Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Green Tomato & Olives Grilled Cheese sandwich #recipe from author @DarylWoodGerberood Gerber



From Daryl:

Lately I've been receiving a lot of mail from fans who miss the Cheese Shop Mysteries. I do, too. Unless you didn't realize, the series has been canceled after 7 books. It was not my decision. It was my publisher's. They owned the series. Sigh. Wish I could write more of them but they won't negotiate. If you haven't read them, check them out. You'll have 7 books to keep you company.

Just because the series is canceled doesn't mean I can't give you a great cheese-y recipe.

I adore grilled cheese. I featured a recipe for one in nearly every Cheese Shop Mystery, and in the 2nd Cookbook Nook Mystery, Inherit the Word, the shop held a grilled cheese contest. Lots of recipes in that book.

But here's a new one for you. I was craving savory. I spied green tomatoes in the grocery store, and having never eaten one, decided it was time.  Yum. I used gluten-free millet bread, but any bread you choose will do. Remember, the better the cheese, the better the grilled cheese. One tip: make sure your tomatoes and your cheese are sliced thinly. Cheese melts better when it's not chunky.  (You'll see in my pictures that my cheese is a little chunky and didn't melt as well. Oops! Bad me.)

Green Tomato and olive Grilled Cheese

(serves 2)

4 slices hearty bread like whole wheat – * I used gluten-free millet bread
2-4 tablespoons butter
2-4 tablespoons cream cheese
1-2 teaspoons spicy mustard
2-4 ounces sliced cheddar
1 regular sized green tomatoes, sliced thin
10-12 black olives, pitted and sliced


Butter each slice of bread on one side. Spread cream cheese on the other side of the bread. [Note: Cream cheese is on the inside of the sandwich; the butter side is the outside.]

To assemble: Spread mustard on two slices of bread, cream cheese side up, and then layer cheddar, then green tomatoes and olives, and then another layer of cheddar. Set the other slice of bread on top and press gently.

If cooking on a stovetop: Heat a large skillet over medium low heat for about 2 minutes. Set the sandwiches on the skillet and cook for 4-6 minutes, until golden brown. Flip the sandwiches, using a spatula, and cook another 2-4 minutes. You can compress the sandwich with the spatula. Turn the sandwich one more time. Press down with the spatula, and remove from the pan. Let cool about 2-3 minutes, and serve. If desired, cover the pan with a lid to make cheese melt better.

If cooking on a panini or sandwich maker: Set the sandwich on the griddle and slowly lower the top. Cook for a total of 4 minutes. Remove from the griddle and let cool 2-3 minutes, then serve. Beware, the insides might ooze out the sides.



Too chunky. Shredded or sliced thin would be better.





SIFTING THROUGH CLUES buy link
The latest Cookbook Nook Mystery (#8), available for pre-order. Comes out April 23.

What's it about?


Book clubs from all over have descended on Crystal Cove to celebrate the library’s Book Club Bonanza week, and Jenna Hart has packed the Cookbook Nook with juicy reads and tasty cookbooks. But she’s most excited about spending an evening with the Mystery Mavens and their moveable feast, when they will go from house to house to share different culinary treats and discuss the whodunit they’re all reading. It’s all good food and fun for the savvy armchair detectives, until one of the members of the group is found murdered at the last stop on the tour.



As if that weren’t enough to spoil her appetite, Jenna discovers that all the evidence points to her friend Pepper as being the guilty party. And with Pepper’s chief-of-police daughter too close to the case to be impartial, Jenna knows she’ll have to step in to help clear her friend’s name before a bitter injustice sends her to jail. Sifting through the clues, Jenna unearths any number of possible culprits, but she’ll have to cook up a new way to catch the killer before Pepper’s goose is cooked.



Includes tasty sweet and savory recipes!


SAVOR THE MYSTERY!
 
Friend Daryl and Avery on Facebook
Follow Daryl on Twitter
Follow Avery on Twitter
Follow both of us on Pinterest
Plus check out my website
Follow Daryl on Bookbub

A SOUFFLÉ OF SUSPICION, the 2nd French Bistro Mystery.
Can Mimi prove her chef innocent before the chef gets dusted?
Click here to order.

A DEADLY ÉCLAIR, the 1st French Bistro Mysteries, in all formats.
Can Mimi clear her name before the killer turns up the heat?
Click here to order.

SIFTING THROUGH CLUES, the 8th Cookbook Nook Mystery.
Sifting through the clues, Jenna unearths any number of possible culprits, but she’ll have to cook up a new way to catch the killer before her friend Pepper’s goose is cooked. 
Click here to order
-->
WREATH BETWEEN THE LINES, the 7th Cookbook Nook Mystery.
Jenna Hart is busy decking the halls and ducking a killer
Click here to order.

FOR CHEDDAR OR WORSE, the 7th Cheese Shop Mystery by Avery Aames.
Finally there's going to be a cheese festival in Providence!
Click to order.

GIRL ON THE RUN, a stand-alone suspense.
When a fairytale fantasy night becomes a nightmare, Chessa Paxton must run for her life...but will the truth set her free?
Click to order

DAY OF SECRETS, a stand-alone suspense
A mother he thought was dead. A father he never knew. An enemy that wants them dead.
Click here to order

7 comments:

  1. Your right-the proportions in a grilled cheese make a big difference.
    "One tip: make sure your tomatoes and your cheese are sliced thinly. Cheese melts better when it's not chunky." Yet in your picture your cheddar looks rather chunky.
    Right now my favorite is thinly slice apple, slivers of thinly sliced onion, and cheddar with a light coating of mayonnaise.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yep, Libby, that's why I made the note. My cheese melted but not enough. ~ Daryl PS Your sandwich sounds fabulous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is fabulous, but a bit labor intensive with the onion, apple, and cheese cutting.
      But SO worth it.

      Delete
  3. Grilled cheese sandwiches are something so wonderful but has not popped into mind in months. Funny how we sometimes just need a reminder that something so easy and delicious can be made for a satisfying lunch.
    Lil

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lil, I agree. There are foods I adore, but I get into a rut of having the same old same old every week. Enjoy something "new." ~ Daryl

      Delete
  4. Wow, I never thought of using cream cheese on a grilled cheese sandwich, so thanks for that! Will have to wait at least a few weeks, if not months, for green tomatoes. (A friend grows all kinds in a greenhouse and just added a new batch)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lynn, if you noticed, Libby mentioned mayonnaise. It does almost the same thing. Adds moisture that "heats quickly" to help melt the cheese. Enjoy. ~ Daryl

      Delete