Strawberry and Brie Baguette

To be honest, I bought the Basics Brie not only because I wanted to make cheesesteak, but also because I came across an interesting article on my RSS news reader about somebody who tried making a Raspberry and Brie panini. Long story short, it convinced her to buy a panini maker.

By my books, if a recipe can persuade a person to buy expensive kitchen equipment, it has got to be pretty good, or even one step away from life-changing (after all, that eqiupment is going to affect the person's kitchen habits one way or another). The problem though is that I had to make do with the Sainsbury's Basics Strawberry Jam since their range is so limited. On the other hand, strawberries are nothing like raspberries, for a start, the latter tend to be quite tart. If memory serves, the writer of the panini article was waxing lyrical about how the smoothness of the brie contrasted perfectly with the raspberry.

Given how sweet the Basics jam is however, I don't really see this happening. The fruit content is pretty low too, so it might feel as if I'm just eating melted sugar jelly. Yet at the same time, I was really curious as to how the combination would turn out, so without much hesitation, I put bits of Brie on one side of the other baguette half, spread jam on the other, and grilled for a while.

The sandwich was actually quite pleasant, almost like a cross between a Victoria Sponge and a strawberry cheesecake all wrapped in crusty coating. It might be a welcome lunch alternative, especially to those who have a sweet tooth.

Description	Price per Unit	No. of servings	Trade-up Premium	Trade-up Benefits
French Mild Brie	£0.95	200g	+£0.84 for 300g	Better-tasting Brie, choice between French Mild, French ripening or Somerset (prices may differ)
Strawberry Jam	£0.38	454g	+£0.60	Higher fruit content, reduced sugar option