Friday, April 12, 2013

National Grilled Cheese Day!

When it comes to comfort food, what sandwich can compare to the grilled cheese?  Crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside, and tasty all over, it's been a favorite of mine since childhood, and as much as I still enjoy the occasional classic, American Cheese on White Bread Grilled Cheese, my personal favorite is a bit fancier.

So, to celebrate National Grilled Cheese Day, I'm giving you my favorite grilled  cheese sandwich recipe, along with my recipes for homemade Tomato Soup and Creamy Tomato Basil Soup, because even the best grilled cheese goes better with tomato soup.

A quick note on photos-- When I first began posting photos of the dishes I've cooked on my Facebook page, I wasn't really thinking about the backgrounds, I was just showing folks what we were eating that night.  So occasionally, you might see a plate of food, sitting in the middle of my old messy desk, or in the middle of a bunch of ingredients.  I also try to show the dishes as they really are, without any "food styling" so they aren't always perfectly plated. I hope you won't mind.



Grilled Cheese Sandwich

8 Slices Sourdough Bread
8 strips of Bacon (I like peppered or Applewood Smoked for this)
12oz. Fontina cheese, sliced
Mayonnaise
Butter

Preheat oven to 400F.

Cook bacon in a large skillet until cooked through but still soft, about 5 minutes on each side, then drain on a paper towel lined plate.

For each sandwich, spread a thin layer of mayo on two slices of bread. On one slice, layer two slices of fontina, two strips of bacon, two more slices of cheese, and the other slice of bread, mayo'd side down.  Butter the outside of both slices of bread.  Repeat to make four sandwiches.

Place sandwiches on a hot griddle until browned, then turn to brown evenly. Transfer sandwiches to a sheet pan and bake in oven until cheese is melted. Slice each sandwich in half lengthwise and serve with soup.

Tomato Soup

3 cloves of garlic, minced 
2 tablespoons of olive oil 
3 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes 
2 cups of chicken stock 
1/2 cup white wine
1 tsp of sea salt 
1 tsp of sugar 
1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper 
Fresh Pesto
Parmesan cheese 

In a saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute - being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the tomatoes and wine, and cook for 5 minutes. 
 Add chicken stock, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook the soup on medium at a simmer for 10 minutes. Serve, topped with a teaspoonful of pesto and Parmesan Cheese.



Tomato Basil Soup 

3 cloves of garlic, minced 
2 tablespoons of olive oil 
3 - 14 oz. cans of diced tomatoes, with juice 
2 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable) 
1 tsp of sea salt 
1 tsp of sugar 
1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper 
1/4 cup of heavy cream 
3 tablespoons of fresh basil, julienned 
Parmesan cheese 

In a saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute - being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the tomatoes and cook for five minutes. Add chicken stock, salt, pepper and sugar. Cook the soup on medium at a simmer for 10 minutes. Add Basil and Heavy Cream and blend with an immersion blender. Serve topped with Parmesan Cheese.

To julienne your basil easily, stack several leaves together and roll into a cylinder, then cut into thin strips with scissors or kitchen shears.





2 comments:

  1. Grilled cheese sandwiches must be cut on the diagonal. Very important. I don't know what it is about putting mayo on a grilled cheese sandwich that seems wrong to me. Tom likes them that way too. The tomato basil soup sounds good. I'll have to try your recipe. I haven't found one that I like better than the pre-made tomato basil that they sell at Von's.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Vons soup tastes really good, but it's got a LOT of corn syrup in it. It was why I came up with these, because I was trying to have the same flavor without all the sugar.

    ReplyDelete