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ingredients
2 Flour Tortillas
4 Thin slices ham
8 Slices Jarlsberg Cheese
1/4 Cup fresh pineapple, chopped
2 Tbsp. Fresh Basil, julienned
DIRECTIONS
2) Brush a large non-stick skillet with the basil olive oil. Heat over medium high heat on the stove.
3) Add a flour tortilla and on one side add two slices of cheese, then the ham, then the chopped pineapple and julienned basil. Top with the final two slices of cheese.
4) Fold over the tortilla creating a half-moon quesadilla. Press down with a spatula. Let cook until the bottom in golden brown. About 3-5 minutes.
6) While the quesadilla is cooking, heat the vinegar in a small pot on the stove over medium high heat. Boil the vinegar for about a minute, then remove from the heat. As the vinegar cools, it will thicken into a glaze.
7) When the second quesadilla is done, place both on a cutting board and cut each into four wedges. Drizzle with the balsamic glaze and enjoy!
You immediately get extra flavor from the basil olive oil. This just emphasizes the fresh basil in the quesadilla. However, if you don’t have it, use regular olive oil or cooking spray. Both will work. If you want that flavor boost you can buy Patricia and Paul basil olive oil here.
For this quesadilla, I used Virginia ham and Jarlsberg cheese. You certainly could use your favorite ham or turkey would also work. Use your favorite cheese. Some great substitutions would be Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, fontina and brie. All work.
For this, I like to chop fresh pineapple pretty small so it melds in with the sandwich. I use fresh but I’m sure canned would work in a pinch. Just be sure you drain it really well. Fresh basil is a must…dried doesn’t work here. To julienne your basil, simply take several leaves and roll them up tightly into a cylinder shape. Slice and you’ll get thin ribbons. Simple!
I like to put the cheese on the top and bottom of all the ingredients. As it melts, it acts like the glue that holds the sandwich together.
The final finish, a drizzle of balsamic glaze, is so delicious is can’t be omitted. Here I’ve used pineapple flavored balsamic vinegar from Patricia and Paul. It is just so darn good. It complements the fresh pineapple so well and is just delicious. If you don’t have it, use white balsamic vinegar that you’ve cooked down to a glaze. A drizzle of honey or agave would work here too.
Serve these up on a large platter and watch them disappear. You may want to make more than one a person (especially if there are guys involved and any type of sporting event…these just vanish!).
Did you like this recipe? Try some of my other favorite appetizer recipes:
