Sometimes it is the simple things in life that make me happiest. I always forget that and try to make things as complicated as possible. I find that to be true about the food I make ( I try to put a hundred sauces on everything!) but also with just about everything else in my life. I tried to resist the temptation to do that with these sandwiches and I am so glad I did! they are so simple and yet so delicious. The tangy, nutty spread compliments the sweet juiciness of the pears and the sautéed onions adds depth to the sandwich. Oh my stars, they were so good. I imagine this would be killer as a salad or as a toasted sandwich as well. I can’t wait to try it in other forms!
Two Pear and Blue Cheese Sandwiches to Go Please!
We went out to see some of Buenos Aires’ museums today- The Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes is a free museum with tons of great art if you are ever in Buenos Aires. We saw numerous artworks by Argentine artists as well as some notable artworks by French, Italian, Dutch and other European Artists. The museum also has free English tours, which we unfortunately missed, but we still thoroughly enjoyed our visit!
Nick is pretty much always hungry, so it is important to have tons of healthy snacks to feed him while we are out or he’ll end up buying an empanada or cookie. When that happens, I always end up getting one as well because I can’t stand it when he has something I don’t. I’m petty like that. These sandwiches were a great, simple snack to take along. I use a strong, full fat cheese in them because I think it tastes better. When I get low fat cheeses I always end up using more to get the flavor right and I think I end up with the same amount of fat and calories. So, I opt for strong flavored cheeses like blue cheese or feta, I can get away with using less because their flavor is so powerful.
Pear, Spinach and Blue Cheese Sandwiches:
Serves 2
1 medium Pear, sliced thin
2 thin slices of Onion
1 oz Blue Cheese
1 Tablespoon Raisins, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Walnuts, finely chopped
1Tablespoon Plain Yogurt
Large handful of Spinach
Crusty Wheat Baguette, sliced into 2, 5″ pieces
Cut your baguette in half. Pull out the soft inside of the bottom half of the bread, leaving a little boat. Discard or save the bread for another use (croutons, anyone?)
Toast your crusty wheat bread in an un-oiled pan until it is the right amount of toasty if you like.
In the same pan cook the onions- add the thinly sliced onions and a splash of water to the hot pan. Cook, adding water a teaspoon at a time when the pan is dry. After about 5 minutes, the onions should be soft and beginning to brown.
Meanwhile, combined raisins, walnuts, blue cheese and plain yogurt. Mix well to combine
Top the bottom portion of each sandwich with blue cheese spread, add onions and then pear slices. Top with spinach and the remaining slice of bread. Serve!
Katy, you guys are globetrotters, where I am catching you now? My husband and I love love to travel and cook dinners for friends based on food experience we had in countries we visit. I’m very pregnant right now so it won’t be happening for us for a while now. But I’ll be looking forward to read about your adventures! And thank you for a great recipe- pears & blue cheese is one of my fav combos!
Thanks Svitlana! We have been having a lot of fun trying to recreate traditional dishes! We are currently in a little ski town in Bulgaria – Bansko. We are here for several weeks so we will probably try to cook a few traditional Bulgarian dishes.