People who know the religious significance of challah may raise an eyebrow at our headline. (There’s more about challah below).

The sandwich may be tongue-in-cheek [photo #1], but it’s delicious. Here’s our adaptation of the recipe.

Beer is a great beverage pairing.

Prosciutto is the cured hind leg of the pig, as is American ham. The cure is different, creating a quite different result—more elegant and refined flavor.

Don’t want prosciutto? Here’s a recipe for a fried chicken sandwich on challah.
 
 
RECIPE: PROSCIUTTO SANDWICH ON CHALLAH

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SLICE a loaf of challah, or a challah roll.

2. BUTTER one side, add mustard to the other.

3. ADD the prosciutto and any other ingredients.
 
 
AMERICAN PROSCIUTTO

La Quercia (La KWAIR-cha—the name means “The Oak” in Italian) is an Iowa-based producer of classic Italian cured meats (called salume in Italian).

The company was founded by Herb and Kathy Eckhouse to create premium quality American prosciutto.

Their love of cured meats emerged from three-plus years of living in Parma, Italy, the area where prosciutto originated.

When the couple returned to the U.S., they wanted to create their own artisan prosciutto.

After launching their prosciutto to great acclaim, they developed additional cured meats (salume): coppa, guanciale, lardo, lomo, pancetta, speck and more.

Here’s more about pork products and pork cuts.

The handcrafted products are available at better markets. Visit the La Quercia website for more information and a store locator.

 
WHAT IS CHALLAH?

Challah is a braided, sweetened egg bread (photo #6) that is part of the celebration of the Jewish Sabbath.

Jewish custom requires that Sabbath and holiday meals begin with challah.

The word refers to a mitzvah (tithe) of bread, a portion that was separated from the dough before the loaf was formed and braided.

It was given to the Kohen, the priests in the temples, who had no income. This portion of the dough was sanctified and tithed; the remainder was used for ordinary consumption.

Challah has been part of Jewish life for millennia. It is mentioned in the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament.

While challah has been a part of Jewish kosher cuisine, modern times have encouraged different uses for the tasty bread.
 
 
TODAY’S CHALLAH

Challah has taken an evolutionary detour from the traditional rectangular, braided, ceremonial loaf to modern uses and different shapes (photo #2).

Why?

 
Challah is now used for:

 
…and the all-time favorite use, French Toast.
 
 
If you can’t find a challah at the supermarket, here’s a recipe to bake your own challah.

[1] A prosciutto sandwich on buttered challah, by La Quercia (photo © DiBruno Bros | Philadelphia).

[2] Different shapes of modern challah (photo © Hot Bread Kitchen).

[3] Challah Bread Pudding. Here’s the recipe (photo © Good Eggs).

[4] Chocolate Orange Challah. Here’s the recipe from Yin + Yolk (photo © Yin + Yolk).

[5] Olive challah (photo by Sue Ding | The Nibble).

[6] A classic challah. Here’s the recipe (photo © King Arthur Flour).

Challah is now made in flavors, savory and sweet.

 
We’ve been fortunate to try a number of flavored challahs, and pronounce them excellent, a real treat.

You can find many recipes, both savory and sweet, online.

[1] Green Goddess Spring Pizza, which can be enjoyed year-round, of course (photo © Broma Bakery | DeLallo).

[2] Pea shoots (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

[3] Spring peas, also called English peas and garden peas (photo © John Woodhouse | Woodhouse Chocolate).

[4] A white pizza topped with peas, pea shoots and shaved pecorino (photo © King Arthur Flour).

Celebrate spring with a green pizza: green from spring veggies and pesto sauce instead of marinara.

It’s topped with a fresh green salad. Year-round, we enjoy fresh arugula and basil atop a plain marinara pizza, so we knew we’d like this one.

The recipe was developed by Sarah of Broma Bakery, and sent to us by DeLallo, of whose products she’s a fan (so are we).

If you love to bake—or want a reason to start—sign up for the Broma Bakery Blog.
 
 
RECIPE #1: GREEN GODDESS SPRING PIZZA

This recipe can be made year-round, except for the pea shoots which are only available in the March-April time frame.

If you can find them (at a specialty produce store or farmers market), top the pizza with pea shoots and tendrils.

Pea shoots are the edible leaves of the spring peas (a.k.a. English peas, garden peas)†.

You can substitute microgreens.

Sarah used the DeLallo Pizza Dough Kit, but you can substitute prepared dough.

Ingredients For 2 Ten-Inch Pizzas

 
For The Salad Topping

 
Recipe Variations

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to its highest temperature. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. ROLL the pizza dough into two 10-inch rounds. Set them on the parchment-covered cookie sheets, and brush a bit of olive oil around the edges (this helps deliver a crispy edge).

3. SPREAD the pesto all over the dough, except for leaving a bare 1-inch edge. Top with the mozzarella, scallions and zucchini.

4. BAKE for 8-10 minutes, until the crust is golden and the mozzarella is bubbling. Meanwhile…

5. PREPARE the salad topping. When you are almost ready to remove the pizzas from the oven, toss the watercress and snap peas in the Green Goddess dressing.

6. REMOVE the pizzas from the oven, top with the salad and serve.
 
 
>>> CHECK OUT THE HISTORY OF GREEN GODDESS DRESSING <<<
 
 
>>> MORE GREEN PIZZA RECIPES <<<
 
 
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*Pea pods take the 60-70 days to mature, but pea shoots, the first sprouting of the plant, can be harvested within 2 to 4 weeks. When pea shoots are harvested, a percentage may regrow into a second crop; but pea pods will not grow on the plants: It’s either shoots or peas.

We recently dined at a wonderfully creative new restaurant in New York City, Frevo.

A cheese course is typically served before dessert, or instead of it. Quite a few connoisseurs prefer to end dinner with cheese instead of something sweet.

Our cheese course consisted of Comte cheese, shaved into pappardelle-size ribbons (fettuccine size works, too), drizzled with honey and topped with a frico of Comte.

Alas, we don’t have a photo of the ribbons of cheese drizzled with honey. They’re hidden under the fricos in photo #1.

You can use any cheese that can be grated into ribbons. These are typically any semi-hard cheese: Cheddar, Colby, Comte, Gouda, Manchego, Provolone, and others†.

If you enjoy fine cheese, don’t wait until your next dinner party. Start pairing sweet condiments with cheese ASAP. In the words of Nike, just do it!

You don’t have to grate it or top it with a frico.
 
 
WHAT’S A FRICO?

A frico (FREE-co) is a delicate, lacy baked cheese thin that originated in Italy*.

The only ingredient in frico is cheese unless you want to add herbs or spices. The grated cheese is scooped onto a cookie sheet and baked until crisp.

You can bake your own, with your cheese of choice and a grater and an oven. Cheese is the only ingredient unless you want to add herbs or spices.

Or, purchase them from Parm Crisps, plain or with different flavors, including Jalapeño and Sesame (photo #5).

But the reason we created this article is not for the frico, but for what Frevo did with it.

It was perhaps the most delightful cheese course we’ve ever had.

They drizzled honey over it, and added a side of honey mousse (photo #1), leading to today’s tip:
 
 
PAIRING CHEESE WITH SWEET CONDIMENTS

The idea is pretty conventional outside of the U.S., although some cheeseboard ingredient lists recommend it.

And in the American South, hosts have long topped a block of cream cheese with preserves or pepper jelly.

So we begin with a selection of sweet condiments that you can serve with your next cheese plate.

 
The condiments can be added as a drizzle over the cheese, a dollop on the plate, a circle of polka dots near the edge of the plate, or your own creative approach.
 
 
OUR FAVORITE PAIRINGS

If these seem bizarre to you, they are time-honored pairings among cheesemongers and connoisseurs. Try it before you judge it!

Why do they work? The flavor combinations are salty plus sweet, mild plus savory, sharp plus fruity.

 
But the wonderful thing about pairing cheese with sweet condiments is that you can mix and match until you find your own heavenly cheese course.
 
 
>>> THE NIBBLE’S GUIDE TO CHEESE CONDIMENTS <<<

[1] Our delightful cheese course at Frevo in New York City. Shaved ribbons of cheese are mounded and drizzled with honey, then topped with the fricos. The side condiment is honey mousse (photo © Frevo Restaurant | New York City).

[2] Frevo has a special device to make long ribbons, but we used our Microplane ribbon grater and made short ones like these from Cheddar, which we mounded on each plate (photo © Microplane).

[3] Black cherry confit with Manchego cheese. Shave the Manchego into ribbons (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[4] Honey is a delicious condiment pairing with most cheeses. If you don’t have a honey drizzler a.k.a. dipper like the one in the photo, freestyle with an implement you do have. Savannah Bee sells a honey blended specifically for cheese (photo © Savannah Bee).

[5] Parm Crisps are bite-size fricos (photo © Parm Crisps).

*In the Italian region of Friuli, frico refers to a dish of heated cheese and other ingredients, such as potatoes. It is baked in a round pan, is soft, and served in slices (like pizza). There is also a thin, crunchy version, similar to the frico described above, which is used as an appetizer or a garnish. While the first version has been made for centuries,the crunchy version is more recent.

The cheeses in the Semi-Hard category include a broad range of textures, from semi-firm to very firm; and from cheeses that are only weeks old to those aged up to several months or more. Because these cheeses contain less moisture than the soft and soft-ripened types, they hold their shape much better. Examples include young Asiago, Cheddar, Colby, Edam, Fontinella, aged Gouda, Manchego, Provolone and Queso Blanco. The difference between semi-hard and semi-soft cheese is one of moisture: Semi-soft cheese contains more than 45% water, while semi-hard cheeses contain 30% to 45%. A cheese can start as semi-soft, then move to semi-hard via aging, which evaporates the moisture.

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] Bake your own Irish soda bread with this recipe. Photo © The Baker Chick.

[2] Turn a loaf of Irish soda bread into French toast or bread pudding. This recipe from McCormick has both raisins and caraway seeds. (photo © McCormick).

[3] Irish soda French toast, for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dessert. The recipe is at right (photo © The Shannon Rose).

[4] Irish soda bread pudding. The recipe is at right (photo © The Shannon Rose).

[5] Some Irish soda bread recipes have caraway seeds, some have raisins, some have both and some have neither! These caraway beauties are from Silk Road Spices (photo © Silk Road Spices).

EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to health concerns, most of us won’t be running out today to pick up Irish soda bread. We’d planned these two recipes that use Irish soda bread to make dessert.

We’re sending them anyway, with hopes that they’ll be of use—if not now, then next year.
 
 
We love Irish soda bread so much, that we buy extra loaves to slice and freeze, to extend our enjoyment for a month or two longer.

But if you end up with too much soda bread and not enough space in the freezer, here are two ways to use them the next day or the day after (the bread can be stale, but not rock-hard).

These recipes are courtesy of Shannon Rose Irish Pub, with two locations in New Jersey.
 
 
RECIPE #1: IRISH SODA BREAD DESSERT FRENCH TOAST

Do you really need to top French toast with caramel sauce and powdered sugar?

If you’re serving it for dessert, sure.

For breakfast, brunch or lunch, conventional maple syrup is the way to go.

Ingredients Per Serving

 
For The Batter

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 450°F.

2. WHISK all the batter ingredients together. Heat the butter in a pan.

3. DIP each slice of soda bread into the batter and place into the pan. Cook each side for 3 minutes, until the color is golden brown.

4. REMOVE from the pan and place on a sheet into a 450-degree oven for 3 minutes. Remove from oven and slice each piece in half (at an angle like a sandwich, if the slices allow it).

5. PLATE the French toast and top with strawberries, caramel and powdered sugar.
 
 
RECIPE #2: IRISH SODA BREAD PUDDING

This recipe requires preparation a day (or evening) in advance.

Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. GREASE a 9″ square pan or a large rectangular pan (e.g. 11″ x 7″) and set aside.

2. CUT the soda bread into 1″ cubes.

3. WHISK the other ingredients together in a mixing bowl and pour the mixture over the the soda bread. Toss.

4. POUR the mixture into the greased pan, cover with foil and let sit overnight.

5. BAKE: Preheat the oven to 300°F and bake the covered pan for 40 minutes. Then turn the oven up to 350°F, remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes until the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

6. SERVE hot or cold.
 
 
>>> CHECK OUT THE HISTORY OF IRISH SODA BREAD <<<

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

If you have clear juice glasses or anything similar—and some extra time on your hands—you can make these clever egg crêpe omelets.

This recipe takes a bit more preparation than a conventional vegetable omelet, but it’s fun to serve.

How do you eat it? With a fork or spoon, from the glass.
 
 
RECIPE: EGG CREPE CONES

Ingredients For 6 Cones

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE the vegetables. Peel the sweet potato and slice it into thin strips and rub with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Lay the strips on a sheet pan, season with salt and bake at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes or until cooked through. Set aside.

2. PEEL the asparagus with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and salt; roast on a sheet pan at 400°F until they just start to soften. Set aside.

3. BLACKEN the outside of the red pepper over a gas flame* on the stove. Once black, wrap in plastic wrap and put into a container†, let sit for two minutes. Then remove and rub off burnt skin, remove any seeds, cut into long strips, set aside.

[1] Food fun: The recipe is by Chef Paul Sletten of Abreo in Rockford, Illinois.

[2] Each cone requires two eggs (photo © Karen Andrews | Free Images SXC).

5. ADD the goat cheese, thyme, rosemary and fennel seed to a small bowl. Mix together until combined.

6. HEAT the remaining olive oil in a sauté pan and gently sauté the garlic until soft but not brown. Add the spinach and cook until the spinach has just wilted. Season with salt and set aside.

7. ASSEMBLE: Warm all the ingredients and place the six crêpes in front of you. Imagine each one has a large V in the middle of the crêpe and stack your vegetables in the V (so they’ll be in the right place when you roll the cone). Start with a few slices of sweet potato per cone, followed by some strips of red pepper, then three asparagus spears, next some spinach, two sun-dried tomatoes per cone, and finally, one-sixth of the goat cheese mix.

8. STARTING from the left side, roll up the crêpe in a cone shape with vegetables sticking out the top of the cone. Cut parchment paper circles to wrap around your egg cones and place them into the individual glasses or other containers.

When we made the recipe a second time, for lunch, we used a toothpick to spear the middle of the cone, and served the cones on a plate with a mesclun salad.
 
 
>>> CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF EGGS <<<
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*If you don’t have a gas grill, you can char bell peppers under the broiler. Turn them every few minutes until the skin is blackened.

†We used a quart-size takeout container.