Stinky Little Toasts

OK, so my good friend Laura mocked me for this concoction, but I'm sharing it anyway because it's that good. These little "sandwiches" are a spin on my (and Laura's) favorite dish at Hopleaf, where we typically have to wait 2 solid hours for a table. Thankfully there are enough varities of Belgium brews here to keep us entertained.

By the time we are finally seated at Hopleaf, we're more than a little flushed and we don't even care that it takes a few flights of stairs to find the washroom or that the tables are crammed together like a traffic jam on Lakeshore Drive. None of this matters because we know we're only moments away from the CB&J sandwich-- undoubtedly the most comforting plate of food in Chicago

Think peanut butter and jelly on crack; a hearty slab of cashew butter followed by fig preserves and a thick slice of melty morbier cheese on toasted bread. This warm gooey delight is served up with a side of stilton mac n' cheese and homemade chips. No doubt, it's a heart attack in waiting, but I promise you'll still be grinning after the convulsions.

I told Laura that I wanted to make this in my own kitchen and she advised me not to mess with a good thing. But I rarely heed warnings.

Stinky little toasts

• Mini toasts: 1 package
• Cashew butter: 1.5 tsp. per toast
• Stonewall Fig & Ginger preserves: .5-1 tsp. per toast
• This was ungodly difficult to find. After searching forever for straight up fig preserves, I finally got this spread at Binny's. It can also be ordered from Stonewalls website.
  
• Stilton cheese: as many stinky crumbles as you see fit

Spread cashew butter on toast, follow with fig & ginger preserves. Top it all off with the wretched little crumbles.

These work great as hors d'oeuvres. Prepare and refrigerate a few hours before your guests arrive, just be sure to let them temp before serving in order to get the full pungent flavor of the stilton.