golden beet + cranberry + goat brie grilled cheese

So, it's like I totally forgot that I have this blog. But it's a new year, and there's never a better time to carry on like you're not lazy, and distractible, and get back to regular(?) blogging. 2013 was kind of a forgettable blur. Every year, I say has been my best year, but 2013 was a standout throw away. Now, I'm not known for my beaming positivity, but I think I'm prone to seeing the world with a pretty optimism-slanted realism. I don't know how it's gonna roll, but what I will say about 2014, is that there will be more sandwiches. 

And if there's ever a remedy to a new year's hangover, it's a warm, melty grilled cheese sandwich. Here to kick off 2014 is the golden beet + cranberry + goat brie grilled cheese. 'Cause I had leftover beets in my fridge this year's gonna be golden.

Yea, a little levity right? I don't think of new years as being all that new. New year's resolutions aren't my style. I'm just kind of thankful the wave of profundity, and amplified emotion from the holiday season is lifted. Now is when it's easiest to see, when I think about how my life could be better, and simple things that make me happy, it's really all about levity. And that was why I started this blog, in 2009. That's what I see in this blog. And I like sharing the levity with those who see it too.

So happy new year blah blah blah. Do what makes you happy, don't waste time with people who don't make you happy. Get rid of some stuff. If something doesn't feel right, make a change. Go somewhere new. Do something new. Make friends. When life is good, it's pretty simple. 

Anyway, this blog is really more about this:

Here's what's in this bitch.

white bean and millet seed gluten-free sourdough style bread

raw goat Brie

lightly fried golden beet rounds

cranberry compote

grainy Dijon

honey

Himalayan salt + pepper

organic unsalted butter 

Closeup on the cheese. I really have to find the name and make of this stuff. It's ACE. I'm really not one for the goatiest cheeses, but lately I've been adventurous, and it's a really true-tasting Brie. The blue crust doesn't distract at all from the heavy, creaminess. It's got a slightly piercing taste, but ultimately very rounded, and would go with most things.

Start by spreading a layer of honey, then mustard over the bread.

Layer each slice with cheese. Cut thin enough to melt, but generously thick, as it's a soft cheese, and melts pretty quickly.

Beets on one side, cranberry compote on the other. By the way, I fried the beets in coconut oil for several minutes on each side, on a frying pan on medium-high heat. For the cranberry compote, I used whole, fresh cranberries. Sliced them thinly, simmered them in a small pot for about 10 minutes with some butter, a dash of balsamic vinegar, and a slosh of white wine.

Salt + pepper on the outside of the bread. Buttered.

Ready to cut.

MMM.

Good start to a year, this, right here.

Let me just say, this was the best sandwich I have had all year literally in months.

Also, I know I totally knocked gluten-free bread in a previous post, but clearly, I had passed over this variety of loaf, AND I'm pretty sure I've been buying it from shops that let it go stale. This bread actually tastes, and feels like sourdough. A decent, rebounding, convincing bread that gets crispy when you toast it. And tastes like light, soft, wheat-flour bread, and not bean starch. Hooray! I'm going to keep going with this one. And make a more detailed post about how much I've really grown to love Queen St Gluten Free Bread.