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Meltdown
Find a great new grilled cheese sandwich or, better yet, share your own recipe and photo. We'll pick one to appear in each issue of Culture. Happy melting!

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Cypress Grove Grilled Cheese
La Donna Cullinan

Cypress-Grove Midnight Moon Grilled Cheese

Midnight Moon Goat Cheese
Fresh chevre
Roasted red peppers
Aioli
Hawaiian bread
Butter

1. Spread each slice of bread on one side with room temperature butter. Turn over. On one slice spread aioli, on the other the chevre (room temp).

2. Add a layer of Midnight Moon cheese, then a layer of roasted pepper. Be sure the peppers are between the two cheeses. (Grating the cheese makes it easier to melt.)

3. Cook over low heat until the Midnight Moon becomes soft.

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Cheddar, Bacon, Grilled Apple and Onion on Toasted English Muffin
by Maggie Foard

This makes a great weekend lunch or brunch sandwich. Feel free to leave out the bacon – it’s tasty but it’s really all about the grilled apple and onion and of course the melted cheese! Any full flavored, semi-firm cheddar or gouda style cheese will be nice here. My local preference would be for Redwood Hill’s wonderful new Gravenstein Gold, Achadinhea’s Capricious, Bodega Shepherd or the popular Midnight Moon. Add a salad of bitter greens and maybe a few toasted walnuts, since you have the oven on anyway!

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 good sized cooking apple like Gravenstein, Pippin or Fuji
1 large red onion
6 slices of applewood style bacon (or Willie Bird turkey bacon)
3-4 ounces artisan cheddar, sliced
2 English muffins or 4 slices sourdough
your favorite honey mustard

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

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Smoky Southwestern Grilled Cheese
Laura Werlin

8 slices bacon, coarsely chopped
4 ciabatta rolls, cut in half horizontally, or use any type of Italian bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces Crescenza, drained if watery, and cut into 1⁄4-inch-thick slices (or substitute mozzarella)
2 canned chiles, cut into 1⁄2-inch-wide strips
4 large slices tomato, 1⁄4 inch thick
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled into pea-sized pieces

Cook the bacon in a large nonstick pan until crispy.
Drain on a paper towel. Wipe the inside of the
skillet with a paper towel, but don’t wash it.

Take out the center doughy part of each roll to
create a well. Brush the outside of each roll with
the oil. Place the four bottom pieces on your work
surface, oiled side down. Distribute the Crescenza
evenly over these bottom pieces, followed by the
bacon, chiles, tomato, and goat cheese. Place the
remaining four pieces of bread on top, oiled side up.

Heat your skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes.
Arrange the sandwiches in the skillet (in batches

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Simple Melted Cheese
Tony Bogar

All you need is two pieces of pumpernickel, aged cheddar and pickle slices.

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Ungrilled
Will Fertman

Man, why are you guys messing with fire? The ungrilled cheese sandwich is the way to go: weren't sandwiches made to go where kitchens can't?

My recipe:

Two pieces caraway rye.

Thinly sliced emmentaler. Thin, and enough to make a pair of opera gloves for an unpretentious girl.

Thinly sliced unripe tomato; the kind everyone complains about.

A little lettuce.

Thinly sliced red onion. You can use white onion that's been jacuzzi'd in hot water for a minute to mellow it out.

Hellman's mayo, or your own. (Mayonnaise supposedly has the strongest consumer loyalty of any condiment. You can go Heinz to Hunts, but you can't go Hellman's to Miracle.)

Mustard, optional.

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Figgy Blue
C Sullivan

2 Slices Pumpernickel
Point Reyes Blue Cheese
Dalmatian Fig Spread
Butter

Melt a bit of butter in large pan -
Spread thin layer of fig spread on bread
spread a bit of butter on both slices of bread (opposite side of fig spread)- place in pan butter side down
place thin layers of Point Reyes Blue
Heat until ooey and gooey
Place bread together
Devour!

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Barossa Melt
Tony B

The Barossa Valley has two local cheesemakers, three local bakeries and almost-local butter, so you really have to use local ingredients.

Ballycroft Fresh cheese
Apex 1918 wholemeal bread
Paris Creek B-D butter

Now for a bit of added flavor, I like
fresh dill
or
horseradish (ground from your own roots and blended with local Kurianda wine vinegar)

Assemble, brown it up, and enjoy.

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Healthy and Delicious Grilled Cheese
Rebecca Rice

Whole grain bread (rolls work best)
Aged yellow cheddar (low-fat)
Not-too-ripe Roma tomato
Red onion
Fresh baby spinach
Garlic powder
Cracked black pepper
Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil (a good fat)
Pinch of sea salt or kosher salt (optional for those on low-sodium diets)
Sliced fresh mozzarella

Layer accordingly (top with other piece, of course!)
Place on non-stick sprayed pan. Weigh down panini-style with heavy skillet, roughly 3-5 mins each side on medium-high heat.

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Brie & Bacon
Whispers Restaurant

Bread of your choice, Canadian Brie, cooked bacon, garlic basil aoli on a panini press for short time. To die for as our customers often voice.

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Tangy Grilled Cheese sans Pan, Butter
Jill-Birchbark

2 slices fresh bread, toasted on medium-dark setting
Generous slices of Gruyere, Gouda or Jarlsberg cheese
Optional: Mango chutney

Place one or more slices of cheese on one slice of toasted bread. Dab chutney on cheese and cover with another layer of cheese. Place second slice of toasted bread atop the cheese to complete the sandwich. Place entire assembly in microwave for 30 - 45 seconds on medium-high setting.

This simple solution eliminates the extra fat from butter, and makes the sandwich a neater eat. The toasted bread does not lose its crisp, and the gooey interior is wonderful. Just be careful while eating, the bread will not be hot but the interior definitely is. And the chutney provides a delightful spice heat:)

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