There is nothing better than an ooey, gooey toasted sandwich with the cheese oozing out the sides and the crisp crunch of bacon. Well, maybe it gets even better when you add caramelized onions. Served with a mushroom barley soup and an easy pear dessert, this satisfying dinner can be on the table quickly.
This hearty winter soup has enough flavour to complement the sandwich. The barley absorbs a lot of stock and when left to sit overnight, absorbs even more. Add water if it gets too thick. If you have no leeks, increase the onion. I tear rather than cut mushrooms because I like the unusual shapes I get. The mushrooms are all fresh. I also like a touch of cayenne at the end, but that's a personal preference.
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This sandwich recipe comes from Stratford Chefs School student Kyle Clarke who says, "This is the ultimate comfort food. The thyme complements the bacon and onion so well; it is almost like they are BFFs." If you don't like blue cheese, just omit it and add more cheddar.
This creamy, fruity dessert tastes like it took hours to make but it is very simple. I don't usually peel the pears. This is the perfect dish for those leftover liqueurs that are filling your drinks cupboard. In a pinch, you can add some pear or cranberry juice.
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BEPPI'S PICKS
Opposites attract, and so sometimes is the case with food and wine matching. In this example, the contrast is time. The soup is ready in under an hour, yet the wine I'd choose – Amontillado sherry – spends many years carefully maturing in a cask under a layer of floating yeast known as flor. Rich yet tangy, the fortified wine brings fruity depth to the party, complementing the earthy essence of the barley and mushroom while lending a luxurious texture that stays the course where lighter whites might drown.
If it's a work night, you might wish to delay the wine pairing till the sandwich course. Bacon, stinky cheese and crusty bread – this is perfectly simple and simply perfect decadence. In my home, the go-to bottle would be gewurztraminer, a voluptuous, spicy white that loves bacon and gorgonzola (or cheddar, for that matter) as much as I do. If red's your de rigueur hue, try a jammy pinot noir from California or a syrupy Australian shiraz for a boldly fruity counterpoint to the smoky bacon and lactic tang of the cheese.
Room for a dessert tipple? A splash of Poire Williams from the bottle used for the pear crema would be splendid, the fruit brandy's warmth ably cutting through the creamy goodness. – Beppi Crosariol