Grilled Fontina + Blackberry Basil Smash Sandwiches.

I know I know I know.

It’s like I’ve been on this huge fruit plus cheese plus anything grilled cheese kick… forever. They are just so easy. So tasty. So pretty. So perfect for one person!

Also, seriously? The combos are endless. Name your fruit… name your cheese… basically pick your poison.

That’s just how it goes.

And because of all that, let’s talk about something you shouldn’t do while your husband is out of town. Frankly, you proooobably shouldn’t make three grilled cheese sandwiches at once. I mean, really. Three?

Because of this, I’ve been living on sandwiches since Sunday. When I picked up this bread that morning, it was so fresh that it was still WARM. I had huge plans for it, probably involving garlic and gorgonzola and maybe even some filet. But then I spied a dying container of blackberries in my fridge, and since I haven’t killed my basil plant yet, I figured I better put it to work, and I knew I had some fontina in the cheese drawer because… I always have fontina in the cheese drawer.

I almost made that mess into a pizza, but I could not resist this bread, which is huge since bread is not my thang. This week was weird.

Besides surviving on fruit and cheese sandwiches, a little wine, a lot of chocolate and some yogurt covered pretzels, I spent a few hours yesterday prepping some meals for my husband since we aren’t crossing paths this week. At the moment I’m most likely on a plane to Seattle (scared to death since I’m a huge twit) and he won’t be returning home until tomorrow, but when he does return home? He has a fridge stocked with enchiladas, bbq beer chicken, and almost two whole pounds of toasted sesame salmon – which will most likely all be consumed in the 48 hours before I get back.

I’d like to say that he will probably miss me, but the DVR queue is seriously full of Duck Dynasty and all those dumb pawn shop shows, and it will be an entire week since he’s been forced to double up on wearing nose strips and been constantly kicked in the ribs mid-snore. Let’s face it: he’s in heaven.

One thing he will surely not even care about is the fact this he missed these sandwiches. Considering they house no meat, I wouldn’t even be able to force him to eat them as a snack or an appetizer, which is why they make the best single lady food ever. Even when you eat one a day for four days straight. And maybe even two on the last day, just to make sure they’re perfect. But I don’t know any respectable lady who’d do that.

Fontina + Blackberry Basil Smash Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

makes 4 sandwiches

1 loaf of multigrain bread, cut into 8 thick slices

12 ounces of fresh blackberries

12-15 fresh basil leaves, chopped

6-8 ounces of fontina cheese, sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large bowl, mash blackberries with a fork (be careful – they will splatter!) and stir in chopped basil. Heat an electric griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat.

Lay a piece of cheese on each slice of bread, then top with a few spoonfuls of smashed blackberries. Gently pick up 3 slices, brush some olive oil on the bottom, and place them on the griddle or skillet. Place the remaining slices on top, brushing them with olive oil too. I like to cook these over lower and slowly so the bread gets perfectly golden and the cheese melts, so let each side cook for about 4-5 minutes. Remove and dig in!

Luckily, I’m not very respectable.