Not many things in life make me happier than carbohydrates and cheese. Growing up, my mother made my three siblings and I grilled cheese sandwiches often for lunch, and the buttery, crispy bread with the melted American cheese always made me squeal with glee. That was, until I had my first bad experience with grilled cheese.  

My older sister was babysitting us younger siblings, and she made everybody grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner – except, when she got to mine, she had no American cheese slices left; only a hunk of cheddar cheese. Instead of chopping the cheese into thin slices, she cut the cheese into oversized chunks which never melted in the grilling process. The result was an overly thick, way-too-cheesy grilled cheese with a cold, congealed center. It’s hard to even talk about it.

Thankfully, overtime, I was able to overcome my bad experience with grilled cheese, and learned to love the sandwich again. In fact, I even began getting more creative with my grilled cheeses, experimenting with different kinds of cheese, adding apple or tomato slices, and trying out different kinds of bread. So, the other day, I had a mission when I went to Wilson Farm in Lexington – and that mission was to make a “gourmet,” locally-inspired grilled cheese sandwich.

I ended up purchasing some fresh, juicy figs, goat’s milk brie cheese, and thick, sourdough bread. With a touch of rosemary I already had at home and some freshly cracked black pepper, this sandwich turned out to be one gooey, flavorful, and delightfully sinful grilled cheese.

Grilled Goat Milk Brie and Roasted Fig Sandwich

Yields: 2 sandwiches

Ingredients  

4 slices of sourdough bread

10 figs, washed, stemmed and halved

2.5 oz. goat milk brie cheese

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. dried rosemary

Freshly cracked black pepper

1 tsp. butter

Method

Place halved figs on a baking sheet, and dress with olive oil. Season with rosemary and black pepper; use spatula to get each fig coated with the oil and seasonings. Place in a 375-degree oven for 7-8 minutes. Place several slices of goat milk brie on two pieces of bread. Once the figs are cool enough to handle, place a few figs on top of each layer of cheese. Place second slice of bread on top, and heat butter in a large frying pan (if you have a Panini grill or sandwich press, use that). Once butter is melted, place sandwiches in the pan, and place something heavy on top of the sandwiches (I used a ceramic bowl). This will act as a sandwich “press.” Once the bread has slightly browned, flip sandwiches over and repeat.