I felt a little dirty after eating this sandwich.

[mdboatbum]

This started out as a light dinner. It didn't end up that way. I'd seen a post from Chef John at Food wishes about a grilled Brie and pear sandwich a while back, had tried it and really liked it. But, me being me...

I started out with triple cream Brie.

Then sliced some Anjou pears.

Then brushed some rustic bread with olive oil.

And melted a little butter in a cast iron skillet.

Then I drizzled a good bit of honey on the bread and sprinkled some dried thyme. This turned out to be the secret. The open crumb of the bread allowed some of the honey to seep through and caramelize with the butter in the skillet creating a candy coating.

Then I added the cheese.

And after adding the pears and waiting for the cheese to melt (forgot to get a pic, sorry) I closed it all up.
Here's where I discovered the magic. There was a caramelized quarter inch of honey and butter on the outer crust of the bread.

And sliced. It was one hell of a sandwich. Sweet and savory, with the rich Brie offset by the fresh burst of the pears, and the thyme and pepper providing a nice bass note. Though it wasn't smoked and was for all intents and purposes a vegetarian dinner, it was one of the best sandwiches I've ever had. Next time I'll try it with bacon.

 

[pc farmer]

Looks tasty. Better with bacon.

 

[mdboatbum]

Haha!! That was a joke. Bacon would have absutely ruined it.

 

[b-one]

Looks interesting!

 

[pc farmer]

Bacon is good on anything.

 

[mdboatbum]

You're right it is. Im not sure it would work here though, but I tell you what, I'll give it a try and report back. Who knows, the more I thin about it the more I think it might work.

 

[pc farmer]

Thin sliced bacon.

 

[daveomak]

HEY BUM !!!!! That looks sooooooo good..... I'm thinking crispy crumbled bacon embedded with the honey drizzled over it.... Kind of like a praline bacon embedded in the bread.... I've got all the makings.... but it's too late now... maybe breakfast.....
That Chef John is an amazing dude... I really like him, and his recipes... He's my go to guy on u-tube...
Thanks for the recipe....

Dave

 

[mdboatbum]

Hey Dave, thanks! I think you and cfarmer might be onto something. I originally thought bacon would be too strong a flavor and overpower everything else but maybe not.
And I agree, Chef John's vids are great. He did a duck breast pastrami Reuben recently that might make its way over to this forum in the near future. [emoji]128516[/emoji]

 

[foamheart]

Maybe a smoked soft cheese like Camembert.

Of course, bacon is good on everything!

It had to be the right bread and fresh, and the pears at a perfect stage of ripness, perfectly sweet and soft but not to soft.

I love the idea, its like a peasant lunch, bread, fruit, and cheese all added together in a samich (  Pronunciation:  sam-itch). This forum is a hell of a place to say this, I think here in the US we eat too much meat anyway. Places I have been outside this country do not eat nearly as much. Maybe why we a always on a diet.

You had it all except..................

</insert drumroll here>

the wine selection was?

::EDIT::

Opps forgot, Damn fine show! Excellent pairing of good & fresh ingredients. I love it!

 

[mdboatbum]

Haha!! Thanks for reminding me Kevin. The wine was a thoroughly disappointing Rex Goliath 47 pound rooster Zinfandel. I got it on sale for $5 at the grocery store and feel like I paid $4 too much. it was pretty awful. I've tried their stuff before and most of it's pretty good, but this one honestly tasted like grape juice with a slight twang.

 

[themule69]

It looks good and tasty. I would give it a try with bacon. 

Happy smoken.

David

 

[alb28]

Should have done it "Hawaiian style" and added a thick cut of Spam!

 

[jarjarchef]

That looks great. I may have to try this one when I get back to work.

Maybe instead of the bacon in the sandwich. Maybe use a little bacon fat with the butter or in place of the olive oil. A little side salad of arugula and pickled red onion might go well.

 

[mdboatbum]

Not sure about the Spam alb28, but hey, anything is possible.
And Chef, I think you may be onto something. Just brushing the bread with the bacon fat might keep the bacon flavor in check but still let it be there in the background. Might be what I call a "headscratcher" as in:
"What is that flavor? It's familiar but I can't quite put my finger on it..."
I'll keep playing around with it. As for the salad that's a nice idea too. We've been eating quite a lot of arugula lately, as its one of the few salad greens that doesn't make me want to kick the dog. Makes my wife happy to have me eating salad and I actually get some flavor out of it. [emoji]128516[/emoji]

 

[superdave]

I think black forest ham and a little spicy mustard.

 

[mdboatbum]

That's the great thing about this forum, I post a simple sandwich and now I've got 4 or 5 variations to try! Thanks everybody.

 

[foamheart]

That's the great thing about this forum, I post a simple sandwich and now I've got 4 or 5 variations to try! Thanks everybody.

Hey we are smokers! If after years we have tweaked the perfect pit, we will tear it apart and try to build it better.

 

[bbqbrett]

That looks so good! I say try it with the bacon, it is always fun to experiment a bit.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Looks great!!!!!

Good thing you didn't post this a week ago! I would've been in big trouble! Wife brought home Brie and a pear and some tapenade for a party we were having, I'd have used it and been in the dog house! This may sound weird but I've found Dungeness crab pairs well with Brie and pears, how about that for a knock out sandwee! Also if you can find it, Fig and Fire Balsamic Reduction is awesome!

For some reason roasted smoked bone marrow keeps popping into my mind as another spread to use on the bread for this sandwich!!!!!!!