William-Sonoma'S Grilled Fontina Sandwiches With Prosciutto And - cooking recipe

Ingredients

8 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 slices firm white bread (french, sourdough, brioche, or challah)
3/4 - 1 lb Fontina cheese, sliced
6 slices prosciutto
1 ripe pear, such as Bartlett

Preparation

First, clarify the butter: Melt the butter in a small, heavy saucepan over very low heat, watching carefully so it does not burn. Remove from the heat and let stand briefly.
Using a spoon, skim off and discard the foam from the surface.
Carefully pour off the clear yellow liquid into a bowl.
Discard the milky solids left behind in the pan.
Lay 6 slices of the bread on a work surface and top evenly with the cheese, 1 slice of prosciutto and the pear slices. Top with the remaining bread.
Brush a wide saute pan or stovetop grill pan generously with the clarified butter and warm over medium heat.
When it is hot, place as many sandwiches as will fit in the pan without crowding and weight them down with a pan lid.
Cook until the bottoms are golden brown, about 4 minutes.
Adding more butter as needed, carefully flip the sandwiches, replace the lid, and cook on the other side until golden brown, about 4 minutes more. The cheese will have melted.
Remove the sandwiches from the pan and keep warm.
Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.
Cut each sandwich in half and serve warm.