Ham, apple & brie sandwich

Another day of rain, another day of reliving the glorious weekend we had.  All of the galavanting I did around the city had me indulging in various eats and treats along the way:

• Arugula and parmesan tortelloni in Shadyside
• A doughnut in Squirrel Hill
• A refreshing beer along the Monongahela River
• Four onion soup in the South Side
• Apple pie ice cream in Oakland

Oh, that's a lot of eating and treating, I know.  But all but the first were under $5, and I think it was a nice sampling of this fair city of ours.  I did do some toiling in the kitchen, albeit brief, and this is Saturday's light and luxurious dinner for the whole 45 minutes I was at my apartment: a HAB (no, not those Habs, how dare you) sandwich.  On my way back from Shadyside, I wanted to have a quick dinner before heading to the other side of the river, so I impulse grocery-shopped and left with one Granny Smith apple, 1/2 pound of thinly-sliced ham, a wedge of Brie cheese, and a pack of whole grain English muffins.  Some people go for a new TV or shoes, I go for food, thankyouverymuch.

What a study in flavors and textures this sandwich is -- the crisp bite of the tart apple, the dreamy creamy smooth Brie, the delicate and salty ham, and the crusty yet chewy nooks of the English muffin.  Swoon.  Although so simple in preparation, this sandwich feels like an instant getaway to a small outdoor cafe somewhere in France... you know, where the word "yinz" [shudder] is pleasantly absent from everyday language and Versailles is pronounced like Ver-sigh and not Ver-sales.  I love my city, but just sayin'.

HAB (Ham apple brie) sandwich
-makes 1

1 English muffin or two slices of bread, your choice
1 Granny Smith (or other relatively tart) apple, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
Sliced deli ham
Small wedge of Brie cheese

Toast English muffin lightly.  Layer thin slices of Brie, ham, and roughly 1/3 apple slices on one side of muffin (or bread) and top with other half.  I opted for two layers of cheese, but play with this and layer as much or little as you see fit.  Enjoy with remaining apple for an easy and satisfying lunch, dinner, or hearty snack.  Take comfort in the fact that no heat-expelling oven was used in the making of this :)