My first true love: grilled cheese
My first true love: grilled cheese

I’ll always have a soft spot for my first love: grilled cheese. The bread. The butter. The cheese. Oh yes, the cheese.

So, when we invited Sarah Barrette of The Cheese Bar into the kitchen, we insisted she make us a grilled cheese sandwich recipe.

Cheese Bar Grilled Cheese - 1176
Butter it up, baby!

If you’ve never heard of The Cheese Bar, you’re missing out. They operate at local farmer’s markets on weekends as well as a pop-up inside Robbie’s Gourmet Sausage Co. on Sundays and offer artisan cheeses from across Ontario.

So, really. Who better to ask?

Honey Roasted Pear Grill Blue Cheese Sandwich

  • 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 pears, thinly sliced
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil, divided
  • 1 teaspoon raw local honey
  • salt & pepper
  • 5-6oz Conestogo Blue Cheese
  • 8 slices good quality bread
  • 2 Tablespoons softened unsalted goat butter
  • Handful of fresh greens
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 1-2 teaspoons olive oil. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, toss to coat. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring often, until brown and caramelized
  3. While onions are cooking, place pear slices in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. brush with a little olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with honey. Bake until tender, 20-25 minutes, rotating pan halfway through.
  4. To assemble sandwiches, spread softened butter on one side of a slice of bread, and be sure to cover all the way to the edges. Place butter side down. Top with fresh greens, onions, blue cheese, then layer with pear slices. On a second piece of bread, spread butter on one side and place butter side out on top of pears.
  5. Heat a skillet over medium low heat. When hot, place sandwich in pan and cook until cheese starts to melt and outside of bread is golden. Flip and repeat.