#38 - Grilled Brie With Apples And Fig Jam

My apologies for the poor lighting, it was just such a beautiful day in Southern California, I had to eat outside, and facing towards the sun, I tried to shade the sandwich to the best of my ability, but it did come out a little dark. However, while the picture may disappoint, the sandwich did not.

What we have here is a grilled cheese from Boudin. Usually when I go to Boudin, it's for their iconic sourdough bread bowl filled with clam chowder. It's perfect for cold days and the sourdough they make there is always top-notch. But on a warmer day like this, you can opt for a cold sandwich (in which case I usually choose the turkey cranberry), or you can get a grilled cheese. And if you're trying to get through OC Weekly's list of 100 Favorites, it's the grilled cheese.

At first glance, I was impressed, there was a bit of cheese oozing out of each half and the bread wasn't just grilled, it was Parmesan grilled. Adding that extra bit of cheese and crispiness to the bread, it made a huge difference. Inside, in addition to the brie you have a perfect complement of fresh, tart, sweet green apples and the perfect amount of fig jam. The brie itself though proves to be the star with the apples. If you've never tried the combination at home, just do it. Brie and apples, maybe on top of a wheat thin, and you're in heaven.

In all, the flavors come together perfectly, a blend of two cheeses, lots of crispy apples and the crispy outer bread, all with a thin layer of the fig jam which adds just a bit of sweetness where the apples don't reach. The OC Weekly article says to go with the chips if you've gotten this far. I recommend the salad. It's minimalist, but crisp and tossed with the right amount of dressing. After a few bites of the sandwich, it's nice to have a little lightness to even it all out and the salad does it well.