A grown-up grilled cheese sandwich…

When I think of grilled cheese sandwiches, I think about grilled, golden brown white bread with ooey gooey American cheese melting out the sides. When you pull it apart, you get that gorgeous cheese pull; you have to eat it right away to get a proper cheese pull.

I tried making different grilled cheese sandwiches with cool names when I cooked at school, like a cowboy melt with ham and bbq sauce. It was a big hit. I wanted to introduce the students to something they already liked, but like Emeril says, “kicking it up a notch.”

I tried some delicious flavor combinations when I was on my fancy toast kick last winter. One of my favorites included a fig spread I purchased and began experimenting with.

A few weeks ago, I made a wagyu burger topped with homemade balsamic fig & pear compote. It was dope! It was perfectly balanced and delicious.

I found the leftover fig compote Sunday morning in the refrigerator. It was still good; I knew I needed to make something with it. I poked around the fridge and found the components of one of those fancy toasts we liked.

I sliced a loaf of sourdough bread (Schar gluten-free bread) and spread the balsamic fig & pear compote on one side of the slices. I added thinly sliced brie cheese and prosciutto. I buttered the outsides of the bread and threw it on the flat-top grill.

Marty was on the front porch drinking his Sunday morning coffee when I told him breakfast was ready. He smelled nothing cooking, so he had no idea what I had made.

The grilled brie, prosciutto, balsamic fig & pear compote sandwiches were warm, buttery, and golden brown. The cheese pull? It was sensational. Magnificent. It was delicious.

The grilled cheese sandwich hit all those flavor and texture components salty, sweet, creamy, soft on the inside, and crunchy on the outside.

After calling my fig & pear concoction a compote, I researched if that’s what it was called. I read an article on Masterclass on the differences between jams, marmalades, compotes, and chutney. 

Technically, I made a balsamic fig and pear chutney. Why a chutney? Because it contained vinegar. If I had added lemon juice, it would have been a compote. Good to know.

Jams and marmalades usually contain pectin or citric acid and can last longer in the refrigerator than compotes and chutneys. Interesting and informative, right?

Ok, let me try this again. I made a grilled sourdough, brie, prosciutto, and balsamic fig & pear chutney sandwich for my grown-up grilled cheese sandwich on Sunday morning.

It sounds fancy schmancy, and pretentious, but it was delicious and easy, especially if you buy fig jam, marmalade, spread, compote, or chutney.

I found a recipe close to what I did when I made my fig spread. However, I added chopped pears, kosher salt and chopped fresh rosemary to mine. Instead of olive oil, I browned my onions in a tablespoon of bacon fat which I always keep in the refrigerator.

Here is the link to the fig spread in case anyone has some ripe fresh figs. Figs have such a short season here in the Northeast; many recipes use dried figs if you can’t find fresh ones.

Grown-up grill cheese sandwiches are all fine and well, but right now, I want to have the kind I grew up eating and a cup of tomato soup. Yum!