One of the most unusual parts of working in the food industry is acknowledging obscure food holidays. April, for instance, is “National Grilled Cheese Month.” There are certainly other important dates in April (Easter, my anniversary and my birthday, to name a few), but we will be putting time aside to celebrate melted cheese on toast. On each of the next five Mondays, we will be posting a “Cheesemonger’s Grilled Cheese,” to show you how those of us in the biz construct this culinary gem.
For our first installment, I offer the following recipe which is simple but bold and delicious. You will need the following items:
- Skillet Bacon Spread (preferably the one with Fennel and Pepper)
- Pepper Rings, Hot or Medium (I love Suhey brand at the moment)
- 1/3lb Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, give or take an ounce or two
- 2 Slices of Ciabatta Bread (ours is from Hudson Bakery)
- Olive Oil
1) Start by smearing the bacon spread on both slices of bread. The more the merrier.
2) Grate the Cheddar on a coarse setting. It is wise to buy at least a half-pound as you will probably want to nibble on some while the sandwich is grilling.
3) Mix the pepper rings into the shredded cheese. If you do not mix them together, there is a good chance that the peppers will squeeze out the sides of the sandwich as it is being pressed.
4) Spread the cheese and pepper mixture onto one of the slices and top with the other.
5) Drizzle a little olive oil onto each slice of bread and transfer to your Panini press (or your pan, which is certainly a viable option).
6) Grill until toasty brown spots form. Slice in half and enjoy with a good craft beer.
Voila!
Stay tuned for more Grilled Cheese Goodness next Monday!
you should give lessons …i’d love to see your pantry
DiBruno’s, this looks outstanding!
Boy does that look delicious!!!!!
and what craft beer would you choose?
Sometimes the simplest food is the best. I’m trying it with some carmelized tomatoes.
Petunia loves the photography!
And to think this started with Kraft wrapped singles on Wonder Bread!
Mmmmmm, Cabot and bacon spread. I would coat myself in bacon spread if it were socially acceptable.
Yet another gourmet goodie from DiBruno Bros…thank you!!!
you should open a grilled cheese food truck!
that looks hot damn fabulous! great photo
Oh yum, I can’t wait to go home and try this mouth watering treat. We might have to sample the bacon spread on the extra slices of cheese before they hit the bread. Can’t wait for the next selection.
WOW -does that look good. Grating cheese for grilled cheese is a brilliant trick. And you can’t go wrong with Cabot ever. Look forward to reading all your posts for Grilled Cheese Month!
I think you should offer these sandwiches at your Rittenhouse Store! I’d love to have a different grilled cheese every Monday 🙂
Nom nom nom!! Looks delicious….can’t wait to try it out! Another gem of a recipe.
i hope all these grilled cheese posts will include a bacon element…(hint hint!)