Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
  1                cup  finely grated gruyere plus 2 tablespoons
                        -- for sprinkling the
                        -- sandwiches
  2        tablespoons  sour cream
     3/4      teaspoon  dijon-style mustard
     3/4      teaspoon  kirsch
  8             slices  homemade-type white bread
  4        thin slices  cooked ham
     1/2         stick  unsalted butter -- softened (1/4 cup)

Preparation:

In a bowl stir together 1 cup Gruyere, the sour cream, the mustard, and the kirsch and spread 1 tablespoon of the mixture evenly over each bread slice. Arrange the ham on 4 of the bread slices and top it with the remaining bread slices, spread side down. Remove the crusts with a sharp knife and spread the tops of the sandwiches lightly with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Invert the sandwiches into a large skillet, spread the tops with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and grill the sandwiches over moderately high heat, turning them once, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until they are golden brown on both sides. Transfer the sandwiches with a metal spatula to a baking sheet, sprinkling them with the remaining 2 tablespoons Gruyere, and broil them under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the Gruyere is just melted.

Nutritional Information:

1454 Calories (kcal); 109g Total Fat; (68% calories from fat); 96g Protein; 18g Carbohydrate; 445mg Cholesterol; 7180mg Sodium