Ingredients
Beans – Use your favourite kind of bean! This time I decided to use canned
Botanic Cam vegan camembert from The Frauxmagerie
Anjou or Bosc Pears from Pfennings Organic Vegetables
A couple slices of hearty bread (I used a Currant and Pumpkin seed loaf from Rising Sun Bakery – also check out Aster Lane Bread and Thornbury Bakery for some tasty sourdough options)
Red Pepper Jelly from New Life Farm (This product does contain butter and is therefore not vegan – Dijon mustard from ONFC makes a great alternative!) – or use both!
Mayonnaise from ONFC
Salted or Unsalted butter from Millbank Cheese & Butter
Freshly ground pepper to taste
I love a grilled cheese sandwich – classic, filling, simple, delicious – but every now and again I like to get a little fancy and spruce it up with some unexpected ingredients. Adding fruit or veg, sweet or savoury spreads or a new cheese you have yet to try, can turn this humble sandwich into something special.
This sandwich is incredibly adaptable! The first time I made it, I fried up some bacon from Twin Creeks Farm, added it to the sandwich and then grilled the whole thing in the bacon drippings – it was so, so delicious! If you can’t find pear, try it with an Ontario-grown peach, nectarine or apple.
Serve this sandwich on its own or with a fresh, green salad tossed with sesame seeds from A&E and sesame tamari or vegan caesar dressing from the Ontario Natural Food Coop (ONFC). Find any number of tasty greens from Burdock Grove, Persephone Market Garden, Twin Creeks Farm or Sideroad Farm and sprouts from Zettel Family Farms, Stewart’s Fresh Produce, or New Life Farm. Or grab a thaw and heat soup from Redwillowhouse to serve on the side.
This recipe can be made vegan by replacing the butter and mayonnaise and by ensuring that the jam, jelly or preserve you are using does not contain gelatin or butter.
Makes 1 sandwich.
Procedure
This recipe comes together much like any other grilled cheese sandwich!
1. Slice your bread and butter the outer sides
2. Thinly slice a pear and the camembert cheese
3. Grab a pan (I love my well-seasoned cast iron but any pan will do) and preheat over medium heat
4. Spread the mayonnaise and dijon mustard and/or red pepper jelly onto the inner sides of your bread slices
5. Assemble sandwich: Place one slice of bread, butter side down, onto your hot pan. In an even layer, pile on cam cheese and pear. Crack some pepper over top and add the second slice of bread, butter side up.
6. When both sides are golden brown (this usually just takes a couple minutes each side), I like to turn the pan to low and put a lid over top to let the cheese melt completely.
Pop on a plate, cut in half, eat immediately and enjoy!
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