Serves 4 – Total Time: 30 minutes

Asian Pears are in season! Enjoy this sandwich as a hearty lunch, or supper paired with soup or salad. Seasoned with woody thyme and zippy kalamata olives. Caramelizing onions can be a lesson in patience, but you need to cook these onions for only half the usual time, just enough to break them down and turn them a light golden brown. Once cooked, they make up the bulk of the filling for these sandwiches. Folding the warm onions into the goat cheese softens the cheese, helping it glide easily over the bread. The cheese helps bind everything together, so nothing slips out while the sandwich is toasting in the pan. You can use apples or pears here; either adds some fresh crunch.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed for frying
• 1 ½ pounds Vidalia onions, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ cup soft goat cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons chopped pitted kalamata olives (about 10 olives)
• 8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices sourdough bread
• 2 large Asian Pears, halved, cored, and thinly sliced

Step 1:

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and salt and cook, tossing frequently, until the onions turn creamy and golden, 15 to 18 minutes.

Step 2:

Add thyme and red pepper flakes and stir for another 30 to 45 seconds until fragrant. Transfer the onions to a small bowl and stir in the goat cheese and olives.

Step 3:

Place 4 slices of bread on the counter and divide the onion mixture among them, spreading to the edges. Top with the Asian Pear slices, then the remaining bread, pressing down gently to adhere.

Step 4:

Wipe the same skillet down with a paper towel, then add 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil (or more as needed to coat the bottom of the pan) and heat over medium. Working in batches, if needed, add the sandwiches and cook 1 to 2 minutes per side, pressing them gently to compress them as they cook, until the bread is toasted and deeply golden brown. If working in batches, add more olive oil as needed and cook the remaining sandwiches. Slice and serve.

Recipe by Jerrelle Guy and adapted by Georgia Peach Truck