If you’re on the fence about goat cheese, I ask you to hold your judgement until after you try this sandwich. I used to belong to the camp that feels goat cheese is a smelly, unappetizing cheese that one asks to be held off your salad or entrée.

My mind has been entirely changed by two things: first, an amazing tapas restaurant called 4 Sisters Tapas and Wine Bar in La Crosse, WI (of all places…) where I had my first true experience with plain goat cheese, and this sandwich which has made it a staple item in my fridge forever.

Goat cheese is not the mildest of cheese, I will give you that, and taken on its own, it can be a bit overbearing, but with the sweetness of the fig and honey in this sandwich, and the gooey, cream-cheese-like texture it takes on when grilled, this sandwich is a great option for a quick dinner, or a filling breakfast.

So I ask, my darling readers, that you set aside your preconceived ideas about goat cheese until you try it in the sandwich I have been obsessively eating for breakfast for the past week.

Ingredients (makes four sandwiches):

• 2 tsp of honey
• 1/4 tsp grated lemon rind
• One 4 oz package of plain goat cheese
• 8 slices of your favorite cinnamon raisin bread
• 2 tbsp fig preserves or fig spread
• 2 tsp thinly sliced fresh basil
• Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Lay out your bread slices and crumble 1 oz. of goat cheese on 4 of the slices of bread. I say crumble instead of spread, because while goat cheese is soft, it’s a bit hard to spread. I sort of end up doing a crumble/spread combo, breaking it into smaller chunks and then spreading those pieces out to the corners. As long as you have a relatively even distribution over the bread slice, the cheese will melt and even itself out for you.

2. Drizzle the other slices of bread with 1/2 tsp of honey. Spread the honey, and top with 1/2 a tbsp of fig preserves.

3. Scatter the basil and lemon zest over the slices with the goat cheese. Put one fig slice on top of each goat cheese slice to make your 4 sandwiches.

4. Coat a frying pan with cooking spray, and grill the sandwiches over medium heat, just as you would your average grilled cheese, until they are golden brown on both sides. Serve with a green side salad to complete the meal for dinner, or half a grapefruit for a delicious breakfast!