Tintern Cheddar & Mushroom Mayo Grilled Cheese
Yesterday, it was time to head to Earth Fare Solon and get my free ice cream sundae. And buy some cheese. I have looked through Earth Fare’s cheese department but only once bought cheese from there. It was time to truly search through their cheeses and see what they had to offer. After spending a few minutes searching (and tasting), I found the cheese that I wanted and with the help of the Sous Chef, had an idea as to what grilled cheese I would be creating.
ingredients:
- Mushroom Mayonnaise
- Tintern Cheddar w/Shallots & Chive
- Rye Bread
the cheese: tintern cheddar w/shallots & chive
Named for the Tintern Abbey, this mature Welsh cheddar is locally produced from pasteurized cow’s milk. Its distinctive green wax, its tasty blend of onion flavors and tangy cheddar, and its texture that readily yields to a knife all make it a favorite for both cooking and snacking. It is only fitting that Tintern be spiced with shallots & chives; the “White Monks of Tintern” who built the abbey in 1131 actually farmed shallots on the abbey grounds. Tintern makes a great pub cheese (great with beer or ale), but it also has wonderful melting potential. Suitable for Vegetarians. Made in England. (CheesedDelicatessen.com)
When thinking about this grilled cheese, I was debating if I wanted a strong cheese with a lot of bite or simply a standard but delicious cheese. Since I wanted to focus on the cheese, I went with a loud and very flavorful cheese. The Tintern Cheddar w/Shallots & Chive was delicious with some great bite. It crumbled in my hands and you could clearly taste the shallots and chive throughout. If you like a more milder cheese, Tintern Cheddar is not for you. However, if you like a cheese that is upfront, Tintern Cheddar is a perfect cheese.
the ingredient: mushroom mayonnaise
I believe the Sous Chef saw mushroom mayo being made on television so she made the suggestion that I try it for this grilled cheese. Since I really didn’t have much of a direction, I went with it. I purchased some baby portobello mushrooms to use.
Mayonnaise and mushrooms is all I used. However, after mixing up the baby portobello mushrooms, I didn’t think it was earthy enough and I used all baby portobellos that I had purchased. Therefore, I just threw in a couple of standard button mushrooms and that did the trick. If you prefer a certain kind of mushroom, I would definitely try that variety and see how you enjoy the combination. I simply wanted an earthy flavor, so the variety wasn’t as important as the end result.
the bread: rye
With my grilled cheese sandwiches lately, I simply use whatever bread I have around the house. In this case, the Sous Chef had just bought fresh rye bread that I thoroughly enjoyed so I used it in this grilled cheese.
the grilled cheese:
grilled cheese grade: A-/B+
Overall, this was a very good and different grilled cheese. I thoroughly enjoyed it. However, there was something missing and that is the reason it received the grade that it did. I am not sure what it could have used; either another ingredient or more cheese, I do not know. There was plenty of mushroom mayonnaise, as I put it on both slices of bread and the Tintern Cheddar was yummy. However, the grilled cheese just didn’t “wow” me. I would highly recommend you try it and see what you think. The Cheddar was great and the mayonnaise was great, but together, it was just missing something.