Down the Grilled Cheese Rabbit Hole #GrilledCheese

Ask six different people to define a 'grilled cheese sandwich' and I guarantee you'll get six different answers. When I asked friends what made for the best grilled cheese they've ever had, answers ran the gamut from "real butter, fake cheese" to "sky's the limit...whatever you can imagine!" 

Well, I can imagine quite a bit. So, for this Holiday Fun with Our Blog Friends event, I decided to go down the Grilled Cheese Rabbit Hole with all sorts of fanciful extras.

It's the start of Grilled Cheese Month, so we thought we'd give you lots of inspiration! Hosted by Caroline of Caroline's Cooking - see all the delicious grilled cheese ideas being shared today:

• Apple Cheddar Bacon Grilled Cheese by Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Apple Gouda Grilled Cheese by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Down the Grilled Cheese Rabbit Hole by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Grilled Cheddar, Onion and Tomato Sandwich by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Havarti & Dill Grilled Cheese by Red Cottage Chronicles
• Italian Inside-Out Grilled Cheese by Palatable Pastime
• Pickle & Bacon Garlicy Grilled Cheese by From Gate to Plate
• Polish Reuben Grilled Cheese by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Quadruple Grilled Cheese by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Roast Beef, Brie and Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese by Family Around the Table
• Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese Sandwich by All that's Jas
• "The Jammin' Jamaican" Chicken Grilled Cheese by Caroline's Cooking
• Tish's Tasty Turkey Grilled Cheese Sliders by Cooking With Carlee

Grilled Cheese Par-tay!!

I've stalked grilled cheese food trucks; we ate at the one in Tumalo, Oregon twice in one week! I've read countless cookbooks on grilled cheese. There's even a grilled cheese restaurant in San Francisco that I can't wait to try. What I discovered, for our tastes: Grilled cheese sandwiches are all about the extras. 

Well, it’s not all about the extras. There are some basics to keep in mind...

Choose a hardier bread. Breads with dense crumb stand up better on the grill. Brioche is tasty, but its pillowy density doesn't work well as a grilled cheese sandwich.

Use thin slices of cheese in multiple layers. While thick slices of cheese are great to grab off the cutting board, thinner slices melt more easily. Makes sense, right? Or, even better is shredded cheese!

Pile on the extras! Well, it’s a balance, I suppose. Lots of extras adds personality and intrigue to the sandwiches. But you have to make sure that there is a balance of extras plus cheese so that it all melts together into gooey deliciousness.

Keep your heat low and melt slowly. Turning up the heat too high results in burnt bread and unmelted cheese.

Ingredients

• bread
• butter
• cheese
• extras (I offered herbs, fruit, meats, pesto, aioli, and even flowers!)

Procedure

Melt butter in a skillet or grill pan on low heat. Butter your bread on one side and place it butter side down on the hot pan. Layer cheese, extras, cheese, and more extras on top of that bread. 

Add more cheese, more extras, and a final layer of cheese on top of that. Then top it all with another slice of buttered bread – this time with the butter side up.

  

Once the cheese begins to melt on the bottom half of the sandwich, check the bread. It should be crisped and turning brown. Flip the sandwich over and grill till, again, the bottom cheese is melted and bread crispy.

Remove sandwich to a cutting board and slice in half. Serve immediately.

If you happen to have a gluten-free person in your life, I made a Gluten-Free Cauliflower Grilled Cheese. It's not exactly the same, but it's passable...and it's tasty!

Then I made one that was just my kinda grilled cheese. It went way down the Grilled Cheese Rabbit Hole! I used Brandy-Laced Chicken Liver Pâté with Balsamicy Onions, crisped onions, and a mushroom Jack cheese. Earthy, yummy goodness!

Ingredients

• sourdough bread
• butter
• mushroom Jack cheese
• crisped mushroom (HOW TO: Crisp Mushrooms)
• Brandy-Laced Chicken Liver Pâté with Balsamicy Onions

Procedure

Melt butter in a skillet or grill pan on low heat. Butter your bread on one side and place it butter side down on the hot pan.

Spread the exposed sides of the bread with Brandy-Laced Chicken Liver Pâté. Layer with cheese and crisped mushrooms. 

Heat until nicely melted and bubbly.

Spoon balsamicy onions in the center and place the piece of bread on top. Press down gently.

Once the cheese begins to melt onto the bottom half of the sandwich, check the bread. It should be crisped and turning brown. Flip the sandwich over and grill till, again, the bottom cheese is melted and bread crispy.

Remove sandwich to a cutting board and slice in half. Serve immediately.