Plus, April 12th is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day!
We place grilled cheese sandwiches right up at the top of the comfort food scale with macaroni & cheese, cheeseburgers and cheesecake.
There are a zillion variations on the basic theme, ranging from the somewhat healthy to the somewhat not so healthy (like battered and fried grilled cheese sandwiches!).
Los Angeles has claimed the grilled cheese sandwich as it’s own with it’s annual Grilled Cheese Invitational.
This event comes complete with a costume contest, a cheese calling contest and, of course, the grilled cheese sandwich competition with 4 categories and a large panel of judges.
The winner becomes one of a select group of Grilled Cheese Champions. The big day is April 28, 2012 and there is still time to register (although they do limit it to 300 competitors).
To honor the occasion, we have chosen to feature one simple recipe which includes a few healthy ingredients. There are a lot of variations on this theme, so we have included a few of those as well. For the more adventurous, we have also included a few links to websites with interesting recipes.
Tomato and Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Basic Ingredients:
2 slices of bread
2 Tbsp. olive oil or butter
2 slices of cheese
4 thin slices of avocado (or mashed)
2 thin slices of tomato
Directions:
Heat up a black iron skillet and drizzle in a Tbsp. of olive oil or butter.
Stack the sandwich with one slice of cheese, avocado, tomato and second slice of cheese. Top with bread and heat on medium heat until nicely browned on bottom. Add the other tablespoon of oil to pan and turn sandwich to brown on other side.
Variations:
Bread – Whole grain, rye, sourdough, English muffin, biscuit, croissant, Italian or French, bolillo, cornbread, brioche. crostini
Cheese – Any meltable cheese like mozzarella, sharp cheddar, monterey jack, gouda, goat’s cheese, manchego, fontina, colby, havarti
Avocado – Sliced or mashed, guacamole
Tomatoes – Caprese, sun-dried
Additions:
Basil leaves, pesto, sea salt, cracked pepper, lemon juice, parsley
A Few Fancy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches:
 |
| Brie Croque Monsieur from Framed Cooks |
Caramelized Onion, Apple, Walnut Grilled Cheese
Grilled Brie and Goat Cheese with Bacon and Green Tomato
Cornbread Grilled Cheese with Poblano and Avocado
Lobster Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Date, Manchego and Prosciutto Grilled Cheese
