Melted Cheese with Fig Preserves, Pear & Ham

Melts with fig preserves, Asian pear, ham and cheddar cheese by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

So here we are again. Fall. I swing back and forth between mourning the loss of summer's warmth and light and openness and thrilling to that crisp nip in the air, the vividness of sky's blue and the splashes of bold color that are creeping into the edges of every frame.

Autumn creeping in by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

But I'm unequivocally happy that the drop in temperature and shorter days makes me want to turn on the oven, fire up the stove, whip up a batch of this and simmer a pot of that. And it's not just dinners, I'm also feeling a bit more inspired about lunches, too. Hence these divine melts I made for lunch today.

Melts with fig preserves, Asian pear, ham and cheddar cheese by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

I found this jar of fig preserves in my pantry last week, hiding behind a tower of our pickle relish, and have been using it non-stop ever since. It is the perfect foil to any kind of cheese - be it sharp, creamy, moldy, or goaty, it's all good!

Melts with fig preserves, Asian pear, ham and cheddar cheese by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

And the Asian pears that Migliorelli Farm was selling at the Woodstock Farm Festival this week were too pretty to pass up.

Melts with fig preserves, Asian pear, ham and cheddar cheese by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

So I decided to pair the fig preserves with sharp cheddar cheese, very thinly sliced Asian pear and a little organic ham and put it all in the toaster to get bubbly and browned and crisp around the edges.

Melts with fig preserves, Asian pear, ham and cheddar cheese by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

The combination is sooooo good! Each bite contains just the right amount of sweet and savory and gooey and crunchy. I ate mine with this remarkable purple carrot which tasted as good as it looked.

Melts with fig preserves, Asian pear, ham and cheddar cheese by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

This is a melt so I'm not going to insult your intelligence by sharing a real recipe - just slice your bread, smear it with fig preserves, lay down the ham (optional, of course), layer on the cheese and top with the sliced pear - apple would be good, too. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toast or bake at 400 degrees until it meets your criteria for doneness.

Melts with fig preserves, Asian pear, ham and cheddar cheese by Eve Fox, the Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

Just a note to all you vegetarians, the combination would also be good without the ham lest you're intrigued.

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