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If you've never considered the possibilities that grilled cheese provides, the time has come to consider how this easy sandwich can be made to seem almost gourmet.
Anyone can make grilled cheese. Right? And while it might be a comforting and fulfilling staple of the easy lunch or the "kids" menu at your house, we rarely think of it as exciting or dressy. But with a few minor variations to the basic ingredients, grilled cheese can go from being lunch for little Johnny to an informal snack for company or even h'orderves for your next party... The BasicsGrilled cheese is simple. Take a piece of bread and spot it with butter or margarine. Put it in a non-stick skillet and turn the heat to medium. Lay a piece of cheese on the bread. Stick a second piece of buttered bread on top. Flip the sandwich when the heat in the skillet has melted the cheese enough to make it all stick together. Hang around close enough to the skillet to keep your eye on the whole thing and prevent it from burning. When both sides of the sandwich are adequately browned and crunchy, put it on a plate and cut it in half - preferably in a diagonal manner. Try New BreadsThe trick to making exciting grilled cheese sandwiches is in the ingredients. Start with having more than simple plain white bread available for grilled cheese. Cobblestone Mill and Pepperidge Farm, for example, both make varieties of specialty breads and any of them can be turned into a good grilled cheese sandwich. Whatever the brand name, San Francisco Sourdough makes an excellent grilled cheese. But a nice Jewish Rye or a good German Pumpernickel serves just as well. Looking for something healthier? Pepperidge Farm has some whole grain breads that are sliced thin. Try using their 15 grain Whole Grain or their all natural Honey Flax bread. Or if you're looking for something more artistic, try using their Rye and Pumpernickel Swirl for a grilled cheese sandwich. Changing Your CheesesOf course, bread is only half of what makes a grilled cheese sandwich. We tend to assume that basic processed American cheese is what ends up on a grilled cheese sandwich. But there are a variety of other sliced cheeses available at your grocery store and they make excellent grilled cheese sandwiches. Considering trying a sliced cheddar, provolone, aged Swiss, mozzarella, Muenster, Colby, or Monterey jack; these are the most common sliced cheeses you while find in your grocery store's dairy section. They all work wonderfully for the purpose of making grilled cheese sandwiches, and the task becomes one of simply identifying the cheeses that excite your taste buds the most. Want to spice up your sandwich a little? Consider using a pepper jack - a Monterey Jack that combines hot peppers (usually jalapenos) into the cheese. It will put a little bite into your sandwich. The Outside of the SandwichThere are a few other things you can do to make grilled cheese more inviting. Parmesan, Romano or a combination of these two cheeses can be sprinkled on the outside of a grilled cheese sandwich to give it a little extra flavor and crunch. If you sprinkle one of these grated cheeses on a sandwich and then flip it to grill the side with the grated cheese, the result is usually an extra layer of crunchiness and flavor on the outside of the sandwich. Another choice is to sprinkle a hot sauce (Tabasco, Texas Pete, etc.) on one side of the sandwich and then flip it to grill the side with the sauce on it before removing it to serve. The only requirement is that the sauce be relatively watery in consistency so that the bread absorbs it well. Dressing It UpWant to use grilled cheese as h'orderves for a party? Make several sandwiches, mixing and matching breads and cheeses: grilled Swiss on rye, sharp cheddar on sourdough, provolone on pumpernickel, mozzarella on whole wheat - whatever combination of breads and cheeses you most enjoy. When you've made six or eight sandwiches, quarter them and spread them on a serving platter. Suddenly you've got 24 to 32 finger sandwiches you can set out for guests. Want to be really decorative with your grilled cheese? Stick a toothpick into the top of each sandwich quarter and spear an olive, cocktail onion, small pickle or similar piece of garnish onto the toothpick. Grilled cheese may be a rather dull, traditional favorite for kids, but its true potential is really limited only by your imagination...
The copyright of the article Variations on Grilled Cheese in Recipes is owned by Greg Cruey. Permission to republish Variations on Grilled Cheese in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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