grilled cheese Archives

Favorite Grilled Cheese Cobos: Grilled Cheddar Sandwich with Roasted Pears & Pecans; Perfect Grilled Cheese; Prosciutto & Fontina Panini with Arugula Pesto and Pickled Shallots; Radicchio & Mozzarella Toasts; Pesto Grilled Cheese; Grilled Mushroom-Cheddar Melts

You know we love grilled cheese (for evidence, see above). In early January, I posted about this Grilled Cheddar Sandwich with Roasted Pears & Pecans. We reposted it on Huffington Post later on and were awed by the cheese sandwich suggestions that readers came up with. So we figured it was time to get back in the kitchen and start grilling our sandwiches again.

I love the pungent, strong flavors of an antipasti platter. Sundried tomatoes are a BGSK favorite, as they’re easy to keep around in the pantry and can spice up even the most humble dish. Olives I find addictive and satisfying, and smoked mozzarella makes a run for being a top five cheese. My mom makes antipasti salads often as her brown bag bag lunches-lettuce topped with artichokes, cheese, olives, sundried tomatoes, and roasted peppers. I took these same parts and translated them into my favorite lunch-see if you can guess what that is!

From my kitchen, albeit small, to yours,

Cara, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

**Recipe**

Antipasti Grilled Cheese
Makes 4 sandwiches

Ingredients
8 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese
12 sundried tomatoes, chopped*
1/4 cup black olive tapenade
1/2 cup artichoke pesto (recipe follows)
1 baguette

Note: You can use sundried tomatoes that are packed in oil or ones that aren’t. Just find a brand you like. The tomatoes should be pliable, not hard, and not overly salty.

On bottom half, spread artichoke. Pile tomatoes, cheese. Broil 3-4 minutes. Spread top with tapenade and press on. Broil 1-2 minutes. Eat!

Artichoke Pesto
Makes 1/2 cup

Ingredients
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1 clove garlic, coarsely shopped
kosher salt
1 cup canned artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons olive oil
red pepper flakes

Combine the pine nuts, garlic, and a pinch of salt in a mini food processor. Process until the garlic is chopped and the nuts are quite fine. Add the artichoke hearts and pulse again to make a paste. Drizzle in the olive oil and run the processor until the pesto is about the consistency of mayo. Add some red pepper flakes and taste for salt, adding more as needed.

This pesto will keep for about 1 week in the fridge.

DISH: Grilled Cheddar Sandwich with Pears and Pecans
TYPE: Weekday Lunch
MAIN INGREDIENTS: Homemade Bread, Cheese, Pears

I adore grilled cheese by whatever name: quesadilla, panini, pizza (ok, maybe that last one’s a stretch). It is practically in my blood, at least the blood from my mother’s side. My father’s side almost universally detests cheese. But my maternal grandparents, as I understand it, when they went to Paris for the first time fell in love with Croque Monsieurs. They ordered them at a bistro for lunch and were blown away. At all the Parisian meals that followed that one, they were unable to order anything but this fancy grilled cheese sandwich. They ate Croque Monsieur after Croque Monsieur-my heaven.

Though I am never dissatisfied with the classic, sprucing up grilled cheese is a worthwhile endeavor in my book. It’s not to prevent boredom, exactly. It’s for fun, for variety. Depending on what ingredients you add, you can even occasionally nudge the grilled cheese ever so slightly in the direction of healthful. Phoebe’s been known to add sauteed mushrooms to her grilled cheese, but in this sandwich I went a route she never would: I used pears.

We first made these sweetened, roasted pears for a salad at a lunch we catered. On top of mixed greens, with toasted pecans and cider vinaigrette, they were phenomenal. I figured they’d provide a similar texture and taste to this grilled cheese sandwich. Their sweetness was offset by a slather of good mustard, a sprinkling of pecans, and, of course, cheese-sharp white cheddar. On the other hand, the homemade egg bread I made several loaves of the first week in January, with its honeyed, dense crumb, sort of catered to the pears.

In a month when we normally revert to eating salads and soups, this grilled cheese is a wonderful counterpoint. It might perhaps even be enjoyed alongside one of the aforementioned dishes. Half a sandwich and a bowl of soup has got to be one of the best-ever winter lunches.

From my kitchen, eating the best grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, to yours,

Cara, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

**Recipe**

Grilled Cheddar Sandwich with Roasted Pear and Pecans
Makes 2 sandwiches

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon sugar
pinch cinnamon
Kosher salt
1 Bosc pear, quartered, cored, and cut into ¼-inch thick slices
10 pecan halves
2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon honey
pinch cayenne
4 slices good egg bread, toasted
3 ounces sharp cheddar, grated (about 2/3 cup)

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Combine the melted butter with the sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Add the pears and pecans and toss to coat. Arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the pecans and bake the pears for 5 minutes more. Leave the oven on. When the pecans are cool enough to handle, chop them coarsely.

Stir together the mustard, honey, and a pinch of cayenne. Place two slice of bread on a greased baking sheet, then spread each with half the mustard mixture. Top each with two layers of pears, then divide the cheddar between the two. Bake for 5-8 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle half the pecans over each sandwich. Top with the remaining two slices of bread, and carefully flip the sandwiches. Bake for another 3-5 minutes.

Cut each sandwich in half and serve.

HEALTHY-ISH NAUGHTINESS: Grilled Mushroom-Cheddar Melts; Spinach Hash Browns or Sweet Potato Fries; Carrot Cake

I love a good grilled cheese. But sometimes it just feels right to introduce a vegetable to the mix, even if that vegetable is sauteed in butter. This seems to be my rationale come summertime (otherwise known as bikini season). To help this sandwich trim down even further, I decided to grill instead of fry it. Getting a nice charred cross-hatch on hearty country bread really does a summer sandwich good.

WEEKEND BRUNCH MENU (FOR TWO): Turkey Pepperjack Melts; Sweet Potato Fries; Cilantro Slaw; Pickles

I love a good turkey sandwich. But for some reason, I’m not really the type of person who keeps regular old sandwich bread around. In New York, that’s easy enough to remedy. When I get the craving, I’ll often just make a pit stop at my corner deli and either order their version of my go-to turkey club, or, in this case, if I have some random sandwich fixings already, I’ll ask them to just sell me two pieces of whole wheat sandwich bread for 50 cents.

That’s how this sandwich came about. I inherited the leftover smoked turkey and sliced pepperjack from a lunch of cold cuts and grilled cheeses on this weekend away with friends. I rarely buy pepperjack on my own, but after melting it between two slices of bread slathered with my new favorite mustard, it might have become my new favorite sandwich cheese: its spiciness was the perfect complement to the sweet, hot mustard and a colorful backdrop to everyday turkey.

From my kitchen, albeit small, to yours,

Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

Turkey Pepperjack Melts
Makes 2 sandwiches Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
4 slices whole wheat bread
2 tbsp honey mustard (or this hot sweet mustard)
8 slices pepperjack cheese
8 slices smoked turkey breast

In a small bowl, heat the butter in the microwave until melted.

Lay the slices of bread on a work surface and brush on one side with the melted butter. Flip the bread over and slather the other side with mustard. Lay two slices of cheese on each slice of bread, followed by two slices of turkey. Sandwich each pair together.

Heat a small non-stick skillet over a medium-high flame. When hot, but not smoking, add one sandwich to the pan and cook until it is brown on both sides and the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining sandwich.

Cut down the middle and serve immediately.

Ever since my Food52 victory with this Prosciutto & Fontina Panini, I have been on a sandwich kick, trying any and all variations of cured meat with rich melty cheese and an appropriate condiment. For November Mag Club, I decided to forsake the meat all together and, instead, allow this pungent sundried tomato pesto to take center stage (much to Cara’s delight-she’s obsessive about sundried tomatoes). The mozzarella is mild so as not to detract from the sauce, and the arugula lends just the right amount of freshness to an otherwise pantry-friendly sandwich.

If, by the way, you are looking for a use for that last slice of dry, bland turkey (which you are positively sick of), what better way to hide your protein than by sandwiching it between slices of cheese, crusty bread, and a large slather of garlic-y pesto?

From my kitchen, albeit small, to yours,

Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK

Sundried Tomato Pesto Panini
Makes 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

1 loaf ciabatta, sliced lengthwise
1/2 lb whole milk mozzarella, thinly sliced
2 large handfuls baby arugula

For the pesto:

2 large cloves garlic
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 tsp salt
½ lemon, juiced
1/2 cup oil (may be more depending on how thick or thin you want your pesto)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

In a small food processor, pulse the pine nuts, tomatoes and garlic until coarsely chopped. Add the lemon juice and salt and pulse to combine. Stream in olive oil and continue to blend until all the ingredients are finely chopped and the pesto is smooth and creamy. Add the Parmesan, and pulse to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary.

Preheat the broiler.

Place the two slices of bread crust side down on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 3-5 minutes, until beginning to crisp but not totally browned. Slather both sides of bread evenly with pesto and arrange the cheese slices in a single layer. Return the bread to the oven and continue to toast until the cheese has melted, about 3-5 minutes.

Place the arugula on one side of the bread and sandwich the halves together.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Depending on the size of your pan and the size of the ciabatta, you may have to cut the sandwich in half like I did. Set the sandwich top side down in the pan and weight it with a smaller skillet and/or a heavy bowl (see image above) so the bread is crushed and flattened as it toasts. When the bread has browned, repeat on the other side. When finished, the panini should be browned, crisped, and flattened, and should have cheese oozing from it. Toast the remaining half (if necessary), and then cut it again to create four sandwiches.