I love to eat grilled sandwiches for lunch, so was intrigued when I came across a hundred-year-old recipe for Golden West sandwiches. This is basically a recipe for a ham and cheese sandwich made using French toast.
The bread slices are sipped in an egg and milk mixture prior to grilling. The assembled ham and cheese sandwich is then grilled using medium low heat that allows sufficient time for the Swiss (or Gruyere) cheese to melt. The grilled sandwich is then topped with a tomato slice.
The Golden West Sandwich was delightful. The grilled bread was softer and moister than the typical grilled ham and cheese sandwich, and was a nice variation of this classic.
Here’s the original recipe:
A spider pan is a skillet with legs. They originally were used over open fires. I just used a regular skillet to make the sandwich.
Years ago, bread crusts were sometimes removed from bread when making sandwiches. Since bread crusts are seldom removed today, I didn’t remove them when making the Golden West Sandwich.
It sounded challenging to dip the bread slices into the egg mixture after the sandwich was assembled, so I dipped the individual slices prior to making the sandwich.
I’m not sure why the old recipe calls for measuring the milk using a tablespoon. Four tablespoons of milk is the equivalent of 1/4 cup of milk, so when I updated the recipe, I went with 1/4 cup.
I used Swiss cheese when making this sandwich. The recipe gives the option of using either Swiss or Guyerë, cheese. Today, the later option is typically spelled either “Gruyere” or “Gruyère” cheese. I’m not sure whether the spelling (and the way accent markes are used) has changed across the years or if it this was a typo.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Golden West Sandwich (Ham and Cheese Grilled Sandwich)
2 slices bread
butter
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk
2 slices Swiss or Gruyère cheese (I used Swiss cheese.)
2 – 3 thinly sliced slices of ham
1 tomato slice
Combine the egg and milk in a shallow dish or pan; stir to combine. Butter one side of the bread slices, then dip the slices in the egg and milk mixture. Put one of the slices on a plate, buttered side down. Put a slice of cheese on top of the bread slice, then the ham slices. Put the other slice of cheese on top of the ham slices. Top with the other slice of bread, with the buttered slide facing up.
Using medium low heat, melt enough butter in a skillet to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the assembled ham and cheese sandwich. Cook in the skillet until the bread on the bottom of the sandwich is toasted and golden brown, then use a spatula to gently flip the sandwich. Toast the other side, then remove from heat, top with the tomato slice, and serve.
I once ate at a restaurant that made every sandwich with French toast.
This appears to be a down-home version of the French Croque-Monsieur. Some use two cheeses, and some use bechamel sauce, but the basics are the same. There’s a restaurant in Corpus Christi that does the best I’ve ever had. They dust the finished product very lightly with powdered sugar, and serve it with a raspberry sauce for dipping.
This looks to be a yummy sandwich. I will definitely be making it; I have loved grilled cheese sandwiches since I was a young girl. Thank you for sharing it!