At Vancouver’s PNE this year, fair-goers will have the chance to sample Armstrong cheese with Chef Dale MacKay.  Here’s his recipe for a stellar cheese sandwich.

Ingredients:

Olive-Tomato Spread
½ roasted garlic clove
3½ oz (100 g) black olives, pitted
6 medium semi-dry tomatoes
5 tbsp (75 mL) olive oil
10 leaves fresh flat leaf parsley
¼ zest of 1 lemon
butter, to taste
8 slices multigrain bread
9 oz (255 g) Armstrong Marble Cheddar, divided

 

Directions:

1. To roast garlic, first cut bulb in half, across its equator, and rub 1 tsp (5 mL) of olive oil on both sides.  Then wrap in aluminum foil and place in oven for 45 minutes at 525°F (275°C). The garlic should be soft and light golden brown in colour when it comes out of the foil. Reserve one clove for the olive-tomato spread and refrigerate the remainder. The roasted garlic will keep for up to a week.
2. To make the olive-tomato spread, combine roasted garlic, olives, tomatoes, olive oil, parsley and lemon zest in a food processor until a light, chunky texture is achieved.
3. Lightly spread butter on both sides of two slices of bread. On the inside of one slice, evenly spread a small amount of the olive-tomato mixture.
4. Grate ¼ of the cheese on the bread with the olive-tomato spread and top with the second piece of bread to close the sandwich. Place the buttered sides down in a frying pan on low heat until both sides are crisp and golden brown. Repeat to make 4 sandwiches. Cut in half and enjoy!