Monday, August 26, 2013

Grilled Cheese Kicked up for Adults

It seems like I'm hearing a lot of people say "Summer? What summer?" With rain every other day and a lot of deadlines, we've missed out on much of the normal summer fun. Now that summer is coming to a screeching halt, friends have been stopping by to visit and relax a little bit.


One of those friends is a self-confessed cheese addict. (Yes, she has met Avery and loves her books!) So when she emailed me a picture of Grown-Up Grilled Cheese in Cook's latest magazine, I took the hint.


As usual in Cook's, the author examined the issues with grilled cheese sandwiches, focusing on what my friend referred to as the typical greasiness of grilled cheese. The author found the solution was to use a cheddar that is aged less than one year and mix it with a tiny bit of a softer cheese like a Brie. Add shallots and vermouth and the flavor kicks up to a truly delicious adult version of the standard grilled cheese sandwich.



Interestingly, he zapped the ingredients together with a food processor, which made for a nice, even distribution of the flavors. Our favorite part was the mustard butter that he used. It was so good that I'll be making that for other dishes as well. And it couldn't have been easier.


The only place that I departed from the Cook's recipe was in using my panini maker. While the Cook's recipe uses a nonstick skillet, I was thrilled to use my panini machine, which turned out beautiful sandwiches in minutes.


We made extras and discovered that they warmed nicely in the oven the next day at 400. Next time, Asiago and Brie!


Cook's Grown-Up Grilled Cheese
(from Cook's Illustrated, September and October 2013)

7 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into cubes
2 ounces Brie
2 tablespooons dry white wine or vermouth
4 teaspoons minced shallots
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
8 slices hearty white sandwich bread


Place the cheddar and Brie on a microwave-safe plate and microwave 30 seconds. Place the cheeses and wine in a food processor and pulse into a smooth paste. Add the shallots and pulse again 3 to 5 times.


In a small bowl, use a fork to mix together the butter and mustard until thoroughly combined.


Tear off a sheet of parchment paper long enough to hold four slices of bread. Line up the bread in sets of two.


Dividing the butter mixture equally, spread it over one side of each of the eight slices. Flip over the slices on the bottom row. Spread the cheese mixture over those slices. Top with the slices from the upper row, butter side out.

Grill in a panini machine. Or -- preheat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until drops of water sizzle in it. Place the sandwiches in it two at a time, turn the heat down to medium-low and cook until golden brown, flipping once (about 6-9 minutes per side). Let stand for 2 minutes before serving.


 

16 comments:

  1. Oh boy, my kind of heaven! Could you taste the vermouth? Not sure that would appeal to me.

    And here's one more kitchen tool I'm going to need...panini maker!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lucy, the panini maker is kind of like a waffle iron in that I don't use it as much as I could. I will say, though, that it magically makes an ordinary sandwich into a special treat! And it's so fast!

      We could taste the vermouth. In fact, I was concerned about that, but it blended perfectly with the cheese and reminded me a little bit of fondue flavor.

      ~Krista

      Delete
  2. Krista, you know I'm in for this. Adding the vermouth is sort of like making it "fondue." Nice adult twist on a grilled cheese! Don't you love that panini maker? I love mine. So much easier!!! And it makes such pretty grill lines.

    Hugs,

    Daryl / Avery Say cheese!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right about the fondue, Daryl. That's exactly what I thought. And I do like my panini maker. Fast and very easy to clean up!

      ~Krista

      Delete
  3. Wow, that sounds yummy! Good enough for a simple dinner along with a salad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's exactly what it was. Plus, it's perfect when someone doesn't have an exact arrival time.

      ~Krista

      Delete
    2. That's exactly what it was. Plus, it's perfect when someone doesn't have an exact arrival time.

      ~Krista

      Delete
  4. Another winner. Interestingly, I've been having an email conversation with my niece about grilled cheese sandwiches--her favorite food group. There is an out of the way eatery on Route 1 in Maine (east of Mount Desert Island and Bar Harbor) called Chester's Pike. Great food, including a grilled cheddar with sliced onion and apple. A perfect ratio for deliciousness. I'm told their blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup are terrific, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The shallots added a nice touch, so I can well imagine onion and apple on a grilled cheese. That sounds too good!

      ~Krista

      Delete
  5. This sounds like the absolute perfect comfort food, Krista. I like the grown up approach too. I am very jealous about that panini-maker!

    Thanks for treating us to this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Too bad you don't live closer to me, Mary Jane. We could share the panini maker since it doesn't get much of a workout here. I will say that I particularly like this one because the top is not hinged to the bottom, which means the top comes down flat instead of squashing the back of the sandwich.

      ~Krista

      Delete
  6. Your recipe is quite popular. I've shared it with people and gotten several rave responses. (That doesn't make sense grammatically, does it? Oh, well They have raved over the idea.)

    Lucy/Roberta--You could try replacing the vermouth with beer or ale. Then is would be a bit like rarebit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great idea about replacing the vermouth with beer! Though I have to say that it was very good with the vermouth.

      I'm so glad that you enjoyed the post and shared it!

      ~Krista

      Delete
  7. Libby Dodd, you took the words out of my mouth!!! Omit the shallots, mix up a batch of the cheese, pack tight into small containers, make sure air bubbles are out, cover with clarified butter- make sure it touches all edges, and store in fridge up to a year. Add shallots, or chives when you are ready to use it- potted cheese, at the very basic end.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SueAnn, I think you're onto something. You could zap the cheese briefly in the microwave to soften it. If you have a panini machine, you'd have a meal in minutes!

      ~Krista

      Delete
  8. yep! sure could! make up several batches, and store in fridge, then have plenty on hand for winter and the holidays! Easy-cheesy!!!!

    ReplyDelete