Grilled Cheese with Pear
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cooking Time: 10 minutes
- Serves: 2
Jennifer Zwiebel, founder of The Kosher Hostess, had a sandwich like this in a restaurant years ago and has been trying to recreate it ever since. Its surprising combination of flavors and textures work wonderfully together. This simple, warm dish is perfect for a cool fall day, served as an appetizer or as a comforting meal with a bowl of soup or a light salad.
I’ve laid out a basic version of the recipe. Feel free to play with it to suit your tastes! Try different cheeses (Gouda and Swiss, or a combination of the two, are delicious options). Use apple or pear chutney instead of mustard for a sweeter variation. Try apple slices instead of pears. You can even try dried fruit—I made one sandwich with dried pears and it was delicious!
If you want to make an even healthier version of this meal, leave out the butter and make the sandwich in a toaster oven instead of a frying pan.
- Part of Meal: Entree, Appetizer
- Food Type: Dairy
- Service Temp: Warm
- Special Diet: Vegetarian
- 4 slices of challah bread, 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices
- 4 slices of white cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon(s) butter (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon(s) Dijon mustard
- 1/2 Bosc pear, sliced into 1/8 inch slices
1. Butter one side of each piece of bread, then spread a thin layer of mustard on the other side.
2. Place the frying pan over medium heat and lay two slices of bread in the pan, butter side down.
3. Carefully layer the cheese on top of the mustard side of the bread, then place the pear slices on top of the cheese. Cover the pear with the other slices of bread, butter side up.
4. After about 5 minutes, when the bottom side is toasted and brown, flip each sandwich (using the flat spatula).
5. Finish frying the other side for 3 more minutes and remove the grilled cheese sandwiches from the pan.
6. If serving as a main dish, slice each sandwich in half; if serving as appetizers, slice each sandwich into four small triangles.
Serves: 2 as a main dish, 4 as an appetizer