Raise your grilled cheese game
Ah, the joys of the modern melt — updated grilled cheese sandwiches made using a sizzling press gizmo and ingredients that sing in harmonizing tones. Cheese with apples and ham. Cheese with marinated onions and whole-grain mustard. Cheese with olives, bell peppers and capers, plus a leaf or two of spinach. Oozy delicious.
Almost 20 years ago, my daughters gave me a fancy electric sandwich maker for my birthday. It's a ridged nonstick-surfaced machine like an Italian panini machine that compresses and grills simultaneously. It has supplied years of scrumptious grilled cheese sandwiches, many of which used recipes from cheese expert Laura Werlin. Her 2004 cookbook, “Great Grilled Cheese,” broadened my grilled sandwich path.
Grilled Two-Cheese Mediterranean Sandwiches
Makes 4
INGREDIENTS
2 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, rinsed, coarsely chopped 1tablespoon drained capers, rinsed
1teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, colored part only
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2tablespoons butter, room temperature
8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices pain au levain or sourdough bread
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, or Emmentaler or Monterey Jack, coarsely grated
4whole roasted red bell peppers (from jar or roasted at home), peeled, seeded, drained, cut in half 1/2 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
DIRECTIONS
In a small bowl, combine feta, olives, capers, lemon peel and pepper; set aside.
Butter 1side of each slice of bread. Place 4slices on work surface, buttered side down. Spread feta mixture evenly over 4slices. For each sandwich, press Gruyere into feta mixture and top with bell pepper half; top that with spinach. Press again. Top each with bread, buttered side up. Preheat sandwich maker and cook according to manufacturer's instructions. To cook using stovetop method, heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 2minutes.
Put sandwiches in skillet (in batches if necessary), cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until undersides are golden brown and cheese has begun to melt. Uncover and turn with spatula, pressing very firmly to flatten slightly. Cook 2to 3minutes, or until undersides are golden brown and spinach wilts. Turn sandwiches again, press with spatula, and cook 30 seconds, or until cheese melts completely. Serve immediately.
— From “Great Grilled Cheese” by Laura Werlin (Abrams, $18.95)
Grilled Brie Sandwiches with Apricot Jam
Makes 4
INGREDIENTS
1baguette, preferably not sourdough, 1inch cut off each end
4tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons apricot jam
6 ounces brie, rind removed, cut into 12 slices
DIRECTIONS
Cut baguette into 4pieces; cut each piece in half lengthwise. Pull out some of center of each piece to create troughs.
Brush outside of each piece of bread with melted butter. Place 4pieces on work surface, buttered side down. Spread jam evenly over 4pieces and distribute cheese on top of jam. Place remaining 4baguette pieces on top, buttered side up.
Preheat sandwich maker and cook according to manufacturer's instructions. To cook using stovetop method, heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 2minutes. Put sandwiches in skillet (in batches if necessary), cover and cook 3 minutes, or until undersides are golden brown and cheese has begun to melt. Uncover and turn with spatula, pressing very firmly to flatten them slightly. Cook 2minutes, or until undersides are golden brown in places. Turn sandwiches again, press with spatula, and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until cheese melts completely. Serve immediately.
— From “Great Grilled Cheese” by Laura Werlin (Abrams, $18.95)