Alright, hold on to your taste buds, my friends. Because I am about to take you on one
of the most amazingly mind-blowing, drool-inducing adventures you have ever
had. First, let’s step back to
Saturday night, when I had spent the whole day at home and was in one of those
comfy, couch and movie-type moods.
You know, when all you’ve been doing all day is veg, and all you want to
do that night is veg some more, when all you’ve been eating all day is cereal
and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and all you want to eat that night is
something warm, gooey, and guiltily delicious… Yes, it was one of those nights…
So, as I sat curled-up on the couch, staring at the ceiling and
fiercely procrastinating on certain things I needed to do…certain things that
are in fact necessary for me to continue residing in Spain under any semblance
of legality…I remembered this most astounding recipe I’d seen on one of my
favorite food blogs for a little bit of grilled heaven utilizing Gouda, bacon,
and PEACH. YES, PEACH. The bacon probably doesn’t seem too far
afield for most of us, I mean, who can’t imagine the additional perfume of
crispy bacon wafting about in elegant combination with the already tantalizing
odor of molten cheese between two buttery and oh-so-delightfully toasted pieces
of bread? But peach? For some reason, the idea of putting
something fruity and sweet smack dab in the middle of all that savory goodness
just seems downright WRONG…and yet intriguing, quite intriguing…
I realized the suspense was killing me (WHAT WOULD THAT
TASTE LIKE???), so I decided that a lazy Saturday night would be the perfect
time to take the plunge and leap out on this culinary branch. Residence papers ensuring my continued
legal status here? Nah, those
would keep until Monday – the REAL pressing issue was definitely this tasty
test just begging to happen.
And happen it did.
Oh man, did it ever.
The first experiment of the night: Brie, plums, and candied
walnuts. I kept the sandwiches in
a warm oven until they were all made, so by the time the burner got turned off
and this first sandwich made it onto the plate, sliced and ready to be
devoured, the plums had turned to melty plum jam. Wow. It was so
cool. The walnuts though were
slightly unimpressive. That might
possibly be due to the fact that I got impatient and didn’t really candy them
correctly. Maybe. Just maybe. However, with really well candied walnuts (or even almonds!)
and a bit of cinnamon and spice, this baby could rock your world.
The second experiment of the night: Gouda, Emmental, and onion sautéed with
a dash of Balsamic. Ok, so this
obviously doesn’t include any fruit…my co-investigator aka friend thought one
simply savory sandwich might be nice…but I remain convinced that this
combination would be fantastic with fresh plums…or peaches…or even ...gasp!
...strawberries! …my mind is
drooling all over the place.
The third experiment of the night: Gouda, banana, and blueberry preserves. I was unconvinced at first, but my
friend was certain that banana and Gouda cheese were made for each other. And man was he right! Especially with the extra punch of the
blue berry preserves. It. Was. Delightful.
The fourth and final experiment of the night: Brie, banana, plum, and honey. This was by far my favorite one. The banana kind of melted into sweet
amazingness, a perfect pairing with the creamy brie and piping hot plum. And then the honey? Wow. It soaked into the bread, lending it own distinct touch to
the overall symphony of flavors serenading my tongue.
At most points of this adventurous meal, it kind of felt
like we were eating straight-up dessert rather than anything that could
possibly qualify for a meal – guilty sense of sweet seduction and all – but
really, the only ingredient that might possibly be considered to be fully on
the desserts only list was the honey.
Everything else was just bread, cheese, fruit, nuts, and butter! (Can’t forget the butter…) Although, to be honest, on those lazy, comfy,
couch and movie-type nights, who really cares if you do eat dessert for
dinner?
And now, to finish those papers…
Oh yes, and if you want to see the original recipe, go check
it out at:
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