The big thaw...

We are well into March, it's daylight saving time and the warmth of the sun can be felt all day and into early evening at last. With backyards reappearing from their icy cover and the old firepit now revealed beyond receding snow drifts, it's time to light it up for some backyard fun. As more COVID 19 restrictions lift (hopefully this will continue!) and we are allowed some limited social contact with family and cohorts, a backyard gathering around a warm fire is a great way to ring in spring while still being in a distanced environment outside. [See also our recipe blog post for a collection of savory and sweet S'more recipes to try!]

Typical firepit fare usually includes toasting something like marshmallows and making S'mores. This year we put our own spin on these traditional little morsels by doing ours the savory way! Leaning to the saltier side of things, our S'mores are made with salty wholegrain sturdy crackers (we used Vinta by Dare), aged white cheddar (by Bothwell) and Birch Bacon Jam crafted by The Canadian Birch Company. Really, any of your favorite hard cheeses can be used such as yellow cheddar, smoked gouda, pepper jack, provolone...the result is simply delicious.

Roasting Cheese? This should be interesting...

Now, you know how to roast a marshmallow but how do you roast cheese for this culinary adventure???

We used a handy BBQ burger spatula utensil as shown. Use a metal one (not plastic or wood!). Place a healthy slice of cheese on the spatula and hold it over the coals for about 5 min. It will slowly begin to melt around the edges and once this starts to happen the balance of the melt happens fast so stay alert.

You will have to slide the cheese off the spatula onto a cracker before it melts completely into a huge puddle and starts to boil so timing is key. Have a cracker on a plate ready to make the transfer. Then immediately scoop a generous spoonful of Birch Bacon Jam onto the cheese and sandwich it with another cracker.

The eatin' is the easy part!  

Of course ours turned out perfectly...first try...NOT! but we had fun and challenged each other to see who could do theirs the best...you've got to just roll with it. Traditional marshmallow s'mores are just as tricky -- marshmallows are prone to spontaneous combustion -- or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it... yes, literally sticking to it (ha ha ha) !!!

Eat immediately, rinse and repeat! You will want another!