Gourmet Grilled Cheese

If you aren't dieting, the cold, crisp days of January are the perfect time of year to enjoy one of my favorite childhood lunch combinations: cream of tomato soup and grilled cheese. Although I've developed many recipes for tomato soup over the years, I'm always content with Campbell's condensed cream of tomato soup (in fact, the Soup-at-Hand version of that soup is always on reserve in my office in case of soup-related emergencies). I'm more particular about grilled cheese sandwiches though.

Gourmet Panini Press

My grilled cheese doesn't have to be fancy but it must be made with real Cheddar and real butter and the bread, if white, has to be crusty and fresh. That said, I usually use whole grain sandwich bread at lunchtime. By the way, A is today's mystery letter but let's get back to grilled cheese, shall we? Over the holidays, I sliced a baguette into thin disks and made appetizer-sized grilled cheeses for the kids who attended our Christmas Eve soiree and these two-bite sandwiches were a hit with kids of all ages!

Gourmet Panini Press

When making a grilled cheese sandwich, please remember that slow and easy wins the race; you can't rush a good grilled cheese. My preferred method is to keep the heat under a heavy bottomed skillet medium so that the inside of the sandwich becomes molten and the outside doesn't go beyond golden. If using a panini press, leave a cheese-free border around the edge so that the melted cheese doesn't ooze out and burn.

I've made grilled cheese sandwiches with sliced cheese and with shredded. You can get good results with either but I've found that for most home cooks, it's easier to shred the cheese than to slice it evenly.

Although I always dip my grilled cheese sandwich in ketchup (the soup isn't tangy enough for me), I can acknowledge that there are other good condiment options such as sun dried tomato pesto, branston pickle and Bengal chutney that can be spread right inside the sandwich before grilling to make a very tasty lunch!

Gourmet Grilled Cheese

Gourmet Panini Press

Graco Travel System Tablet Android 1080P 120Hz Led Hdtv

Panini Recipe

A panini can be just about anything that can be stuffed between ciabatta or another sort of bread cut open horizontally - cold cuts such as salami or ham, cheese, and other such ingredients - and, if preferred, served hot after having been heated in a panini press. Here are some guidelines for those searching for a good panini recipe.

Gourmet Panini Press

1.Go with the ingredients and the combination that you like and prefer. Keep an open mind and be inventive - substitute for missing ingredients as you like. Make it as simple or elaborate as you wish. Who knows, you might be able to come up with a winning recipe.

Gourmet Panini Press

2.That said, be careful not to use ingredients that are too wet or moist, or at least try not to use too much of those ingredients. Saturated bread is neither fun nor easy to eat. And putting wet ingredients in a panini press can result in problems.

3.Go for proportions that work as well. Again, if grilling your panino, if it's overstuffed you could have problems with it later on.

Here is a good simple hot panini recipe. It can also be served cold, but the combination of melted cheese, warmed beef and crispy bread makes it that much more irresistible.

•4 slices whole-grain bread
•2 medium-thick slices roast beef
•2 slices Mozzarella cheese
•2 slices Gouda cheese
•Dijon mustard
•Mayonnaise
•Olive oil for brushing

Preheat the panini press to medium heat. Lay the slices of bread flat on a plate. Brush the inner surfaces of the slices with mayonnaise. Lay the Gouda slices on the lower halves of the sandwiches. Top with roast beef slices, slather with Dijon mustard. Finish with Mozzarella cheese slices and sandwich tops. Brush exterior lightly with olive oil. Press and grill in panini press 5-7 minutes or until cheese melts and bread is toasted. Serve immediately. Makes two panini.

Panini Recipe

Gourmet Panini Press

Enameled Cast Iron Cookware Logitech Mouse