Wednesday, April 29, 2009

for the love of grilled cheese

According to Chowhound, April is Grilled Cheese Month. While my West Coast compatriot is not a huge fan of cheese - in fairness, it doesn't love her either :) - I am fairly certain that, should I find myself stranded on a desert island, one of my five proverbial things would be some kind of cheese. So I'll take any excuse to experiment with melty cheese and bread products. It almost makes me want to have a grilled cheese party, but that would mean sharing.

The thing that is really great about grilled cheese is that it is so easy AND so versatile. The key, I think, to great grilled cheese is great bread. I prefer a crusty loaf with a soft yet chewy interior. Sourdoughs and rustic country loaves are always nice. And my favorite olive bread from Acme Bread in San Francisco also makes delicious pressed sandwiches.

Here are some of my personal favorites:

Extra sharp cheddar or brie with thinly sliced tart apples, grainy mustard on the side for spreading

Taleggio and arugula on country bread

The caprese (fresh mozarella, basil, tomato) though sometimes I like to mix it up and use pesto in place of basil leaves

And really any other soft, squishy, melty cheese, sandwiched by nice bread, thrown in a panini press/grill pan and cooked until it acheives melty, toasty goodness. Gimme.

- e

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