Home > Table Talk > Archives > 2008 > April > 25 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USWho Grills Your Cheese?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BY ANY OTHER NAME: grilled cheese comes in many forms, like this Monte Cristo sandwich from the Glenwood
Photo: Becky Stein/Special to the AJC
I can’t believe that it’s April 25 and I haven’t mentioned a thing about grilled cheese. I mean, dang nab it: April is grilled cheese month, after all.
Oh, you didn’t know? Did you know that April is also Florida tomato month? No? Obviously we’ve all been hiding under rocks. It should come as no surprise, even to us rock-hiders, that February is chocolate month. Duh. And July is National Ice Cream Month. A given, n’est pas?
Every week I’m inundated with one pitch or another touting “official fill-in-the-food month.” But grilled cheese I’m falling for. In the USA, we butter it and grill it on a skillet. The whiter the bread the better. In El Salvador, soft, mild cheese is melted between thick corn gorditas and called a pupusa. The UK serves the cheese goodie open-faced and calls it a toastie. And the French, well — they go all out: A croque monsieur dips the bread in egg batter first, then slams ham and cheese in between before grilling the whole thing in butter. The sandwich is often blanketed with bechamel for a truly delicious fat fest. Add a fried egg, and you’ve got a croque madame. The Monte Cristo is similar, with ham and cheese dipped in egg batter and fried.
Au Pied du Cochon makes a mean croque monsieur and I love the pupusa at Tierra. The Glenwood in East Atlanta rocks with a Monte Cristo served with syrup and strawberries for brunch — but I’ve yet to find the perfect grilled cheese in Atlanta. Where do you go for great grilled cheese?
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Comments
By Lucia
April 25, 2008 8:16 AM | Link to this
A given, n’est pas?
I believe from high school French that the phrase is “n’est-ce pas?” And the answer to the question is if it’s homemade, you must use Pepperidge Farm thin sliced white bread, butter and Kraft white American slices, freshly peeled from their plastic shrouds. Served with homemade tomato soup (you thought I was going to say Campbell’s didn’t you?). I remember many moons ago enjoying a Monte Cristo at the Swan Coach House. I was pregnant at the time, gnaw-your-arm-off-hungry, and considered anything cheesy, eggy, fried and dipped in raspberry preserves to be sheer heaven.
By jd
April 25, 2008 8:17 AM | Link to this
No comments? Apparently, we don’t go out for grilled cheese. I just saw a guy online make one. He heated up 2 cast iron pans (5 min), spread olive oil on the Italian bread (and pan surfaces) and added cheese. Sandwich goes in one pan, 2nd pan goes on top to make a press.
By AmazonRed
April 25, 2008 8:48 AM | Link to this
I love a good grilled cheese sandwich! I hope there are some responses to good places to find one. I tend to go for the typical diner experience…Waffle House, Johnny Rockets or even Steak N Shake.
By Sunshine
April 25, 2008 8:51 AM | Link to this
I have yet to find a good restaurant grade grilled cheese so I will continue to make mine at home. I have two different recipies depending on my mood….
1. Homemade white bread and Velveeta cut into tiny pieces or shredded and grill (in a cast iron skillet) with real butter.
2. Fresh mozzarella (buffalo)and coat the inside of the bread (sourdough) slices with pesto and grill with butter.
By Stan
April 25, 2008 8:52 AM | Link to this
JD, that sounds like how Alton Brown makes his.
I seldom order a grilled cheese out. I used to do the Monte Cristo at Bennigans years ago. And have since made them at home. :drool: For a regular grilled cheese at home I tend to stick with loaf bread (we normally have cheap wheat) with Kraft american slices with mayo, then butter the pan not the bread (I’m lazy). I will jazz is up with Munster, Colby Jack, Cheeder etc. though.
Stan
By Percy
April 25, 2008 8:57 AM | Link to this
The secret to a restaurant-grade grilled cheese is the crust outside the sandwich. The contents therein is up to you and can include a wide variety of cheeses and extra flavors.
I learned this from a French chef years ago. Coat the outside bread to be grilled with mayonnaise. Every time I have passed this info along I always get an incredulous response. Just do it and notice the crispy flavorful crust it forms when pan seared or grilled. Much more so than butter or cooking spray.
Now you know!
By emily
April 25, 2008 9:22 AM | Link to this
Souper Jenny’s in Buckhead has beautiful and I hear very tasty grilled cheese sandwiches every Thursday evening. I haven’t tried one for my self because I do not like cheese, but my friends rave over them…
By JJ
April 25, 2008 9:58 AM | Link to this
My Mother makes the best grilled cheese sandwiches. Very simple, two pieces of bread, sliced Cracker Barrel chedded cheese. Butter both pieces of the bread, put one buttered piece butter side down, add the chesse, top with the other piece of bread, butter side up. Flipped at just the right time. Served with tomato soup and pickles……YUM-O!! I can’t have a grilled cheese without pickles on top. Ketchup if tomato soup is not available.
Velveeta is GROSS and I do not use it at all……..
By FCM
April 25, 2008 10:00 AM | Link to this
If I am out then OK Cafe would be the place for grilled cheese…then again what is that they don’t do well????
At home I am not a white bread fan…all you OTHER Americans might like it but it has no taste or texture to be a value add….
My take
Two good slices of Sourdough (picked up at a bakery—Atlanta Bread, la Madeleine, or even Publix in a pinch)…with some SHARP cheddar in it….or for kicks Brie and sundried tomato.
OK now I know what I need for lunch.
By Rodney
April 25, 2008 10:16 AM | Link to this
I can’t really add a lot to this except that years ago I’d visit friends out in Duluth and we’d go to a sports bar, The Derby.
I would always order a grilled cheese with bacon and a side of french fries and when I think back on that sandwich, it is with VERY fond memories. :)
By Amber
April 25, 2008 10:31 AM | Link to this
Throw a cheese (cheddar) cheese on the george foreman, grill for about 5 minutes…and done.
I might not be as gourmet as the rest that have been posted here, but it’s easy and quick!
By JJ
April 25, 2008 10:57 AM | Link to this
FCM Sourdough bread, Yummy. We had some of THE BEST sourdough bread out in Seattle last summer. I couldn’t get enough of it, and wanted to ship some home.
I can’t seem to find any here that is as good as what we had in Seattle.
By Percy
April 25, 2008 10:58 AM | Link to this
Great pupusas served with a medley of salsas at Rincon Latina on Buford Highway!
By lovelyliz
April 25, 2008 11:29 AM | Link to this
I grill my own cheese. Usually it’s Guyere or Jarsburg and I love doing it with sourdough or tortillas adding some fresh herbs and proscuitto or deli ham.
By muffin
April 25, 2008 11:38 AM | Link to this
Righteous Room has a great “Fatty Grilled Cheese”. It’s white texas toast with white cheddar cheese and sprouts and sliced tomatoes. They brush the bread with olive oil and fry/grill it up. YUMMY. My name makes me hungry.
By Edward
April 25, 2008 11:49 AM | Link to this
I love grilled cheese in all its varieties. The croque monsieur and madame, the monte cristo, even the regular old white bread and velveeta. I usually melt some butter and use a pastry brush to brush it on the outside of the bread before placing it in a hot skillet. Though I love natural cheeses, there are some things that just require Velveeta and a grilled cheese is one of them.
By One
April 25, 2008 1:36 PM | Link to this
The croque monsieur is awesome!!! Although I’ve never had one here in America, the original (French) version is very tasty.
I also do my own version (courtesy of Food Network) with fresh baked french/italian bread, sliced (at an angle), then buttered and filled (ham and swiss, jack, mozzarella cheeses), and browned til golden. Yummy!!!
By Maria
April 25, 2008 2:58 PM | Link to this
I was just in San Francisco last week and I had several sourdough bread grilled cheese sandwiches that were absolutely heavenly. The best one was a midnight snack ordered at a little corner diner. Mmmm. I’m going to be making all my grilled cheese on sourdough from now on. The Fresh Market tends to make a good sourdough loaf.
I used to be able to stomach the plastic-wrapped cheese, but these days I much prefer some good extra-sharp cheddar or some mild provolone. Or both! And always with a slice of tomato, please.
By CheezPleez
April 25, 2008 2:59 PM | Link to this
White bread - butter - American cheese - open-faced - cooked under the broiler until the cheese melts and bubbles and starts to get brown on top. Be careful eating it - it’s molten hot in the middle under the browned cheese.
By Wrecked'Em
April 25, 2008 3:03 PM | Link to this
Sprouts? Are you effin kidding me?
By Pat
April 25, 2008 3:32 PM | Link to this
Atlanta’s best grilled cheese sandwich (besides the one from my house: TJ’s sourdough, shredded cheese and butter) is from The Highlander. Grab a side of tots and you are set.
By Rodney
April 25, 2008 6:56 PM | Link to this
off topic
Mmmm … tots … a few weeks ago The Highlander had corndogs and tots!
Talk about comfort food …