Variations On Grilled Cheese

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Courtesy Pixabay

The grilled cheese sandwich is a good standby if you have a little time on your hands and are hankering for something hearty and warm. Get your slices of bread, buttered, a warmed pan with butter (I like to get crazy and use olive oil), nice cheddar (sharp is my choice), and put it in there. Dill pickle to accompany (I put the pickles in side the sandwich, just to be saucy), tomato soup on the side and you have a feast for royalty. But what if those horizons could be explored further? Yes, behold your grilled cheese horizons being expanded, that mental melted cheese maps borders being blown. Behold…

Bacon, spinach and dill grilled cheese (bacon always makes everything better)

Ingredients:

1. Arla Dofino Dill Havarti Cheese
2. Handful of Spinach
3. 4 slices of Bacon

Recipe:

1. Butter each slice of bread on the inside and outside and place in your frying pan on medium-high heat.
2. Add thinly sliced havarti cheese until bread is fully-covered.
3. Top cheese with a handful of spinach and 4 slices of bacon and add the second slice of bread on top.
4. Cook until cheese is melted and both sides of the bread are golden brown.
5. Serve with a side of tomato soup for dunking purposes, of course.

Cornbread Brisket Grilled Cheese

Now, lets kick up the difficulty level. Beef and melted cheese is always a tasty combo. Also, in the South, we love cornbread. Behold…

  • 2 pounds beef brisket (, shredded)

for the corn bread

  • oil spray
  • 1 ¼ cups cornmeal
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar (, firmly packed)
  • 3 tablespoons jalapeno peppers (, minced (jarred is fine))
  • 4 green onions (, minced)
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • ½ cup whole-milk yogurt
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil (, plus one tablespoon)
  • 1 large egg (, beaten)
  • for the sandwiches
  • 1 small red onion (, cut into thick rounds)
  • 4 slices gruyere cheese
  • Unsalted butter ( for frying)

make the corn bread

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 9-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper and spread with olive oil.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, peppers, and green onions. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, yogurt, and olive oil. Add the milk mixture to the cornmeal mixture and fold just until the batter is blended; it will be slightly lumpy. Add the egg and fold until blended.
  3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let it cool completely.

assemble the sandwiches

  1. While the cornbread is cooling, heat the olive oil in a heavy frying pan over high heat. Add the onion and cook, turning once, until deeply caramelized, about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
  2. Cut the corn bread into 4 equal pieces, then halve each piece horizontally. Place one-fourth of the beef brisket on the cut side of a bottom piece of corn bread. Top with 1 tablespoon of the onion, a slice of Gruyère cheese, and then the top piece of corn bread, cut-side down. Repeat to make 3 more sandwiches.
  3. In a large nonstick frying pan, melt about 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Working in batches, fry the sandwiches, turning once and adding butter as needed, until the bread is browned and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.

And now, back to bacon, with a touch of spice…

jalapeno popper grilled cheese with bacon

  • 2 jalapenos sliced lengthwise seeds and membranes removed
  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 4 slices bacon crispy cooked
  • 4 slices of your favorite cheese ((I used raclette and smoked cheddar))
  • 4 slices sourdough bread ((or whatever good bread you have on hand))
  • Pats of butter
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Fill each jalapeno half with approximately 1 ounce of cream cheese. Bake stuffed jalapenos on cookie sheet for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven.
  3. Place 1 slice of cheese on each bread slice. Each sandwich will have both kinds of cheese. Slice stuffed jalapenos into bite size pieces. Add jalapeno slices to one side of the bread and 2 slices of bacon to the other side. Combine slices of bread to form 2 sandwiches.
  4. Grill each sandwich until lightly browned. Turn and cook until light browned on other side, Cheese should be melted and gooey.
  5. Optional: Add a little juice from a jar of jalapenos if you have any. I mixed it with the cream cheese for an extra kick.

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