Sunday, February 26, 2012

A twist on ham and cheese

If you're a regular reader here, you probably know that I like to enter the contests over at Kitchen Play.

For a different twist, I got invited to participate in what the folks at Kitchen Play call a Sidecar Event - a special blogging event about a featured product.

The product this time was Jarlsberg Dip, made by the same folks who make Jarlsberg Cheese. (Sigh ... cheese ... I love cheese!)

Sure, I could have spread the dip on a cracker and been done with it (we weren't required to create a recipe, so I literally could have simply spread it on a cracker). But once I found the dip, I figured I should do something a little more interesting with it.

I like little nibbles - snacks or appetizers - and this dip seemed like the perfect thing to use.

The application was simple. Thin slices of a small loaf of bread I had on hand, topped with ham and then the cheese.

I used cocktail rye bread that I had made, but you could certainly use anything you like. If you don't have a baguette or similar bread for small slices, you could slice sandwich bread into quarters or cut out rounds with a biscuit cutter or cut shapes with a cookie cutter.

I put the little breads under the broiler to melt the cheese and brown it a bit. And that's it. Done. A warm, cheesy toasty snack.

You don't really need a recipe - just use as much ham and cheese as you like, and if you want to add something else, go for it. A bit of mustard would be nice.

If I was making the same thing for company or for a party, I might add a little more garnish. Maybe a sprinkle of thinly sliced scallions or olives or chopped tomato.

But really, for a quick snack, simple is great.

As part of this event, Jarlsberg is hosting a giveaway of some pretty sweet things (this link will take you to the giveaway).

The lucky winner will get a tailgate tote stocked with:

Enter the contest here!
Jarlsberg Lite Cheese
Jarlsberg Cheese Dip
Snofrisk (a Norwegian style cream cheese)
Crispbreads
Honey crèmes
Honey vinegar.

Sounds pretty good, right? So, go wander over to the giveaway and enter. That honey vinegar is calling my name. And cheese is always a good thing.

I received a small monetary compensation for participating in this event. 

This has been submitted to Tastespotting.
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