RECIPE

DESSERT GRILLED CHEESE

This is a rather glamorous sandwich, one that calls for some creative thinking, since the ingredient list is rather wild. It comes from cheesemonger Jamie Png, a twee Australian with a taste for buffalo milk, blue cheese, and chocolate. Jamie likes to use chocolate-cherry bread from Philadelphia’s Metropolitan Bakery, which is divine (and can be purchased online), but you can easily substitute raisin-walnut bread. If you can’t find buffalo butter, just use the regular kind. Jamie likes to serve this savory-sweet sandy with strong black tea.

SERVES 1

4 ounces Blu di Bufala, at room temperature

2 thick slices chocolate-cherry bread

½ firm Bosc or D’anjou pear, thinly sliced

2 to 3 tablespoons buckwheat honey

1 tablespoon butter, preferably Delitia Buffalo Milk

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Spread Blu di Bufala on one side of each slice of bread, making sure to cover them from edge to edge. Lay the pear evenly across one cheesy slice. Drizzle with honey, then cover with the other slice of cheesy bread.

Wrap the sandwich in foil, and bake it in the oven for 8 minutes to meld the flavors and soften the pear. The cheese should melt but not liquefy, so keep an eye on it if your oven runs hot.

Melt the buffalo butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Place the unwrapped sandwich in the pan and fry it on both sides until very crisp.