There's nothing quite as comforting as a grilled cheese sandwich on a cold day. This vegetarian version pairs gooey, melted Brie cheese with sweet pears, toasted hazelnuts and arugula.
Whenever I make a grilled cheese sandwich, I get a sudden craving for a bowl of soup, preferably tomato. This certainly is born straight from the lunches that my mum and I shared together at The Avenue Grill in Vancouver when I was a kid. It changed hands many years ago, but when we frequented the little restaurant, it was a dingy hole-in-the-wall that served simple diner food. It was the perfect place to nestle into a booth and chat over bowls of soup and golden brown grilled sandwiches.
This sandwich is certainly fancier than what they served at The Avenue Grill, but it takes mere minutes to put together. Pile the country-style whole wheat bread with slices of Brie cheese, sweet pear, toasted hazelnuts, peppery arugula and a drizzle of honey. When the bread is golden brown and the Brie cheese is melting down the sides, the sandwich is ready.
The recipe:
On 4 slices of bread, lay the Brie cheese, pear, honey, hazelnuts and arugula, dividing evenly between the slices.
Lay the remaining 4 slices of bread on top to form sandwiches.
Preheat a cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brush the top slices of bread with olive oil.
Place the sandwiches top-side down in the preheated skillet. Brush the other slices of bread (now the top) with the remaining olive oil.
Cook until the bottom slice of bread is golden brown. Flip over the sandwiches and cook until the other side of the sandwich is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Cut the sandwiches in half and serve.
More grilled sandwich recipes:
Grilled Italian Panini with Zucchini, Summer Squash & Basil
Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Jarlsberg Fondue, Ham & Tomato
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Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe with Brie, Pear & Hazelnuts
Ingredients
- 8 slices country-style whole wheat bread
- 4 ounces Brie cheese sliced
- 1 medium ripe pear sliced
- 4 teaspoons honey or agave nectar
- 4 teaspoons chopped hazelnuts lightly toasted
- 1 cup packed arugula leaves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- On 4 slices of bread, lay the Brie cheese, pear, honey, hazelnuts and arugula, dividing evenly between the slices.
- Lay the remaining 4 slices of bread on top to form sandwiches.
- Preheat a cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Brush the top slices of bread with olive oil.
- Place the sandwiches top-side down in the preheated skillet. Brush the other slices of bread (now the top) with the remaining olive oil.
- Cook until the bottom slice of bread is golden brown. Flip over the sandwiches and cook until the other side of the sandwich is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- Cut the sandwiches in half and serve.
Nutrition
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Denise @ Creative Kitchen
I've been getting into all kinds of grilled cheese lately, and you certainly can't go wrong with Brie!
jaime @ sweet road
I definitely want to try this out... I bought some brie coated in herbs the other day and I'm sure it would taste amazing this way.
Kevin (Closet Cooking)
Now that is one nice looking grilled cheese sandwich!
Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen
If there was any brie to be had within 50 miles of here, I would make this for lunch, beautiful!
carrian
I love grilled cheese with pear or apple. Sweet and savory!