It’s often the simple things that give us comfort and Toast Hawaii is such a simple thing. An easy, open-face sandwich that won over German families in the 50s and is still enjoyed.
When a German TV chef introduced this recipe to his audience, it became a hit very fast. There might be discussions about whether pineapple and ham should be combined; I say “why not?!”
To me it tastes wonderful … maybe because I still remember my first Toast Hawaii. We had this as a Christmas dinner when I was 4 years old.
Toast Hawaii – A Quick Dinner
This is made so quickly and I usually have all ingredients on hand. Toast Hawaii is our “go-to” dinner when we can’t really find the energy to make something big but still have a hunger for something delicious. The kids of course love it. It takes only like 5 minutes in the (pre-heated) oven!
Butter, Mayo or Sauce Hollandaise
Here you can stay basic or get fancy. If you happen to have some sauce hollandaise, use this as a base but usually, some butter or mayo will do.
The Cherry on Top
Do we need a cherry on top? In my opinion yes. And it can be a fresh cherry or a cocktail (Maraschino) Cherry, both will work. If you happen to not have any cherries on hand, just use half a teaspoon of red jam instead, it works just as fine.
Not only does it taste fantastic, but it also gives the sandwich color. In my video, you can also watch me sprinkling some chopped parsley on top and a little bit of Cayenne pepper – which is optional.
Toast Hawaii
Ingredients
- 4 slices Toast Bread
- 4 tbsp Mayo or Butter or Sauce Hollandaise
- 4 slices Ham
- 4 slices Pinapple
- 4 slices Cheese gouda or any melting cheese you like
- 4 Cocktail Cherries (aka Marashino Cherries) or some red jam
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200ยฐC / 400ยฐF.
- But the bread into a toaster and toast slightly.
- On each toast, put some butter or mayo or sauce hollandaise.
- Next, put a slice of ham on it.
- On the ham, put a slice of pineapple on each toast.
- Top the pineapple with a slice of cheese.
- Put it into the oven (no convection!) for about 5 minutes or until the cheese melts and wraps nicely around the pineapple.
- Serve with a cherry on top or with some red jam in the center.
- Optional: Add some chopped parsley and Cayenne pepper on top.
