Brie and Roasted Garlic Toasted Sandwich

Barb and I took a trip to Boston two years ago, where her sister was spending a week or two at Harvard, to complete workshops to accompany a distance program she was enrolled in. She kindly invited us to stay in her hotel room with her, and a road trip was born. Not only did we want to go see her sister, and Boston, but it was an opportunity for Barb to add to her Wordstock photography repertoire. We drove down through New York, where I wanted to take Barb to a winery I had visited once in Hammondsport, but it was not open. Wanting to stop for dinner one night, we checked our GPS and saw "Garlic Bob's", and well, we both love garlic so we decided to check it out. Like the Velvet Hammer in North Carolina though, (mentioned in this post) it was nowhere to be found, and in fact seemed to be a derelict mechanic's shop. So we settled for a pub in the basement of a fancy looking place, and I couldn't tell you what I had. But, I've always wondered what Garlic Bob's might have yielded, so I decided to write about one of my all-time favourite garlicky foods

Many years ago, (I'm going in a completely different direction now), Steve and I were visiting our friends Dan and Tammy in Toronto, and they presented us with one of the most delicious snacks I've ever had, which I sometimes just make for lunch. It was roasted garlic served with slices of baguette, melted brie, and raspberry puree (they even strained out the seeds for us). It is that simple. And delicious. I just crush the raspberry myself, I like the seeds too, and I also thinly slice a Granny Smith apple as an alternative flavour. The method is to spread a clove of roasted garlic, sweet and fragrant and soft, on your piece of baguette, smear a bit of melted brie on that, and drizzle with raspberry (or top with apple).  I wanted to change it up just a bit, and turn these ingredients into it a fancy grilled cheese sandwich, so here is what I did.


 The garlic takes a while to roast, so you will need to give yourself some time (about an hour). Also I will give you fair warning: your house will smell like garlic for at least three days, (and your breath, muahahaha), so don't plan on having any vampires over for company in the near future. I cannot, despite trying, enjoy eating the rind on Brie. It's mashed and pressed down fungus and mold It's nice and white and clean-looking, but I just don't want to have anything to do with it. I try to be sophisticated and eat the rind, but ugh, it just tastes like a layer of chalk and ruins the brie experience for me. Some Brie rinds have an even earthier flavour, and that just enhances the dislike factor for me. So you eat it with my blessing, if you want to, but I won't really believe that you like it. (I looked it up to try to find a picture before they rub off what the French call "poil de chat" (AKA cat hair), the special mold that forms on the surface of the Brie as it ages, and becomes the rind. Trust me, unless you are planning on making it yourself, and you have special equipment, don't look up how to make it, or probably any cheese for that matter. What DOES matter is that lovely buttery, nutty flavour that is the hallmark of a well-made Brie. And find yourself a specialty cheese shop if you really want something delicious. President's Choice is fine, especially for a sandwich like this (and you try to only shop in your own store), but I know that Ciboulette et Cie has a great cheese counter, and Gianetto's likely does as well, here in Midland.

Brie and Roasted Garlic Toasted Sandwich

• 2 whole heads of garlic, tops sliced off to expose the cloves (I bet they're embarassed, lol)
• a few drizzles of olive oil over the top of the garlic
• 4 slices of french bread
• enough Brie to fill four sandwiches (I used the PC mini-round Brie) 
• 1/2 cup of fresh raspberries, crushed
• 1 sliced Granny Smith apple

 I roasted the garlic, drizzled in olive oil, in a little foil pouch, no dishes required for this step, closed up. Roast at 400 deg. for 1/2 an hour, then open the pouch, and roast for another 20-30 minutes. I love the garlic nicely browned and caramelized, it adds a nice bit of chewy texture. So if you don't want that, take it out a bit sooner, and make sure it's soft. Pop the cloves out and mash them up. I seriously used a whole head of garlic per sandwich (garlic will be oozing out of your pores for a few days afterwards, but it's worth it to me. That's what perfume is for. You know how lovely a combination of roasted garlic and perfume is ;))
 I also sliced the French bread fairly thinly, compared to the usual giant slab of French bread we like, and at some point while the garlic roasted I toasted it very lightly, literally ONE minute in the oven, and it yielded an amazingly light and crisp grilled cheese, better than I expected. I was really just trying to avoid soggy bread in the middle, since the fillings are mostly gooey.

Once you have your ingredients ready, butter the bread, and place two slices of bread  buttered-side down in a frying pan (use a low-moderate heat, so it is nice and golden. I've learned through many burnt grilled cheese sandwiches to be patient and cook at a lower temperature, even if it makes my impatient self want to bash my head against the wall. I hate waiting....that just made me think of Inigo Montoya, teehee). Spread the garlic you've mashed over each slice (it doesn't really mash very well, since I like the little caramelized chunks in there, but you know, do what you can), then add slices of green apple (I used 2 per sandwich); sliced brie (rind removed, or as per your preference); then top with some crushed raspberries. Butter the second slice and place butter side up, and cook for a few minutes each side, until golden. I'm sure you've all made grilled cheeses!!

It was beyond delicious. The apple is still nice and crisp, which is such a great contrast to the brie, so you get an amazing combination of flavours and textures: tart  raspberries, salty melty brie, crispy sweet/tart apple, and smooth and flavourful roasted garlic. And all this between lovely light and buttery toasted french bread. (I put the photo at the top of the recipe since posting these links on facebook only allows me to use the first picture.)

Because it's so rich, I made a simple salad to go with it, using field greens, and I whipped up a maple vinaigrette (using my mom's homemade maple syrup, mmmm), and sprinkled a few roasted pumpkin seeds on top. Here's how I made the vinaigrette (I added cayenne for a nice spicy kick, but it is totally optional).

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Maple Syrup
• 1 Tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
• a few dashes of cayenne pepper
• whisk until well-blended, and toss with lettuce, top with roasted pumpkin seeds, or walnuts, or whatever you like :)