Gluten-Free Grilled Cheese with Brie & Balsamic Peaches

   This morning I woke up fantasizing about what I could make with the French double creme Brie that I had bought the night before. Since it was already almost twelve I figured it was past breakfast time and I should probably make something that resembled brunch food. Opening my fridge I curiously looked around for anything that might go with Brie and when I saw fresh peaches in the fruit drawer I immediately knew what I had been craving. I figured, if I was going to indulge with an extremely buttery cheese I should balance it out with a fruit or vegetable ( at least I'm attempting to get some nutritional value here). I usually prefer Brie with fruit and although my favorite combination of Brie and figs usually does the trick in satisfying any craving I could possibly have, I didn't see any figs in my fridge, so I thought peaches could be just as good.

I thought back to this amazing grilled cheese that I had at the Lady Killigrew cafe at the old Montague Book Mill in Western Mass., and how OBSESSED I was with that sandwich. It was the ideal grilled cheese-toasted to buttery perfection with an extremely generous amount of creamy Brie and sweet marinated apples with apricot preserves. 

So, I thought I would do my best to recreate that perfect sandwich.

Ingredients 

1 whole peach 

2 slices of your favorite gluten-free bread 

As much Brie cheese as your heart desires 

1 tablespoon honey 

1 teaspoon of Italian Balsamic 

1 tablespoon butter 

Extra virgin olive oil 

 First, I cut the peaches into thin slices. I melted the butter in a small frying pan and when it started to shimmer and turn almost a golden color, I added the peaches and let them soak up the brown butter. After a few minutes I added honey and Italian balsamic to the peaches until they started to soften and become fully coated with the sauce. 

Meanwhile, I toasted gluten-free seeded bread (poppy, flax and sunflower seeds-which is one of my favorite gluten free brands called Glutino) with some extra virgin olive oil. I let my Brie soften up a bit and when my bread was toasted enough for my liking I spread the cheese on both slices. I took the peaches out of the pan and placed them on one side of the toasted bread. I put together my sandwich and placed it back in the frying pan with a little more olive oil and put a cover over it for about 3 minutes.

When the cheese started to ooze out from the sides I took out my sandwich from the pan and sliced it right down the middle. I made sure to take a bite while the cheese was still warm! The first bite that I took of my beautiful creation was exactly what I was hoping for. The creamy Brie was balanced out by the sweet juicy caramelized peaches and the bread was buttery and had the perfect crunch because of the olive oil that I initially toasted it with. I think my peach and Brie grilled cheese could definitely give the Lady Killigrew café a run for their money. :) 

                          

Gluten-Free Baked Lobster Mac & Cheese

      Every year on Father’s day my dad usually asks me if I would make him his favorite lobster mac & cheese recipe. I’m always excited about making this recipe because it encompasses so many of my favorite things: sweet paprika, Gruyere cheese, and LOBSTER! The other main reason why I love this recipe so much is because the tomato based Gruyere and cheddar sauce almost resembles the color and taste of vodka cream sauce. The Italian in me loves anything that resembles vodka cream sauce! Anyways, this year when I was contemplating which recipe to use I thought I would try and change it up a little bit.

Over the past year I’ve been making a very conscious effort to be gluten-free for health reasons and through this process I think I’ve tried almost every gluten free pasta brand that’s out there. Long story short, I really cannot give up pasta. Through all of my pasta experimentation I’ve found what I believe to be the most similar, texture wise to real pasta, which is Jovial’s gluten-free line.

I figured while I was already on the way to making an easier to digest version of my favorite lobster mac, I could substitute a few more things to the original recipe. I decided to use gluten-free breadcrumbs, in order to still have that extra crunch aspect to the dish, gluten-free flour for my roux and lactose free half & half instead of heavy cream.

Ingredients

5 tablespoons butter

Kosher Salt

1 pound of Jovial Gluten-Free pasta (or any gluten-free pasta of your choice)

2 ½ small shallots, finely chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons tomato paste

5 tablespoons all purpose gluten-free flour

¼ cup white wine (I usually add a little more for extra flavor)

4 cups of lactose free half & half

2 teaspoons of sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (or more depending on how much of a kick you can handle)

1 bay leaf

2 cups shredded sharp white Cheddar

2 cups shredded Gruyere

1 (2 lb.) lobster, steamed and meat removed from shell, chopped

¼ cup gluten-free breadcrumbs

¼ cup freshly chopped parsley leaves

Directions

First things first, make sure to preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with butter.

Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil and cook the pasta for about 10 minutes give or take, depending on how al dente you like it cooked. Also with gluten free pasta always remember to give it a quick rinse afterwards to get rid of any extra starchiness.

I would grate the gruyere and cheddar cheese ahead of time just to make it easier for yourself when it’s time to incorporate into the sauce.

Take another large saucepan and melt about 4 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter is shimmering, add the shallots and garlic until they appear to be translucent. Make sure to season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Add the tomato paste and gluten free flour and stir this mixture creating a tomato-based roux for about 3 minutes until it starts to create a slightly toasty aroma. Use your best judgment here because sometimes this mixture can get very dry so I like to add another tablespoon of butter to loosen it up a little bit. Next add the white wine and cook until it’s absorbed into your tomato mixture, about 1 or 2 minutes.

Slowly add the lactose free half & half and make sure to keep whisking while pouring (hopefully you’re good at multitasking) in order to avoid any lumps. Next add the sweet paprika, cayenne pepper and a bay leaf. Bring this creamy sauce up to a simmer and then turn down the heat and allow the sauce to reduce and thicken (enough to coat a spoon). After the mixture is thickened remove the bay leaf. 

Now stir in your grated cheeses, a handful at a time, and combining well into the sauce with each addition (leaving about a handful left for the topping). Add the chopped lobster meat as well and stir together so that all of the lobster is coated. Finally add your pasta and give it one last stir before adding it to the greased baking dish.

Once you evenly add your mac and cheese to the pan, sprinkle some gluten free breadcrumbs, parsley, the rest of your cheese and a little extra paprika for color and zest and place in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!!