Bacon Pear Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Revisited

It had been way too long since we sunk our teeth into these cheesy grilled delights. It stuns me that I have been food blogging since January- almost a year now! It has become part of the normal rhythm of our life. (It affects Dustin as much as myself.) He bears the burden (dinner delayed by photo shoots, cleaning up kitchen catastrophes, etc.) and the benefits (pictured above) as well. It has changed our habits, our appetites, and how we spend our time. And I can promise you: food is always on my mind! As for this sandwich, all I can say is... read the original post!

1/15/09: I knew this sandwich would be excellent the minute I came across the recipe, and I was right! Much more interesting than your usual lonely slice of cheese stuck between two slices of bread. Don't get me wrong, classic grilled cheese is still necessary once and a while, but this "gourmet" version has become my new favorite! I don't know why these ingredients meld together so well, but they create a sweet and greasy and crunchy and cheesy goodness.

INGREDIENTS
whole wheat bread, sliced (I used whole wheat sourdough.)
bacon, cooked until crisp
Bartlett Pear, sliced
sharp white cheddar cheese, sliced
butter, softened and spreadable

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat either a cast iron skillet, griddle or panini press to medium high heat. Layer the sandwich: bread slice, cheese, pear, bacon, more cheese if you wish, and another bread slice. Butter the top slice of bread and place it on the pan buttered side down. Then butter the remaining side.

2. If you are not using a panini press, you can use a spatula or heavy pan to press down on the sandwich during grilling to get a similar result.The sandwich is done when the sides are toasted and the cheese is melted.

(Adapted from Simply Recipes)