Decadence, thy name is Turkey, Fig, and Brie Grilled Cheese. Get ready for the BEST grilled cheese sandwich you will ever eat.
Why is Turkey, Fig, and Brie Grilled Cheese the book-inspired recipe for The Printed Letter Bookshop?
Someone is always popping out of The Printed Letter Bookshop to grab a sandwich for lunch, and several crucial conversations occur within the vicinity of a deli counter. So, I knew my book-inspired recipe for my latest read had to be sandwich-centered, which was A-OK in my book. (Ha! Pun!)
To me, there’s no better lunch than a hearty sandwich piled high with meats and cheeses atop thick, crusty bread.
If you can toast the sandwich and manage to make it a grilled cheese sandwich? So much the better.
I didn’t want just any ol’ sandwich to be paired with The Printed Letter Bookshop, though. This ultra-cozy book demands a sandwich that screams “COMFORT FOOD!” at the top of its lungs.
And, this Turkey, Fig, and Brie Grilled Cheese IS the ultimate comfort food. It’s like a pulling on a big, cozy sweater… for your mouth… with cheese.
Okay, that didn’t come out right. But you get where I’m going with this!
My other inspiration for Turkey, Fig, and Brie Grilled Cheese
This indulgent sandwich is a nod to one that Nigella Lawson made on her TV show, At My Table.
I was watching her series around the time I was reading The Printed Letter Bookshop, and I was full-on salivating as I watched her take a big, ol’ honkin bite of her “toastie,” which featured my most favorite cheese of all: brie.
It was the most luxuriously decadent grilled cheese I’d ever seen in my life, and I knew I had to create my own version of it for this post.
Instead of Nigella’s recommended parma ham and fresh figs, I used freshly sliced deli turkey and fig jam.
I obviously kept the brie in there, and I cooked the sandwich just like Nigella did: in melted butter and olive oil. You’re welcome.
Why I love Turkey, Fig, and Brie Grilled Cheese
Prepare yourselves: this grilled cheese sandwich is insanely good. Like, roll-your-eyes-to-the-back-of-your-head, curl-your-toes-in-a-foodgasm good.
The cheese melts into a deliciously gooey mess, and the bread fries up so golden and crunchy that you can actually hear someone take a bite from the next room. The way the creamy, salty brie mingles with the sweet, sticky fig jam is a thing of beauty, and I love the hint of smokiness from the thinly sliced turkey.
Everything just comes together in your mouth in a wonderful moment of grilled cheese happiness. Even my brie-hating husband was tempted to try a bite of this sandwich! It looked and sounded that freakin’ amazing.
Notes on making a sandwich
Now, I’ve included the recipe below, but, guys, this is a sandwich. You pretty much can make it however you like.
If you want to do it exactly the way I did, make sure you generously slather each slice of bread with brie. I like putting the brie on the bread first because it avoids S.B.E. Add a little bit of jam to one slice, layer the turkey on the other, then slap the bread together and toss the sandwich into a hot pan that’s sizzling with melted butter and olive oil.
And prepare to go to Grilled Cheese Heaven.
And, guess what: it gets even BETTER because Turkey, Fig, and Brie Grilled Cheese tastes just as amazing as leftovers!
After photographing this post, I had one-and-a-half sandwiches that needed eating. I nobly devoured what I could, then stashed the leftovers in a Tupperware container in the fridge. A few days later, I threw a sandwich into the toaster oven and set it to broil, and my leftover grilled cheese emerged just as crunchy, gooey, and delicious as it had been on Day 1.
The recipe below makes one sandwich, but it’s easy enough to double, triple, or quadruple the ingredients as needed. So, don’t be afraid to whip up a big batch of Turkey, Fig, and Brie Grilled Cheese sandwiches and save the leftovers for a rainy day.
Which it happens to be today as I’m writing this post…and that means I’m off to make myself a grilled cheese for lunch!
What do you serve with Turkey, Fig, and Brie Grilled Cheese?
I’m always a fan of the soup-and-sandwich combo, and Turkey, Fig, and Brie Grilled Cheese pairs beautifully with a cup of Apple Butternut Squash Soup and White Cheddar Cauliflower Soup. If you prefer a sandwich-and-salad combo, try a Mixed Berry Spinach Salad with Blackberry Vinaigrette.
For dessert, serve yourself a slice of Bara Brith, Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread, or Sock It To Me Cake with a cuppa tea or coffee.
Turkey, Fig, and Brie Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 slices sturdy, slightly thick bread (multi-grain, rye, sourdough, etc.)
- 3-4 thin slices of deli turkey breast (smoked, if possible)
- 2-3 ounces brie cheese (at room temperature)
- 1 tbsp fig jam
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Place the two slices of bread on your work surface, then spread the brie evenly over one side of EACH slice, covering crust to crust.
- Spoon the jam on top of the brie on one slice of bread, then spread it crust to crust.
- Fold the sliced turkey in small piles over the brie on the OTHER slice of bread.
- Close the two halves of the sandwich together. (Note: you do not need to butter the outside of the sandwich for frying.)
- Heat the butter and the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted and sizzling, place the sandwich in the skillet and let toast, 1-2 minutes until golden brown, then flip and toast the other side 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown. Adjust heat as needed to make sure the bread doesn’t burn.
- Remove sandwich from heat and place on a cutting board. Slice sandwich in two, wait a minute so you don’t burn your mouth on melted cheese, and enjoy! Serve warm.
I love reading your bookish recipe posts! You make it sound SO good and you crack me up- S.B.E. Haha! I was like whaaaat? until I clinked on the link to learn. I definitely don’t like a soggy bun either, so I appreciate the tips to avoid that.
Now, I don’t eat meat, but I still seriously enjoyed reading how much you love this sandwich. And butter and olive oil! Omg. I am definitely going to have to try my own version of this. Although I have no idea if I like fig jam but now I definitely want to try it! I hope I can find it.
Delicious post!! Mouth-watering post. Yum! 🙂
Hahaha! SBE is totally a thing! My husband thinks I should have a rating scale for soggy things — like a Richter scale. But, to me, all soggy things are just AWFUL; there’s really not much room for worsening once any bit of sog sets in.
I hope you try this grilled cheese sans meat. Another vegetarian friend of mine mentioned the same dilemma, haha. But this could TOTALLY work as just cheese and jam. And, I found the fig jam on a shelf above the refrigerated cheese section at my local grocery store, near where they keep the fancy cheese crackers. I’m sure you’ll find something!
I just found your blog in my search for a synopsis of this book to present as my choice of read for my upcoming book club meeting. I was trying to come up with a food item or items to share at our meeting that would somehow tie into the book, and I think this recipe is absolutely perfect! I’ll definitely try this toasted yumminess this weekend…for research purposes, of course.
Hi Elisabeth! So happy you found your way to the blog. I absolutely agree that you should make this sandwich yourself prior to book club. Research always pays off! 😉 Enjoy!
We make a version of this but add bacon and peanut butter and you have sweet meets salty! Also going to add thinly sliced apple or pear for some fresh crunch.
Hi, Kirsten! Bacon and peanut butter sounds like a potent combination! But I hear ya on the sweet meets salty. Love it. And, adding thinly sliced pear is a great idea! I have to try that next.