What makes a fantastic grilled cheese? Is it getting a good cheese pull? You know what I am talking about, where the further you can pull the two halves apart and have them still connected by a delicious string of melty cheese, the better? Or are you more into the bread? Do you have strong opinions on whether sourdough or Texas toast makes the best sandwich? Or, are ingredients your game, where you like to add other things to it besides cheese and bread? In my opinion, it’s all of the above!
A few years ago I had the pleasure of going with Greg Russell, our movie reviewer, to several grilled cheese establishments in the area. First, we went to Hermann’s Olde Town Grille in Plymouth, which you will recognize by the giant moose mural on the outside. They make something called a Special Grilled Cheese, which is based on an old family recipe. It features two thick slices of raisin bread, gouda and muenster cheeses, a thinly sliced granny smith apple, and bacon. It’s savory, it’s sweet, it’s delicious! It’s not your typical grilled cheese and I like it for that reason because that is what I tend to do with my grilled cheeses.
No offense to the purists out there, but I find the classic grilled cheese - which I will define as thick white bread buttered and toasted with cheddar or American cheese melted to perfection inside - a little boring. It is a great accompaniment to soups, but not a full meal on its own. If a grilled cheese is going to stand alone as a meal, it needs more pizzazz. The one at Hermann’s Olde Town Grill reminded me of one I like to make, which came from a Blue Apron recipe. It has a sourdough bread, fontina cheese, thinly sliced apples, and chives. I like to add some grilled onion to the mix. It tastes like a more adult version of grilled cheese.
After Hermann’s Olde Town Grille, we headed to Tom and Chee in Canton, which is now closed down, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make some of their grilled cheeses at home! We tried their Mac and Cheese Grilled Cheese which had mozzarella, cheddar cheese, bacon, crispy onions, and their homemade mac and cheese. This sandwich was A LOT. Cheesy? Oh yes! But, it was hard to eat the whole thing. We also tried one of their doughnut grilled cheeses which Greg Russel and I agreed, was way better than we thought it would be. It mixed salty and sweet elements with a doughnut, mozzarella cheese, bacon, chocolate, and chocolate mascarpone. Again, this sandwich was a lot to eat, but it certainly was an experience.
If I was going to try and make a dessert grilled cheese I would probably use mascarpone like they did, and possibly add some brie to get a bit of a cheese pull. For bread, I would choose a rich brioche that I would toast with butter. Then I would add lots of berries to it, like strawberries and raspberries, and drizzle a bit of Sander’s Dark Chocolate fudge over the two slices before putting it together... that actually sounds really good... I should try that....
The final place we went to was The Grillecheezerie in Ann Arbor, where we tried their Wing 'in It sandwich. This place has closed down as well, and it makes me sad because this sandwich was soooo good. It had mozzarella, a sprinkle of blue cheese (which I don’t normally like but really worked in this sandwich), pulled chicken breast, buffalo hot sauce, and kettle-cooked potato chips. The textures and flavors were on point! I also love the creativity in taking a classic meal - buffalo wings- and making it into a grilled cheese.
Speaking of making classic dishes into grilled cheeses, I will share another recipe of mine for a Caprese style grilled cheese. For bread, I like to use ciabatta or crusty french bread, and I will put a little olive oil on it, sprinkle on some salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and toast it. Then I will spread pesto on both slices, add mozzarella cheese and put a slice of tomato on it as well. Grill the sandwich to melt the cheese, and it makes a great summer lunch!
So how do you like your grilled cheese? Are you a purist, or do you like to mix it up like me?