“May you please leave off some of that. And could I have extra of this,” are words anyone cooking for kids and adults may have heard. And this is just the adults I’m repeating. Finding something that makes everyone happy is sometimes easier said than done. Or at least done in a way one might still have energy after the meal.
Recently I served up food for a group of families who all had young children, and a group of 18-20 year old college students. To say the groups’ tastebuds varied would be putting it mildly. It was a cold night and I just didn’t think one standard dish would do it. At the last minute I had a friend remind me,”Babz why are you trying to reinvent the wheel. Don’t make it so hard.” This friend and I were enjoying a quick lunch. I looked down at their plate and examined their grilled cheese. I must have been staring pretty hard, because before I knew it I was being offered a bite. This gooey crunchy delight was not what I had ordered, but it only took a minute to be realize it was what I should have ordered.
What is it about a grilled cheese that just hits the spot? Most of us have some recollection of this warm sandwich giving us comfort on a cold day most likely more than once in our childhood. Many children commit to an all-grilled-cheese diet for years before trying something new. Do we ever really stray too far from that as adults?
I ended up doing four different fancy grilled cheeses for the event, three of which were savory, and one sweet. I also offered one plain cheese grilled cheese with a choice of three cheeses. The decision was a success. I made so many of those gooey crispy sammies, I ran out of bread. My top two sellers couldn’t have been more different. The simple was a sourdough bread with creamy chive goat cheese and the fancy was French bread with Turtleback Ridge Habanaro chili jam, brown sugar pork jowl, and Irish Cheddar.
As wonderful as it was to sell out, nothing gave me more pleasure than watching folks crunch into the bread, jam or bacon falling onto their plate and smiles peeking out from large chewy bites. Grilled cheese can be shared, taken for a later lunch, or grabbed and stuffed when you are in a hurry.
Today I have included one of my favorite recipes for grilled cheese. What I love about this recipe is it’s really more of a guide for choose your own adventure grilled cheese. Let your tastebuds take you on a journey down memory lane or down a road to new flavor combinations.
Good luck and enjoy!
Grilled Cheese
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter or nonstick spray (I recently tried coconut spray for my grilled cheese and couldn’t believe the perfectly crisp results.)
Two pieces of bread (White bread is the classic, but I really enjoy a good slice of sour-dough or wheat/oat. Rye, pumpernickel, garlic or even cheesy bread can be a fun change.)
Two slices of cheese or two large schemers of cheese (Classic choices include American, Cheddar, Monterey Jack & Swiss. Just make sure your slice of bread is completely covered in cheese on one side. I’ve been enjoying brie, Irish cheddar, goat cheese, and mozzarella this winter. The creamy gourmet white cheese is a easy way to gussy up the cold season.)
garlic salt or flavored salt
Using a cast-iron skillet, medium skillet, or electric griddle, heat butter or spray pan. Butter is ready when it is golden brown and completely melted.
Sprinkle pan with salt and place bread in skillet. After about two minutes, flip the slices of bread. Make sure however you are placing your bread or the sides it will assemble most together when finished.
Schmear any jam or sauce on one or both sides. Don’t go too heavy, you don’t want so much to come off it burns the bread. Sprinkle cheese or place slice on one side. Add any other ingredients or variations to your slices. If your using a cheese that may need a little help melting, cover pan for a minute with a pot lid. Don’t do this for too long, but it will help contain the heat and melt the cheese. Heat for about 3-5 minutes and assemble bread to create sandwich.
After assembling slices together, press the sandwich just a bit against the skillet, still on medium heat. Cook on each side until golden for about 2-4 minutes. Remove from pan and serve. Best serve hot, but also delicious served cold.
Variations on a classic:
a) Bacon, tomato, and mayo.
b) Brie, sliced apples, fig or strawberry jam.
c) Easy cheesy (use as many different cheese as you want).
d) Jalapeño, cream cheese, cheddar.
e) Peanut butter, cheddar, and honey (Sounds crazy but it’s so good.)
f) Goat Cheese, sliced apples, and jam or honey. e) Pimento cheese melt & bacon.
f) Tuna and swiss.
g) Havarti & chicken salad.
h) Tomato, pesto or basil, mozzarella. i) Ham & Swiss.
j) Blue cheese, apples, balsamic onions.
k) Avocado, bacon, & PepperJack.
l) Nutella & Banana.
j) Smoked salmon, red onion, goat cheese, dill, arugula. k) Pulled pork & cheddar.
l) White chocolate peanut butter, banana slices, strawberry jam, bacon if your frisky.
m) Spicy chili jam, bacon cooked with brown sugar sprinkled on after, Irish cheddar.
Additional add ons ideas if you are itching for something different.: Meat: salami, corned beef, ham, turkey, smoked salmon, brown sugar bacon, bbq pork, tuna. Fruit: Sliced apples, peaches, various jams, and even bananas.
Cheese: Goat, brie, mozzarella, blue cheese, cream cheese, Havarti, Asiago, Parmesan, Gouda.
The photo and recipes used in today’s article are from the kitchen of Chef Babz ([email protected]).
