Home of the Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Hopefully you enjoyed the Series, Free Lunch, in which I highlighted cheeses I received from both Kerrygold (Blarney Castle & Dubliner) and Cabot (Chipotle & Private Stock Cheddar). I thoroughly enjoyed researching the various cheeses and of course tasting them. Each cheese had its own […]
I have only created one Thanksgiving grilled cheese sandwich in the three plus years of this blog. I wanted to change that this year. After my 2009 creation, Pumpkin Pie Grilled Cheese, I had a lot to live up to. I had to make this grilled […]
Last Sunday, even though it was raining, I headed to our local farmer’s market to pick up a few things. I purchased some Ohio City Pasta for my father, an Apple Pie from Gray House Pies (yum!) for myself and lastly, a package of Toasted Pumpkin Chevre from Mackenzie Creamery. The previous week, I had seen a different cheese, a tomato kind, that was delicious. However, this week they did not have the tomato chevre and instead had the Toasted Pumpkin, which they were sampling with graham crackers.
As you will remember, back in October, 2009, I traveled to the home of Mackenzie Creamery. This was at a time when the Creamery was just beginning and growing. It was at a time when Mackenzie was beginning to gain some respect and rewards. Fast forward to now, two years later, and it is obvious that Mrs. Jean Mackenzie made the right choice to follow her dream and make amazing chevre/goat cheese. The sky is the limit. (more…)
Instead of posting each individual item I stumble on only on Facebook, I will be posting roundups right here that highlight that day (or weeks) interesting grilled cheese web finds. I hope for this to be a regular feature, as long as I have the […]
The minute I stumbled on SippitySup’s Say Cheese-Creative Quesadillas Have Arrived entry (& Russ Parsons’ article), I knew that this would be my next “grilled cheese” to try. I had already established that quesadillas are in fact grilled cheese sandwiches so I was free to […]
Yesterday, I googled broccoli cauliflower puree, hoping to find great inspiration for the evening’s grilled cheese. However, the 3rd result was for the exact opposite: Broccoli and Cauliflower Puree :: 6–9 Months – Baby Recipes…. I never thought that a couple of the search results would be for baby food! I did not want to make dinner for my nephew, so I avoided all of those links.
Did you catch last week’s Mackenzie Creamery Goat Cheese Grilled Cheese? Or my original story on Mackenzie Creamery? If not, you have a lot of reading to do. First, you should read this week’s grilled cheese. You will have plenty of time to catch up later.
In regard to this particular Goat Cheese variety, it tastes just as you would imagine with a goat cheese that features garlic and chives. It is smooth and creamy with a nice kick of garlic. There were portions of the cheese that did not include all of the ingredients and although that was disappointing, it was still great goat cheese.
For some reason, I had this big idea to use broccoli and cauliflower on a grilled cheese. It just popped into my head, what can I say? Once I purchased the garlic chive goat cheese, I knew I was ready for my broccoli and cauliflower grilled cheese. To start, all I did was put both vegetables in a bowl filled with some water and put it in the microwave. All I wanted to do was soften the broccoli and cauliflower.
After microwaving the broccoli and cauliflower I cut them up in pieces and placed them on a baking pan. I then brushed them with olive oil and seasoned them with salt and pepper. I believe in this step, I should have used more salt and pepper. It might have help enhance the taste of the mixture. After seasoning, I stuck them in the oven for a few minutes. I had hoped to get them brown, but the sous chef, who loves her broccoli and cauliflower, told me to take them out prior to browning. She did not want them to be chewy and useless.
After baking, I blended the cauliflower and broccoli to a crumbly texture. I did not want to make it a puree as I preferred not to revert to my early childhood and eat baby food, as Google had helped me find recipes for. Also, I thought the crumbly texture would add a nice contrast to the smooth, creamy consistency of the goat cheese. I did not add anything as I blended, but I could have added some sort of extra seasoning. What kind(s)? I am not sure, I just thought of that now. If you have suggestions, please leave them in the comments below.
I was unsure what bread to use with this grilled cheese so when I found ciabatta on sale, and was nudged by the sous chef, I knew I found the bread of the evening. Unfortunately though, either the grilled cheese was not fully cooked, or it was just too doughy, but this was not the perfect bread for this sandwich. By no stretch of the imagination was it bad, it just wasn’t the perfect choice.
When I was able to take a bite of everything: broccoli/cauliflower mixture, garlic chive goat cheese and ciabatta bread, this grilled cheese was great. However, that only happened a few times during the whole meal. It unfortunately, was very hit and miss and therefore I mainly just tasted the bread and some cheese. Possibly, with more flavoring in the mixture, this grilled cheese could have been better. Overall though, it was a good effort that just needs some work.
This week, I decided to search the Internet and my Grilled Cheese Book for recipes that included goat cheese instead of creating my own. I have been nibbling at this cheese ever since I bought it but had not yet used it in a starring […]
Sunday, instead of creating a new Sunday grilled cheese sandwich (sorry), I traveled to where the wonderful ingredient known as Goat Cheese is made: Mackenzie Creamery. Recently, I have noticed Mackenzie Creamery Goat Cheese located within Mustard Seed Market and was intrigued. It definitely looked […]
Yes, I have been gone for awhile. Yes, I have missed you. (Have you missed me?) Yes, I am back. Yes, this grilled cheese was very yummy! I would go into where I have been (Jewish holidays, birthdays, etc.), but I don’t want to bore you. Plus, I don’t think anyone came here to read about my life story, you just want to know about this great grilled cheese, featuring “kicked up” Goat Cheese. Right? Right.
First, some info on Goat Cheese…
Who knew that something so simple could taste so good? Goat cheese, with its pristine white color and distinct flavor is one of the most amazing foods in the world—a humble basic for some, a gourmet delight for others. Our selection of goat cheeses ranges from creamy, mild spreads to pungent, crumbly discs to reinterpretations of favorite cow’s milk cheeses. It’s an essential part of any cheese plate, a course in itself or the secret behind the subtle tang in favorite recipes. Have a taste and enjoy the modest yet noble virtues of goat cheese. (Whole Foods)
I am a big fan of Goat Cheese so it was the first cheese I thought of when I wanted to add some of my peppers directly into the cheese. The lady at Whole Foods echoed my sentiments so I went home with one package of Whole Foods Organic Goat Cheese.
Yes, it is perfect on its own, but tonight, I thought I would kick it up a notch. I added multiple types of peppers, lemon basil, and chives to a pan and then added in the cheese, cooking on low heat. Perfect.
While stopping at Whole Foods last Sunday, I decided I was going to purchase all of my ingredients for the night’s grilled cheese right then and there. I had some ideas rolling around in my head (pun intended), but nothing concrete. My cheese creation was based on my choice of the Ciabatta rolls, instead of a French Baguette. It just made more sense. (I would have probably gone the Mozzarella route if I went with the baguette.) Plus, these rolls allowed for larger grilled cheese sandwiches. I am never one to turn down more food. Once I decided on the type of bread, I decided that I would purchase two rolls, allowing me to use the cheese concoction for both, while using two different main ingredients. The first ingredient: Crimini Mushrooms.
All I did was saute the mushrooms in some olive oil. Simple. I normally add seasoning as I saute, but my mind was in multiple places so I must confess that I forgot. I added them with the cheese in the ciabatta, baked and I was all set. The second ingredient: Scrambled Egg.
I won’t say too much about the scrambled egg as I didn’t do anything special and most everyone already knows how to make one. As was the case with the mushrooms, I simply stuffed the scrambled egg between the bread and on top of the cheese and baked. Simple enough.
This was a tale of two grilled cheese sandwiches, literally. On one hand there was the Kicked Up Goat Cheese and Mushroom Grilled Cheese Sandwich and on the other the Kicked Up Goat Cheese and Scrambled Egg Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Unfortunately, the mushroom grilled cheese was lacking. I am not sure if it was the roll (not as crispy as the other), or the fact that the mushrooms simply got lost. It didn’t have what the scrambled egg grilled cheese did have. That roll was crunchy, with the interior being the exact opposite, giving the sandwich a great contrast in texture. The egg + cheese + roll just seemed to work perfectly together. I made this grilled cheese again this evening and skipped the mushrooms and stuck with just the scrambled egg. It was a wise decision. My only complaint about the Kicked Up Goat Cheese would be that it wasn’t kicked up enough. I am not one that can take extreme heat/spice, but I do like a little kick in my grilled cheese sandwiches. This cheese was more of a mild when I had hoped it would be a medium. Either way, for being homemade on a whim, I think the cheese, and grilled cheeses, turned out great!
In my quest to learn everything there is to know about cheese, Saturday evening, I traveled to Whole Foods’ cheese department. There, located in a little basket, are remnants of random cheeses ranging in price from very inexpensive to somewhat inexpensive. Because of this basket, […]
Cinnamon Bread Grilled Cheese
Mushroom and Onions Sliders
Balsamic Drizzled Mixed Greens Grilled Cheese