competition help. [grilled cheese-r]

vintageinfantsvintageinfants 4,537 Posts
edited May 2011 in Strut Central
because of all the bickering, posturing, bragging and exaggerating, my friend is hosting a contest between about 25 of our friends to see who can make the greatest grilled cheese sandwich......

here are his rules..........


"1) No meat
2) No Veg
3) Must contain cheese, bread, and butter

Here are the twists

You can use cheese that has been processed with a spice or a veg (ex.jalape??o)
You can use whatever spices you like
The sauce is left totally up to the maker
You may use whatever bread you like

- Winner is voted on and wins bragging rights and a bar tab.
"



my preliminary plans are to make a quadrupal-decker using emmental cheese on brioche bread slathered in garlic butter and then either deep fry it or toast it on a pan that emblazons the image of jesus on it.

i either need a bit of help from the culinary wizards on here with the spices that would go best with this, or a mindblowing sauce i could make for dipping [sriracha-based?]


that, or just post your own personal :game_over: grilled cheese method.......
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  Comments


  • vintageinfantsvintageinfants 4,537 Posts
    b/w:


  • CosmoCosmo 9,768 Posts
    Grilled cheese sandwiches. Good lord is there a better invention of mankind?

  • eliseelise 3,252 Posts
    Monte Cristo style grilled cheese:

    Country bread
    Cave aged gruyere
    Black Diamond cheddar
    Egg batter
    Fry it
    Powdered Sugar
    Serve with fruit preserves


    Croque Madame grilled cheese:

    Country bread
    Gruy??re cheese
    bechemel
    A fried egg on top.

    Put
    an
    egg
    on
    it.


    Egg isn't meat, right? ;)

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    A little mustard on the bread is always good.

    Biggest might not equal best.

    I can envision the person who does orange cheddar on white bread grilled with butter winning.

    I like cucumber on my gc, but that would be against the rules.
    Perhaps the sandwich is simple and you serve it with a dip made from yogurt, cucumbers and garlic. Tzatziki.

  • vintageinfantsvintageinfants 4,537 Posts
    elise said:

    Croque Madame grilled cheese:

    Country bread
    Gruy??re cheese
    bechemel
    A fried egg on top.

    Put
    an
    egg
    on
    it.


    Egg isn't meat, right? ;)

    i can cite the roe v. wade 14th amendment case if whistles are blown.

  • vintageinfantsvintageinfants 4,537 Posts
    LaserWolf said:
    A little mustard on the bread is always good.

    Biggest might not equal best.

    I can envision the person who does orange cheddar on white bread grilled with butter winning.

    I like cucumber on my gc, but that would be against the rules.
    Perhaps the sandwich is simple and you serve it with a dip made from yogurt, cucumbers and garlic. Tzatziki.

    i'm personally a huge fan of putting on avacado and jalapenos. ALSO against the rules.

    i think there might be something to the "keep it simple" school of thought as well...... i was getting all extravagant with my ideas [at one point, the vision of my final presentation involved flashpots and pyro], but maybe i could just go with the classique.

  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,473 Posts
    Cosmo said:
    Grilled cheese sandwiches. Good lord is there a better invention of mankind?

    There's a lunch spot across the street from my office that makes nothing but various grilled cheese sandwiches*. The line there is insane every day. People loooooove grilled cheese sandwiches--and they should.


    *I gave it a try because, come on, how could I not? Honestly, it's not worth it. The sandwiches are really good (I had one with ham and honey mustard), but they're too small to be a decent lunch, and they cost like $8.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    good chesse and good bread its a wrap.

    adding meat to mac n cheese aint mac and cheese.

    fuck a sauce.

  • vintageinfantsvintageinfants 4,537 Posts
    i should add that i have absolutely zero formal culinary experience, but i have all of the acoutrements of a fine-dining kitchen at my full disposal........ as in deep fryer, wood oven, etc.

  • elise said:
    Monte Cristo style grilled cheese:

    Country bread
    Cave aged gruyere
    Black Diamond cheddar
    Egg batter
    Fry it
    Powdered Sugar
    Serve with fruit preserves


    Croque Madame grilled cheese:

    Country bread
    Gruy??re cheese
    bechemel
    A fried egg on top.

    Put
    an
    egg
    on
    it.


    Egg isn't meat, right? ;)

    I have to agree with these. Eggs rule w/ grilled cheese. Maybe you could do some trial runs?

    Or, I say, think of a locale that has food you like - Morocco, Southern India, Thailand, Russia, etc. Think of a classic spice / condiment profile from that region, and build the bread / cheese around that.

    For ex. India has bomb-ass condiments (chutneys, etc), spices / herbs, and great naan, and mild cheese. You could build a sammich flavor explosion from that!

    Russia - some dill, some sour cream, and a beet / horseradish sauce on Rye grilled cheese??

    Good luck!

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    goat milk butter,pumpernickel and smoked gouda.

    let the goat butter get to room temp, mix in some thyme in a bowl.
    reform that shit in some saran wrap and roll it in some foil and freeze overnight.

    flavored butter could be your magic trick.

    use a grill pan if possible.

  • edulusedulus 421 Posts
    elise said:
    Monte Cristo style grilled cheese:

    Country bread
    Cave aged gruyere
    Black Diamond cheddar
    Egg batter
    Fry it
    Powdered Sugar
    Serve with fruit preserves


    Croque Madame grilled cheese:

    Country bread
    Gruy??re cheese
    bechemel
    A fried egg on top.

    Put
    an
    egg
    on
    it.


    Egg isn't meat, right? ;)

    marry me

  • CinisterCeeCinisterCee 863 Posts
    I've made an egg muffin with cheese but never a grilled cheese and egg. Sounds relevant.

  • sneakypsneakyp 202 Posts
    i dare you to make a grilled cheese with epoisses. it's a bold move but I have faith it may give you a good shot at the title. the rest depends on execution.



    chef's tip...spread a little hellman's mayo on the OUTSIDE of the bread before you cook each side gently in a little butter. it caramelizes the bread beautifully and get's a nice even perfect golden crust. plus adds umami.

    bread is difficult since it varies locally
    i'd be careful with commercially produced bread since most of it contains corn syrup or other sugars which increase the burn factor--especially if you're a culinary novice
    ....i'd go with a lightly sourdough country style with medium to tight crumb---tight crumb good for even crust, wider nooks and crannies good for producing tiny irregular pockets housing bursts of oozing cheese. crusts off of course.

    good luck

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    sneakyp said:


    chef's tip...spread a little hellman's mayo

    Or Best Foods mayo west of the Mississippi.

  • sneakypsneakyp 202 Posts
    LaserWolf said:
    sneakyp said:


    chef's tip...spread a little hellman's mayo

    Or Best Foods mayo west of the Mississippi.

    Is Hellman's not abundantly available in Oregon or are you just saying Best Foods is the business....if it's the latter I'll have to contact my Portland folk to send some out to NY for me to sample.

  • CBearCBear 902 Posts
    I like grilled onions on my grilled cheese, and I know that's not legit. BUT, you could saute some onions (or jalapenos, etc) in the butter before you grill the sammich.

  • eliseelise 3,252 Posts
    edulus said:
    elise said:
    Monte Cristo style grilled cheese:

    Country bread
    Cave aged gruyere
    Black Diamond cheddar
    Egg batter
    Fry it
    Powdered Sugar
    Serve with fruit preserves


    Croque Madame grilled cheese:

    Country bread
    Gruy??re cheese
    bechemel
    A fried egg on top.

    Put
    an
    egg
    on
    it.


    Egg isn't meat, right? ;)

    marry me

    Perfect! I am just working on my wifey degree(s), then I'll let you know!

  • waxjunkywaxjunky 1,849 Posts
    sneakyp said:
    LaserWolf said:
    sneakyp said:


    chef's tip...spread a little hellman's mayo

    Or Best Foods mayo west of the Mississippi.

    Is Hellman's not abundantly available in Oregon or are you just saying Best Foods is the business....if it's the latter I'll have to contact my Portland folk to send some out to NY for me to sample.

    Same stuff, different name west of the Rockies (?)...

  • waxjunkywaxjunky 1,849 Posts
    Don't out-think yourself. All you need is to find a really good bread and a really good cheese. If it was me (and I cook in a Michelin-star restaurant, for what it's worth), I would go for a loaf of fresh, crusty sourdough that I could slice myself to the appropriate thickness. For cheese, I might go for Fiscalini's San Joaquin Gold. People love it, and it melts well. I might also micro-plane just a little Parm onto the outside of the buttered bread, which would also boost umami and give a nice crispy-yet-thin texture. Experiment.

    http://itscheese.com/cheeses/sanjoaquingold

  • p_gunnp_gunn 2,284 Posts
    sneakyp said:




    i sometimes swear i can smell this stuff thru the fridge from 10 feet away...

  • pcmrpcmr 5,591 Posts
    make a pesto butter with garlic,basil,chives (with the method batmon posted)
    that's my trick
    smoked gouda mixed with gruyere and aged cheddar
    call it 3 cheese banger
    you could add panko to eggwashed bread (fried grilled cheese)
    you could use challah bread (thick)

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    waxjunky said:
    sneakyp said:
    LaserWolf said:
    sneakyp said:


    chef's tip...spread a little hellman's mayo

    Or Best Foods mayo west of the Mississippi.

    Is Hellman's not abundantly available in Oregon or are you just saying Best Foods is the business....if it's the latter I'll have to contact my Portland folk to send some out to NY for me to sample.

    Same stuff, different name west of the Rockies (?)...

    Yes.

  • GrandfatherGrandfather 2,303 Posts
    I would use the flavored butter like BATMON suggested but I would also pan fry it in some bacon fat because bacon makes EVERYTHING taste better.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Grandfather said:
    I would use the flavored butter like BATMON suggested but I would also pan fry it in some bacon fat because bacon makes EVERYTHING taste better.


    :face_melt:


    i might have to make that

  • vintageinfantsvintageinfants 4,537 Posts
    batmon said:
    Grandfather said:
    I would use the flavored butter like BATMON suggested but I would also pan fry it in some bacon fat because bacon makes EVERYTHING taste better.


    :face_melt:


    i might have to make that

    i have a bottle of 'bakon', bacon infused vodka i use to make caesars (superior canadian bloody marys),..... tell me how to properly employ this with a dipping sauce.

  • dukeofdelridgedukeofdelridge urgent.monkey.mice 2,453 Posts
    Get me into this party.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    vintageinfants said:
    batmon said:
    Grandfather said:
    I would use the flavored butter like BATMON suggested but I would also pan fry it in some bacon fat because bacon makes EVERYTHING taste better.


    :face_melt:


    i might have to make that

    i have a bottle of 'bakon', bacon infused vodka i use to make caesars (superior canadian bloody marys),..... tell me how to properly employ this with a dipping sauce.

    i copped a bottle of that bacon vodka and there was nothin i could do with it.
    it was way too bacony for a bloody mary.

    but why not try a bacon vodka sirracha dipping sauce. mostly hot sauce with a splash of bacon vodka.

    u dont want to overpower the bacon steez with bacon graese and bacon vodka sirracha sauce and if you choose to use smoked cheddar or gouda.

  • OkemOkem 4,617 Posts
    My personally favourite is a combination of strong cheddar, tomato & ham. Maybe with a little black pepper over the top once you've sliced it, sometimes inside. And occasionally a little garlic.

    Or there's the 'Welsh rarebit'. Cheddar, ale, mustard, ground cayenne pepper or ground paprika and Worcestershire sauce, blended like a B??chamel sauce.

    Alternatively you could just try recreating your favourite pizza. Maybe a Mozzarella, goats' cheese, grana padano, fontal - Quattro Formaggi.

    There's a place in London that's become quite famous with foodies for it amazing toasties. They use; thick slabs of French Poil??ne bread, grated Montgomery cheddar cheese, plus four members of the onion family: red, white, shallots and leeks plus a touch of garlic.

    -

    For top cooking results it MUST be made in a proper toasted sandwich maker, with butter on the outsides. (If you try adding stuff to the butter it may well burn before your cheese is sufficiently melted so beware.)

    This is no good.


    This variety is the best.

    It adds a great texture and variation to the bread, also increasing the surface area = more flavour.

    -

    The NUMBER ONE secret in making a grilled cheese sandwich just something completely other worldly is..

    The cheese drip.*

    *When the cheese is heated to molten levels and the bread just can't contain its Vesuvius like nature, it bursts forth on to the hot iron and is formed into a little piece of dairy based ecstasy.

    This can obviously be recreated by simply placing extra cheese on to the hot iron/sandwich. You must do this towards the end of the cooking time, otherwise the cheese will burn before your sandwich is ready. Leave it on just long enough to properly melt, as it cools it will solidify.

  • Rich45sRich45s 327 Posts
    Okem said:

    There's a place in London that's become quite famous with foodies for it amazing toasties. They use; thick slabs of French Poil??ne bread, grated Montgomery cheddar cheese, plus four members of the onion family: red, white, shallots and leeks plus a touch of garlic.
    .

    Is this Fernandez & Wells ?

    If so, my slightly sceptical claim to fame, is that I am convinced I made them end up serving their roast pork rolls. I went to the one in the street where that record shop is just down from the Jon Snow pub, they had a roast pork special on, and I asked for the pork in a bap. They got a bit confused and then put two huge slices in one with loads of apple sauce. Few days later, they were doing them as rolls. They have blatantly scrimped on the pork in them since my first one though.

    I also thought you should go down the Rarebit route.
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