Sweet and Savory Grilled Cheese

April is National Grilled Cheese Month. Yes, a whole month dedicated to grilled cheese! When I found out about this I knew I had to think up something fun. I have been experimenting with a few different sandwiches and this is the winner by far.

Ingredients: (yields 2 large and tasty sandwiches)

• 4 medium thick slices of a nice loaf of bread (I used a rustic loaf)
• 4 slices of bacon
• 2 tablespoon canola oil
• 3 tablespoons of butter (1 tbsp should be for brushing over the bread)
• 3/4 of a red pear (chopped fine)
• 2 figs (chopped fine)
• 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of good maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• A good amount of brie to spread over each slice of bread

First I cooked my bacon slices and set them aside.

Next in a small sauce pan I added 2 tablespoons of butter, 3/4 of a red pear, and both figs. I sauteed my pear mixture until nice and soft. Next I added a 1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of syrup, and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. The lemon juice is good to cut the sweetness of the chutney a bit. Once the pear mixture had reduced and was thick I removed it from the heat and set it aside.

In a large frying pan, I added 2 tablespoons of canola oil (on medium heat) and began to assemble the sandwich in the fry pan.

Then I brushed one side of each slice of bread with the melted butter and slathered the other side with a good amount of brie. After that, I rested two crisp slices of bacon atop the brie.

Then I spread half of the chutney across the bacon. For the final assembly step, I placed the top slice on my sandwich with the butter side facing out. Then I continued frying the sandwich until both sides were golden brown and the cheese was gooey.

The salty smoky bacon mixed with the sweet maple, pear and fig chutney surrounded by the smooth melted brie makes for a fantastic sandwich. There are plenty of days left in this Grilled Cheese Month, so be sure to try it!