• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Cardamom and Tea
  • Blog
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • About
  • Subscribe

apricot basil grilled cheese

May 2, 2018 by Kathryn Pauline 5 Comments

Gamardeen brings me back to my childhood. Growing up, my grandparents always had a big orange-cellophane-wrapped trifold in their pantry (that same pantry that inspired the name of my blog), and whenever we visited, they would cut wide strips with kitchen scissors and dole them out to their very happy grandchildren. If you’ve had it, you know exactly what I’m talking about, but if you haven’t, just know that it’s essentially an apricot fruit leather, but also make sure you pick some up next time you stop by your local Middle Eastern market. It’s super sticky, sugary, very chewy, and sometimes a little tough, but in a good way (kind of like taffy or caramels). It has a distinctively cooked apricot flavor, which doesn’t taste the same as fresh, but it’s not trying to taste like fresh apricots—instead, its flavor is tangier, deeper, and extremely concentrated.

I do also love fresh apricots (another staple of my childhood), and I’m very excited for them to be in season soon, but I’ll always have a special place in my heart for the flavor of cooked and preserved apricots, perhaps best exemplified by gamardeen, but also quite present in apricot preserves. So I reliably keep a jar of apricot preserves in my fridge, because it’s like having a handy jar of gamardeen-concentrate that’s versatile enough to end up in just about anything I’m cooking.

This particular grilled cheese sandwich is a good example of my tendency to put apricot preserves in everything. The layers of goat cheese, apricot, and basil work beautifully together to create something rich and complex, but also totally addictive and comforting. And if you’re looking fo a packable lunch idea, this also works great as a cold sandwich.

I only included an actual recipe for those who have never made a grilled cheese before, but the already-initiated should simply do the following: spread some apricot preserves on one slice, spread some soft goat cheese on the other slice, sandwich some basil in between, coat in butter… and you know the rest.

Print

apricot basil grilled cheese

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Sliced bread
Apricot preserves
Soft goat cheese
Fresh basil leaves
Softened butter

Instructions

  1. Spread goat cheese on one slice of bread. Spread apricot jam on the other slice. Tear a few basil leaves and sandwich them in between.
  2. Close up the sandwich and butter the outsides.
  3. Heat a skillet over medium heat for a couple minutes, then place the sandwich in the skillet. Keep an eye on the heat to make sure it doesn’t burn before the cheese melts through. Once it’s golden brown and crunchy on the outside and melted on the inside, slice in half and serve immediately.

find us on instagram and let us know what you made!

Filed Under: dinner, every recipe, lunch, main courses, side dishes, vegetarian, weeknight Tagged With: apricot, basil, herbs, summer

Previous Post: « shawarma platter
Next Post: red rice | riza smookah »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gabrielle Misiewicz

    May 17, 2018 at 8:57 pm

    This looks so delicious! I’ve never had, or heard of, gamardeen, but I’d love to try it now. Your description kind of reminds me of the guava paste my grandparents always had in their kitchen. My Granddad and I would share a slice each with some cheddar cheese. ^_^

    Reply
    • Kathryn Pauline

      May 19, 2018 at 7:27 am

      You’ve got to try it—it’s soo delicious! And that’s such a sweet memory, thank you so much for sharing it! <3

      Reply
  2. Famidha

    May 3, 2018 at 2:28 pm

    Kamardeen is here to stay! I love it and thankful to the country I reside else I would never know! It is a staple during Ramadan!!! This grilled cheese sandwich is going to be my tomorrow’s breakfast… only change… i would have to use dried basil!!!! Thank you and will tag you on ig. InshaAllah.

    Reply
    • Kathryn Pauline

      May 4, 2018 at 1:04 am

      Haha, you got that right!! And yay, that’s so awesome! Dried basil would work great (the flavor will be different, but also very tasty). Another alternative that works really deliciously is dried mint. Hope you enjoy <3

      Reply
      • Kathryn Pauline

        May 4, 2018 at 1:07 am

        Oh and here’s what made me think of dried mint: http://www.antoniotahhan.com/2008/10/13/a-twist-on-the-all-american-classic/

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

photo of Kathryn Pauline holding A Dish for All Seasons cookbook

Welcome! I’m Kathryn Pauline, recipe developer and photographer here at Cardamom and Tea, where I hope you’ll find something delicious to make.

I love creating recipes inspired by seasonal produce, community, and the Middle Eastern food I grew up with.

Browse my recipe archives, where you’ll find hundreds of delicious and reliable favorites.

My first cookbook, A Dish for All Seasons is now available wherever books are sold!

cookbook a dish for all seasons, on a blue gingham table cloth

Footer

read our privacy policy

© 2017 - 2022 Kathryn Pauline