The other night I made roughly 30 grilled cheese sandwiches, using a variety of breads, cheeses, and condiments. With all of the available ingredients, there were hundreds of sandwich possibilities, and I tried to hit as many of them as possible.
The Bread
Potato bread is the standard that all other breads are compared to in the grilled cheese universe. It resembles white in many ways, but it has a firmness and flavor that your standard white lacks.
Sourdough makes for big sandwiches that are rather crispy. The flavor works, as long as the appropriate cheese(s) is/are used.
Sourdough with cheddar and garlic is just downright yummy, and makes for good appetizers. The flavor may be a bit much to eat a whole sandwich, especially if you are already mixing cheeses and other ingredients.
Rye is my favorite now, but only when used with specific ingredients. I love wheat bread, and rye is a first cousin of wheat. Avocado and rye go hand in hand.
The Cheeses
American slices were present, but took a back seat to the other cheeses, only because of their exotic natures. Similar to potato bread, this is the standard that all other cheeses are compared to in the grilled cheese universe.
Brie is hands down a melting cheese, especially when combined with grilled onions. As a matter of fact, I’m not going to list grilled onions on their own, as they are only to be used if you plan on melting brie on them. The brie works well on most any sandwich, and melts splendidly.
Swiss was nice for an extra kick of flavor, but won’t melt too well on it’s own. If it’s on top of another ingredient, or another cheese, it will melt.
Muenster is pretty good on anything, and melts splendidly. I used this on most of the sandwiches, and it was real good.
Colby Jack was just as good as the muenster, and was used nearly as often.
The Extras
Tomato is good with swiss, and makes for a sweet burst you might not expect from your grilled cheese.
Avocado make everything all better. Of course I’m biased, what with my deep rooted love for the green delicacy, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t make for some excellent grilled cheese.
Capers are nice for a slight BANG, and a big one if you bite in to one.
My favorite sandwich combinations:
1) Rye with avocado, muenster, and pepper jack.
2) Sourdough with grilled onions, brie, and colby jack
3) Potato with tomato, swiss, muenster, and capers.
Of course after making all those sandwiches, I will likely not eat cheese at all for several weeks. I’m still feeling the effects. But, damn, were those some mighty fine sammiches.