Good Morning Lovelies, 

If you are anything like my mum then you will know that cooking in this heat is a nightmare. For her, any kind of heat makes her want to avoid standing by the stove or near an oven at all costs, leading to her searching for easy but tasty dishes. And they have to be tasty, as she also struggles to know what to eat due to the warm weather. 

There so, we have been turning to a lot of easy to make kitchen staples. I am taking chunky fish finger sandwiches, salads and the occasional burger that can be air fried to perfection. Yet, these basics can get a little bit boring, leading to us being very grateful when Maple From Canada UK made us aware of their new hot maple sauce recipes. 

One of which being their new recipe for the ultimate Ham & Cheese Toastie With Maple Hot Sauce, which when we first discovered sounded utterly delightful. To the point that we had to make it! After spending less than 15 minutes creating it, we were rapt by the sight that was in front of us. 

Using simple kitchen staples, this dish reminds me so much of the gorgeous toasties that Ireland is full of, which look, smell and taste incredible! You will definitely want to grab one of these on a super hot day for a filling meal that doesn’t take look to create…

Ingredients

Two Tablespoons of Butter + Two Extra Tablespoons For The Maple Butter

Two Tablespoons of Plain Flour

½ Teaspoon of Chilli Flakes + Two Extra Pinches For The Maple Butter

500ml of Milk

Three Tablespoons of Pure Maple Syrup + One Extra Tablespoon For The Maple Butter

Eight Slices of Hearty White Bread

Four Slices of Thick Ham

Four Slices of Your Favourite Cheddar Cheese

Salt & Pepper To Taste 

Tools

Two Saucepans

A Wooden Spoon

A Tablespoon

A Teaspoon

A Pastry Brush

Two Baking Trays

Method

1. To start, make the maple hot sauce by adding two tablespoons of the butter to a saucepan, heating it over a medium heat. Once melted, add in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon for two to three minutes or until bubbles form. 
2. Once the mixture is bubbling, gradually add the milk a little bit at a time, continue to stir it as you do. Then add in the ½ teaspoon of chilli flakes and the three teaspoons of maple syrup and stir again for five minutes to allow the mixture to thicken.
3. When the mixture is ready, season with the salt and pepper, remove from the heat and place to one side. 
4. Next, grab another saucepan and add in the remaining butter, maple syrup and chilli flakes, heating to form the maple butter mixture. Once all combined, remove from the heat and place to one side. After making the two sauces, it is time to construct the toastie. 
5. Preheat your oven to 200ºC, before grabbing a pastry brush and the butter mixture. Spread the sauce over the eight slices of bread. 
6. Then, begin to top the four of the slices with the maple hot sauce, ham and cheese slices. When the ingredients have all been used up, top the fillings with the remaining bread slices to form the toasties.
7. Place the sandwiches between two flat baking trays and cook for 8 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted, in the oven.

Once you have tried these sandwiches, they will quickly become your summer staple, as they go perfectly with a refreshing cider whilst basking in the evening breeze that we seek in our gardens! It is like a pub garden meal at home in fact! All with that little added kick from the chilli in the maple syrup, which Maple From Canada UK have expertly produced perfect! It is really a taste of sweet success!

Joey X