Grilled Cheese, Please

A few weeks ago, my roommate and I made a grilled cheese sandwich from the first Skinnytaste cookbook that had Granny smith apples, Brussels sprouts, and Havarti. That bougie grilled cheese spurred us on to have a weekly salute to unique grilled cheese sandwiches, and it was as glorious as you think. We scored them on overall taste, presentation, preparation, and flavor compliment.

• Balsamic Blueberry Grilled Cheese: Rating 19/20

I knew what true love was after taking a bite of this sandwich. We talked about it for DAYS after we made it. It lost one point in the preparation category because it took a smidge longer to make than our litmus test of a standard grilled cheese. In college, I got a grilled cheese from our dining hall that I have talked about for years. I don’t know what that grill boy did to it, but it was the best grilled cheese UNTIL I had the balsamic blueberry grilled cheese. Make it tonight and thank me later.

• Peach and Basil Grilled Cheese: Rating 16.25/20

We have been utilizing Kroger click list in apartment 1428. Overall, it has been great, but there are times when the shopper just doesn’t quite get it. My roommate put on her list that we wanted the smallest available Gruyere cheese. While we were unpacking groceries she said, “so our bill was a bit more expensive this week, and I think it was because they didn’t give me the smallest package cheese.” Then she found the cheese in a bag and said, “Yep, in summation we spent $12 on cheese.” Oy.
This sandwich was good. The flavors weren’t as strong as the blueberry one, and it did require a bit more chopping and prep work. I mean it’s a sandwich not osso buco, but you have to peel and chop the peaches, chop the basil, and chop the cheese. A bit more involved than a Kraft single on a slice of Wonder bread. If I did it again, I would add more honey to the bread. It was a really good sandwich, but it wasn’t earth-shattering.

• Cauliflower Grilled Cheese: Rating 15/20

This was our first savory grilled cheese, and we were all for it. The aioli was perfection. Honestly, I’m not sure what the roasted cauliflower added to the sandwich other than some vegetable content, but the flavors complimented each other beautifully. We did make a few changes based on the ingredients we had. We used spinach instead of arugula and our $12 Gruyere instead of Gouda. This sandwich lost points in the preparation and presentation categories. It did not hold together well, but as far as taste goes, which is obviously the most important component, it was delicious.

• Dijon and Everything But the Bagel Grilled Cheese: Rating 16/20

Ok. So I’d send a picture of our grilled cheese every week to my mom and Caroline. Mom was VERY insistent that I make a less involved grilled cheese. She’s always trying to make me be more “low key.”

I don’t have a lower key either, Cam, but I tried to appease. I read on Laura Lea’s blog years ago that she always puts Dijon mustard on her grilled cheese. It’s a game changer. I never make a grilled cheese without it now. While doing my cheesearch #nailedit, I saw a couple of recipes that used Everything But the Bagel seasoning. I combined the two. It was REALLY GOOD. It was simple yet flavorful and chances are you already have those ingredients on hand as opposed to peaches and basil. Go forth.

• Bacon, Brie, and Fig Jam Grilled Cheese: Rating 17.75/20

This sandwich was un-brie-lievable. #ImOnARoll. The flavors were more complimentary than a Southern woman at a potluck. We used turkey bacon instead of real bacon. If you want to truly go for the gold, use real bacon.

There are few things more comforting than a grilled cheese. It’s like an edible hug. These were all delicious, and I’d highly recommend you giving at least one a whirl.