When I was asked by got milk? to share recipes that paired well with milk, the first thing I thought of was my grandparents. When I was little I was lucky enough to spend lots of time with my wonderful grandparents. My grandmother is an excellent cook and I have countless wonderful memories of helping her prepare, and of course devour, meals. But there is one special treat that she used to make us kids that sticks out in my mind. It is a grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich and there is simply no way to enjoy it without a tall glass of milk.
As I recall my grandfather loved those warm, gooey, sweet sandwiches as much as we did and he was an ardent fan of milk. But in case your adult palate craves something a little less sweet and a little more sophisticated, I'm sharing two grown-up versions in addition to the classic. Read on to learn how to make classic grilled pb&j, grilled almond butter and pear, and my personal favorite, grilled brie and onion jam sandwiches. All three versions are utterly crave-worthy and pair beautifully with milk. A cold and creamy glass of milk is just right with these warm, salty-sweet sandwiches. Plus, my grandfather wouldn't have it any other way!
Classic Grilled PB&J
You'll need:
- Soft sandwich bread
- Peanut butter, ideally natural
- Jam, preferable raspberry or strawberry
- Butter
How to:
- First make a peanut butter and jam sandwich by spread peanut butter on one piece of bread, jam not he other, and squishing them together.
- Butter the top of the sandwich and place it buttered side down in a skillet that has been warmed over medium heat.
- Butter the other side of the sandwich. Flip.
- Grill until both sides are golden brown.
- Serve warm with plenty of milk.
Grilled Almond Butter & Pear Sandwich
You'll need:
- Artisanal multigrain bread, thickly sliced
- Almond butter
- Fresh pear
- Honey
- Butter
How to:
- Spread one half of bread with almond butter, top it with sliced pears, drizzle the pears with a little honey.
- Place another slice of bread on top and butter it.
- Place the sandwich buttered side down in a skillet that has been warmed over medium heat.
- Butter the other side of the sandwich. Flip.
- Grill until both sides are golden brown.
- Serve warm with plenty of cold milk.
Grilled Brie and Onion Jam Sandwich
You'll need:
- Sliced sourdough bread
- Brie cheese
- Onion jam, available in specialty markets, DIY recipe found below
- Butter
How To:
- To make your own onion jam thinly slice one or two onions and salute them in a little bit of butter until they soften and are a deep brown color. Deglaze the pan with a splash of water and finish with a little bit of maple syrup and salt to taste.
- To make the sandwhich spread a generous amount of brie onto a piece of bread and top with the onions and the other piece of bread.
- Butter the top of the sandwich and place it buttered side down in a skillet that has been warmed over medium heat.
- Butter the other side of the sandwich. Flip.
- Grill until the cheese is melted and both sides are golden brown.
- Serve warm with plenty of milk.
It was so fun to share this delicious piece of my childhood with my own kids. And I've been craving the grown-up versions ever since.
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