Valentine’s Day Grilled Cheese

By KitchenGnome

Chocolate, brie and strawberries on toasted bread... what could be better? The cheese and chocolate meld together perfectly and the strawberries add a refreshing taste!

Ingredients

• 4 slices of flavorful bread (rustic white, sourdough or multi-grain works great)
• 4 ounces brie, sliced
• 3 ounces dark chocolate, high quality
• 1/2 cup strawberries, sliced
• balsamic vinegar, very high quality only, a drizzle
• Kosher salt, just a sprinkle
• butter, for frying

Preparation

Step 1

Lay out two slices of the best bread you have. Bakery fresh makes a difference.

Add the brie, half to each slice of bread. Three slices or so works. Brie slices very well if it’s cold, just out of the refrigerator.

Divide the strawberry slices on top of the two sandwiches. Don’t overdo it, just enough to cover.

Close up the sandwich with a final slice of bread and heat the pan. Use your highest quality pan for this. Cast iron is my favorite.

Heat on low to medium-low and put a big dab of butter, about half a tablespoon. Don’t make your pan too hot, you can always leave the sandwich on longer to brown, but the medium-low heat will allow the cheese and chocolate to melt. The great thing about brie is the rind helps hold it all together while cooking, so it doesn’t ooze out the sides.

Once toasty, add more butter if necessary and flip the sandwich over.