Melt: 100 Amazing Adventures in Grilled Cheese (13 page)

¹
⁄
₈
cup M&M’s

1 gluten-free demi-baguette, scooped

¹
⁄
₃
cup Pirate’s Booty Aged White Cheddar

10 gluten-free pretzel sticks

2 string cheese sticks, separated

1 tablespoon melted sweet butter

This gluten-free grilled cheese gives even those with gluten intolerance a seat at the table! If you do have a gluten sensitivity, when cooking, make sure not to cross-contaminate the ingredients for this sandwich with any gluten ingredients or cooking utensils. If you are able to enjoy gluten-filled products, feel free to sub in your favorite brands for the gluten-free ingredients given here.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
   
2. Crush the M&M’s with a mortar and pestle (or the handle of a knife), creating a crunchy substance.
   
3. Layer the baguette with the Pirate’s Booty, pretzel sticks, cheese sticks, and crushed M&M’s. Then brush sweet butter on outside of the bread.
   
4. Bake for 5 minutes on a baking sheet. Remove from oven and serve warm.
   

1 can Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations refrigerated seamless dough sheet, or 1 pie crust

8 chocolate discs

3.5 ounces Camembert (
¹
⁄
₂
of a small wheel)

1 cup Chocolate Nut Crunch (found at Whole Foods Market)

1 beaten egg, for egg wash

If you feel that chocolate and peanut butter should always be served together, then this sandwich pocket is perfect for you! If you’re looking for larger portions and a more intense chocolate/nut flavor, cut the dough in half as opposed to thirds.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
   
2. Melt chocolate discs and set aside.
   
3. Assemble the following creation on greased baking sheet. Roll out dough and cut 3 rectangles. Spread Camembert and Chocolate Nut Crunch over the bottom half of each dough rectangle.
   
4. Close the pocket by taking one end of the rectangle and wrapping it over the chocolate and Camembert. Seal edges, cutting off any excess dough.
   
5. Brush egg wash on top of the pockets. Bake for 15 minutes.
   
6. Remove from oven and immediately drizzle melted chocolate over the pockets. Serve hot.
   

¹
⁄
₂
cup shredded yogurt cheese

6 ounces Wallaby Organic Orange Passion Fruit yogurt

1 large waffle cone

6 segments fresh orange, cut in thirds, resulting in 18 orange pieces

12 whole blackberries

When you typically think of a grilled cheese, you think of a sandwich that’s actually been, you know, grilled. Well, this recipe turns that idea on its head! In this recipe, the ingredients are served cold, in a parfait glass. So does this still count as a grilled cheese? If you’re thinking out of the box, the answer is a resounding yes!

1. In a small bowl, mix yogurt cheese and yogurt.
   
2. Divide 3 of the blackberries in half. Set aside.
   
3. In the bottom of waffle cone, place 1 piece of orange, followed by 2 ounces of yogurt mixture. Then layer the following on top of it: 4 pieces of oranges, 6 blackberry halves, 1 ounce of yogurt mixture to cover fruit, 3 whole blackberries, 5 orange pieces, and the remainder of the yogurt mixture. Top with 6 whole blackberries covered with 8 orange pieces.
   
4. Serve cold in a parfait glass with a spoon.
   

¹
⁄
₃
cup mascarpone cheese

6 squares Jelina Chocolatier/Galerie au Chocolate Sea Salt/Fleur de Sel Chocolate, 5 melted, 1 shaven

8 Nestlé Toll House Swirled Milk Chocolate & Caramel Morsels

Fresh cracked sea salt, to taste

2 palmier cookies

Caramel syrup, to taste

Once upon a time, sea salt and chocolate seemed like a crazy idea. “Who puts salt in chocolate?” Now, it is ubiquitous and has most often been paired with caramel. One would expect the combination of these flavors to clash; however, the opposite is true … creating a unified explosion in your mouth.

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
   
2. Mix mascarpone cheese with melted sea salt chocolates, whole chocolate & caramel morsels, and fresh cracked sea salt, to taste. Spread over the bottom of 1 palmier cookie. Drizzle caramel, to taste, half of the chocolate shavings, and more fresh cracked sea salt, to taste.
   
3. Bake for 2 minutes on a baking sheet.
   
4. Cover with other cookie, drizzle with more caramel and remaining chocolate shavings, and serve warm.
   

¹
⁄
₂
store-bought 8" pumpkin pie, or 2 cups pumpkin pie filling

3 tablespoons cream cheese

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon cinnamon sugar (see Harvest Fest recipe in
Chapter 3
for cinnamon sugar details)

4–6 tablespoons melted sweet butter, for grilling

4 slices cracked wheat bread, or brioche

1 cup gorgonzola cheese, divided

Gorgonzola cheese, pumpkin pie, and cream cheese may not seem like complementing ingredients, but after you taste this sandwich, you’ll have a new appreciation for this totally awesome triumvirate. The addition of the gorgonzola cheese adds a complementary kick to the sweet pumpkin pie while the cream cheese incorporates a cooling effect.

1. Scoop filling out of half of pumpkin pie, leaving the crust behind.
   
2. In a mixing bowl, combine pumpkin pie with cream cheese, cinnamon, and cinnamon sugar. Set aside.
   
3. Brush melted butter on the outside of the 4 slices of bread. In a sauté pan, place 2 slices of bread butter side down. Spread
   ¹
   ⁄
   ₂
   of the pumpkin mixture on each slice of bread, followed by
   ¹
   ⁄
   ₂
   cup of gorgonzola cheese per sandwich. Place the other 2 slices of bread on top, butter side up.
   
4. Let sandwiches cook on medium heat for 5 minutes per side or until bread is golden brown.
   
5. Cut on the diagonal and serve warm.
   

The Candy Cane

1 can Pillsbury Grands! Jr. Golden Layers refrigerated biscuits

¹
⁄
₈
cup crushed peppermint candies or candy canes

¹
⁄
₂
cup ricotta cheese

4 gingersnap cookies, cracked into pea-sized chunks

Around the holidays it seems that everyone is looking for the next peppermint treat. Surprise your guests with this holly, jolly grilled cheese recipe. While these have been created as party sandwiches, you can enjoy them even if your party totals just one!

1. Bake 4 biscuits according to instructions on packaging. Let cool and then slice horizontally.
   
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
   
3. In a mixing bowl, combine crushed peppermint and ricotta cheese.
   
4. Distribute gingersnap chunks evenly on bottom half of each biscuit, followed by ricotta/peppermint mixture and top of biscuits.
   
5. Bake for 3 minutes on a baking sheet, remove from oven, and serve warm.
   

As you’ve looked through the recipes you may have seem some cheeses and breads that looked a little off the beaten path. While you’re ready to take your grilled cheese to the max, for days when you’re not feeling all that daring, or if you just can’t find a particular bread or cheese at your local supermarket, here are some suitable substitutions.

Shane (Sanford) Kearns
is the blogger behind
GrilledShane.com
, one of the most visible grilled cheese blogs on the web! After graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Digital Design, Shane put his skills in layout and food photography to use by documenting his cooking adventures on his site, which is dedicated to elevating the awesome grilled cheese beyond mere white bread and American cheese slices. Shane lives in Solon, Ohio.

Copyright © 2012 by F+W Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

Published by Adams Media, a division of F+W Media, Inc. 57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322. U.S.A.
www.adamsmedia.com
ISBN 10: 1-4405-3874-3 ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-3874-2 eISBN 10: 1-4405-4291-0 eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-4291-6

Printed in China.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kearns, Shane. Melt / Shane Kearns. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-1-4405-3874-2 (paper over board) – ISBN 1-4405-3874-3 (paper over board) – ISBN 978-1-4405-4291-6 (ebook) – ISBN 1-4405-4291-0 (ebook) 1. Sandwiches. 2. Cooking (Cheese) 3. Skillet cooking. I. Title. TX818.K43 2012 641.84–dc23

                        2012014509

Always follow safety and commonsense cooking protocol while using kitchen utensils, operating ovens and stoves, and handling uncooked food. If children are assisting in the preparation of any recipe, they should always be supervised by an adult.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

—From a
Declaration of Principles
jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

Photos courtesy of Shane (Sanford) Kearns. Photos on pages 67 and 92 Stephanie Chrusz.

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