Forget PB&J. Or PB&H. Today I give you PB&P! And it has nothing to do with peanut butter. But it is a sandwich. And it has everything to do with savory pear sauce, brie and prosciutto. That’s right, pear brie prosciutto grilled cheese sandwiches…PB&P! And this sandwich is scrumptious.

It’s springtime, so fruit is in the air. (Along with love, but that’s another blog post for another blog, really.) Libby’s hired me to develop a recipe using one of their canned fruits to celebrate the spring season. I immediately thought of canned pears (one of my favorite foods growing up!) and wanted to try out a fun savory twist. Enter the PB&P.

I love brie in a melted state. And I love the combination of salty prosciutto with sweet fruit. And I love bread. So, basically, today’s sandwich is the love of my life. The sandwich itself is quite simple – bread, sliced brie and prosciutto with a smattering of savory pear sauce. The layers of flavor are delicious, and the texture is perfect. Oh, and by the way, the savory pear sauce is so good and beyond easy to make. And, even though this is a great sandwich for springtime, by using canned pears it not only simplifies the recipe, but you can make this any time of year!

Before we get to the recipe, Libby’s has a giveaway for you today! One lucky winner will receive this super cute Crate & Barrel Six Bottle Spice Box along with an assortment of Libby’s Fruit, so you can get creative in the kitchen, too! Simply leave a comment on this post to enter! Comments must be posted by midnight PT on Wednesday, April 6, 2016 and prize must be shipped within the U.S.

Good luck to all on the giveaway…and now for the recipes! Enjoy!

PB&P Sandwiches (aka Pear Brie Prosciutto Grilled Cheese)

 

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: Jane Maynard

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 2 slices good quality bread
• 1 thin slice prosciutto
• About 4 thin slices brie
• 1-2 tablespoons savory pear sauce (see recipe below)
• Butter

Instructions

1. Heat a frying pan over medium heat about 5 minutes.
2. While pan is heating up, spread pear sauce on 1 slice of bread.
3. On the second slice of bread, place the brie slices evenly to cover then top with prosciutto.
4. Put the sandwich together, then butter the top.
5. Place sandwich butter side down in the pan, then butter the other side (that is now facing up).
6. Cook sandwich over medium heat until both sides are golden brown.

3.4.3177

Savory Pear Sauce

 

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

Author: Jane Maynard

Serves: 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 15-ounce can Libby's pear halves, drained but reserving 2 tablespoons of the juice
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced onions (about ⅛ of a small onion)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
• Couple shakes of ground pepper

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of the pear juice to the pan, then the drained pears. Break the pears up with a spatula a bit. Add salt, ginger and pepper and stir well.
3. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to about medium-low, making sure to maintain a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and smashing up the pears each time you stir. The final consistency should be saucy with lumps.

3.4.3177

Happy Friday! We’re still on vacation, so I’m going to be quick today!

I shared a recipe on Babble this week in honor of Grilled Cheese Month, Apricot Brie Grilled Cheese. The sandwich was inspired by baked brie in pastry crust with apricots. This sandwich is just as delicious as that great appetizer!

Also, I just bought a lemon squeezer and I’m SUPER excited. It’s the little things. 😉

You know what Show and Tell means…please share your own stuff! Whether it’s just something that happened to you during the week, a link you find interesting, or your own blog posts, we want to see it!

Years ago my friend Liz hosted a cheese party at her home. If you showed up with a bottle of wine, she gave you a plate of cheese! Okay, so it was actually a little fancier and more involved than that. She had gone to who knows how many cheese shops and gathered who knows how many cheeses and had them set up at different tables, organized by strength. Have you ever been to a cheese tasting? It’s really fun! You start with the mildest cheeses and work your way up. And you JUST EAT THE CHEESE. Leave the bread and crackers at home, this experience is about really tasting the cheeses, appreciating the nuanced differences of each type. It was a delicious, educational and fun night that obviously left an impression on me and changed the way I looked at cheese.

There truly is an art to cheese, one that I am woefully uneducated about but also very much appreciate. Nate lived in Paris for a few years back in the day, so we have a bias towards French cheeses. When I had the chance to work on a post for Président, trying out one of their recipes and sharing it with you, I jumped. We love brie and camembert and love to buy Président when we indulge!

A few years ago, Nate and I went to Paris together. We ate so many wonderful foods, including cheese of course! As I was looking through Paris photos this morning to include in this post, I laughed when I discovered the very first photo I took in Paris was of a small round of Président camembert we bought on our first day in that marvelous city! No wonder that’s the cheese I always buy – we can enjoy a bit of France right here in California!

By the way, les crèmeries are to Paris what Dunkin’ Donuts are to Boston. I couldn’t believe how many cheese shops there were, and they all looked like this. No wonder the French have mastered the art of cheese.

The recipe I am sharing with you today comes from Président’s website, where you can find all kinds of easy gourmet recipes. I chose this particular recipe because it not only sounded delicious but it was downright pretty. This beautiful torte would be perfect to serve at any party, but a cheese party would be especially lovely. It can serve as a nice alternative to the straight-up cheese tasting but still fit into the theme of the evening. Also, even though the torte might look intimidating to make, it actually is quite easy to throw together. You can totally impress without the stress!

Also, this food looked gorgeous at every step of the cooking process. Sorry for all the pictures, but I just couldn’t help myself.

(>> Find out more…)

It’s Friday, which means in a matter of hours, cool people (not me!) will be hosting parties and, well, being cool. Here’s a great, fast appetizer that is a big hit and could make you even cooler. (My friend Karen introduced me to these ages ago…thanks Karen!)

BOBs (Brie On Bread)

 

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

3 mins

Total time

8 mins

 

Author: Jane Maynard

Ingredients

• BOBs (aka Brie On Bread)
• Baguette, sliced
• Brie, sliced
• Garlic Salt
• Fresh cracked pepper

Instructions

1. Place sliced brie on bread pieces. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Broil on baking sheet until cheese just bubbles and things start browning (don't cook too long or brie will be unrecognizable).
2. Jane's gourmet twist (if you want to make things harder on yourself): Brush baguette slices with a bit of fresh garlic-infused olive oil instead of using garlic salt. Then sprinkle with pepper AND regular salt.

3.2.2310