Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Peaches and Basil

Credit: Catherine Roscoe Barr

Patience yields the best grilled cheese sandwich – cooking it on low heat allows the cheese to melt while the bread browns to perfection

Elevate the common grilled cheese sandwich with juicy Okanagan peaches, fresh basil and aged cheddar cheese

The inspiration for this sandwich came from two incredible dinners I had in the Okanagan a few weeks ago.

Sean and Saeedeh Salem, who own his (Le Vieux Pin) and hers (LaStella) wineries in the South Okanagan, hosted their annual summer celebration series with a dinner at each winery on back-to-back evenings, August 17 and 18.

With delicious food, breathtaking scenery and gorgeous people, it was one of the summer’s most happening events.

Joy Road Catering catered the first dinner at Le Vieux Pin, and the second dinner at LaStella was catered by La Quercia.

Both caterers prepared appetizers with Okanagan peaches and basil, which was a heavenly combination.

When I went to make a boring grilled cheese sandwich the other day and happened to have fresh Okanagan peaches and basil on hand, I knew I had to put them in my sandwich. It was amazing.

Ingredients

Makes 1 sandwich

• 2 oz. old cheddar cheese, sliced (I used Balderson 5-year-aged)
• 2 slices of bread (I love Silver Hills Sprouted Bakery breads and am crazy about its Little Big Bread)
• 1/2 peach, sliced
• 2 large basil leaves
• Butter

Instructions

1. Liberally butter two pieces of bread on one side.
2. Place one piece of bread, butter side down, in a medium frying pan over low heat.
3. Top with half the cheese, sliced peach, basil, the remaining cheese, and the other piece of bread with the buttered side up.
4. The key to the perfect grilled cheese is patience – if the bread begins to brown too quickly, turn the heat down. You want the cheese to start melting when the bread turns golden brown.
5. Carefully flip over sandwich. Cook each side for about three to five minutes.