I don’t know a single person who doesn’t enjoy a fabulous grilled cheese – whether it’s made with classic American cheese or something a bit more cheese chic.  I knew them for years as a kid as “Girl Cheese”  and my parents failed to correct me.  Nonetheless, I’m a super fan of anything melted onto bread (duh) so I decided to spruce up an old favorite to turn a plain old grilled cheese into a fancy grilled cheese with fig jams (I LOVE FIGS).  This baby is also packed with with dates, arugula and Prince La Fontaine Triple Cream cheese.  It’s sure to impress and delight even the pickiest eater.

I eat far less “Girl Cheeses” now as I’m more concerned about my waistline than I was back in the day, and because my palette has become more developed I wanted to re-create an old classic in a new way that would be worth the calories.  This tasty sandwich is definitely a winner – let’s get to it.

[tabgroup layout=”horizontal”] [tab title=”Ingredients”]1. 2 slices of bread (I used Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Bread – it’s flour-free)

2. 1.5 tablespoons fig jam

3. 2 Dried dates, pitted and then quartered (you’ll want to flatten out the pieces into the sandwich)

4. 1.5 tablespoons Prince La Fontaine Triple Cream cheese (or another triple cream)

5. 1/4 cup washed and dried arugula

6. 1/5 tablespoon Earth Balance (or softened butter) to coat the bread

7. Sprinkle of sea salt

[/tab] [tab title=”Steps”]1. Prepare to build your sandwich by having all ingredients at the ready, and heat a small frying pan to medium heat.

2. On one piece of bread, layer the following: half of the cheese, half of the fig jam, and all of the dates.  Flatten the dried dates into the cheese, jam to keep your sandwich from becoming too tall to heat through properly.

3. On the other slice, layer the following: the remainder of the cheese, the remainder of the fig jam, a sprinkle of sea salt, and the arugula.  Close the two pieces of bread together gently so you don’t lose any ingredients.

4. Gently butter the exterior sides of the bread with softened Earth Balance or butter and place the sandwich into the heated pan.

5.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, browning but not burning the bread.  If the bread begins to burn, turn down the heat of the pan.  Allow the sandwich to cook long enough for the cheese to properly melt.

6.  Cut in half and enjoy the sweet and creamy goodness!  Yum!

[/tab] [tab title=”Notes”]Serving Size: 1 Sandwich [/tab] [/tabgroup]