is always a winner. One of my favourites is a thick layer of butter on white bread, a strong but creamy cheddar (Orkney is a winner) - sliced, not grated - and bramble jelly. This was mine and my Grandma's secret after-school treat and it fills me with joy every time I make one for myself.

Delicious with thinly sliced Virginia ham & slightly tart sour-cherry jam from the Middle Eastern grocery store. Tiny layer of butter.

Here's the low-brow version with what I had on hand: Bob's thin-sliced organic bread + Fresh Market raspberry jam + French's whole-grain mustard + Food Lion deli ham on sale for $4.39/lb cut to #2 thickness + red onion + ground pepper corn. It was good!

Wait, how do you slice the baguette?

A more efficient approach to manufacture this sandwich would be to slice the bread lengthwise, then assemble the sandwich. The halving of the halves could be done at the very end.