My Near-Perfect Sandwich

TONIGHT I was going to take a photo of my 'sandwich of the week,' but as I'd pulled it out from the oven (I think I had done so too excitedly; it was late and I was hungry) it spilled apart, blue cheese, walnuts and bread falling into and around the oven... Anyway, here's the recipe because it's easy and worth trying for yourself at home.

Blue Cheese, Cranberry-Blackberry Spread & Spiced Walnut Sandwich

Ingredients:

1 bag shelled walnuts

Maple syrup

Sage

Rosemary

Thyme

1 bag dried cranberries

1 package frozen blackberries

Sugar

Blue cheese

Country bread, sliced

Olive oil

Sea salt

For the spiced walnuts:

See Spiced Mixed Nuts, using walnuts only.

For the cranberry-blackberry spread:

• Empty 1 bag of dried cranberries into a small pot, adding just enough water so that the cranberries "almost float." Bring to a boil.
• Add 1 package frozen blackberries. Allow the berries to melt apart a bit before breaking apart the remaining pieces with a wooden spoon.
• Boil uncovered and sweeten incrementally (every few minutes) with sugar (about a few tablespoons at a time) until the sauce just begins to sweeten (it will get sweeter as it reduces).
• Once the sauce thickens, nearly to the point of resembling jam, remove from heat and empty the contents into an airtight container to be stored in the refrigerator.

Assembling the sandwich:

• Preheat oven (and cookie sheet) to 350°.
• Take 2 slices of country bread (a slightly yellowish bread is best) and on one slice spread the (cooled) cranberry-blackberry spread, and upon the other, slices of blue cheese.
• Slightly crush a small bunch of spiced walnuts in a bowl and sprinkle them atop the cheese.
• Place the "jellied" slice on top of the other and carefully turn the sandwich over.
• Very lightly, drizzle olive oil on top of the top slice only, then lightly sprinkle some crushed sea salt atop the oil.
• Place the sandwich on the preheated cookie sheet and warm the sandwich in the oven just until the edges of the bread begin to brown.
• Do not drop the sandwich as you remove it from the oven.

Enjoy!