Is there such a thing as too much cheese? I say no. Once you eat this Ultimate Grilled Cheese, you will probably agree with me. We’ve all had grilled cheese before, but today we are going way beyond a Kraft Single melted on white bread. Of course, there is nothing wrong with those old school grilled cheese sandwiches, but sometimes you want something a little special. Sometimes you want to go beyond the ordinary and do something extra. That’s why today, I am going to show you how to make the Ultimate Grilled Cheese sandwich. Because I think you deserve something extraordinary. Don’t you?
Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup
As we all know, you can’t have a grilled cheese sandwich without tomato soup. I think you go to jail for that kind of shenanigan. So, to go with our ultimate Grilled Cheese, we will make The Ultimate Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup. The reason I am using cherry tomatoes to make this soup is simple; I had a pile of them. We got some from our garden, and I was given some. Plus, cherry tomatoes are generally sweeter than their larger cousins, so they make a great soup.
The first step in making this roasted cherry tomato soup is to roast the cherry tomatoes. To do that, combine 4 cups of whole cherry tomatoes with 1 cup of diced onion (keep the onions relatively big, so they don’t burn), and 3 to 4 cloves of peeled garlic. Toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread everything out on a parchment-lined sheet pan and roast on 400°F for 40 to 50 minutes or until they look like they do in the second picture below. Take the tomatoes, onion and garlic out of the oven and put them in a medium-sized pot.
Cover the tomatoes, onion and garlic with 3 cups of whole milk or 2 cups of 2% milk and 1 cup of Whipping Cream. Turn the burner on to medium heat and cook the soup just until the milk is hot. Next, add in a 1/4 cup of fresh chopped basil and purée using an immersion blender. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and sugar if needed.
Ingredients
- 4 cups Cherry Tomatoes
- 3 Cloves of Garlic
- 1 cup Diced Onion
- 1/4 cup Chopped Basil
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 3 cups Whole Milk
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Pinch of Sugar if needed
Instructions
- Toss the tomatoes, onion and garlic with the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Roast the tomatoes, onion and garlic on a parchment-lined sheet pan for 40-50 minutes on 400°f or until the tomatoes start to shrivel and the onions and garlic are slightly browned.
- Put the roasted vegetables in a medium pot over medium heat and add in the milk.
- Cook the soup only until the milk is hot then add in the basil and purée.
- Taste the soup and season with salt, pepper, and sugar as needed.
The Cheese
With the soup done and ready, it’s time to get going on the Ultimate Grilled Cheese. You can’t have a great grilled cheese with mediocre cheese. So, the cheese you choose is essential. You don’t have to use the exact cheeses I use, but I do have a few guidelines that you can follow.
First of all, use at least three different kinds of cheese. These should be different flavours and textures. One cheese should be very melty and stringy. For that, I use just a classic Swiss Cheese. Another cheese should have a strong flavour. You can use blue cheese for this, or really sharp cheddar. I used smoked cheddar, which gives the sandwich a nice smoky flavour, with a fantastic sharp cheddar undertone. I suggest using a firm cheese in the mix like asiago or manchego. The smoked cheddar that I used was very firm, so that took the place of a more firm cheese. The third cheese should complement the other two kinds of cheese. It should have a more mild flavour than the second cheese but still, stand on its own. Provolone or gruyere works well here. I used a regular medium orange cheddar for this. I went with orange cheddar because I like that orange colour oozing out of the sandwich.
Now that you’ve chosen your cheese, you have to decide how much of each you would like to use. I used just about equal amounts of each cheese, but if you use something strongly flavoured like stilton, you will want to use less than the other cheese, as for how much cheese in total, that is up to you. I suggest using enough of each cheese to get an even layer on the sandwich.
The Bread
The bread you use to make your grilled cheese is essential too. Having to eat gluten-free, I have limited options. Luckily, I was able to get a loaf of Promise Gluten-Free Sourdough, which is very good. If you can eat gluten, I recommend either sourdough or a nice loaf of French bread. The important thing is that the bread holds up well and gets really crispy when toasted.
Making The Ultimate Grilled Cheese
Okay, we’ve got our cheese, we’ve got our bread, now let’s make a sandwich. The first step and this may seem odd to many of you, but I promise it works well, is to spread Dijon mustard on the bread. Spread a very thin, even layer of mustard on each piece of bread then top with the cheese. I didn’t mention this but cut the cheese as thinly as you can.
Why put mustard on the sandwich?
As I’m sure you can imagine, this sandwich is pretty rich. The mustard will cut through some of that richness, and it also complements the cheese very well. Please don’t skip this step. It goes a long way to making the sandwich what it is.
I can’t believe it’s not butter!
If you are like most people, you probably put butter on the outside of your bread when making a grilled cheese. I mean, why wouldn’t you? But, what if I told you there was a better option. Now let me tell you, I was skeptical about this initially, but I am a full-blown convert now. Instead of using butter as the fat of choice to toast your bread, use mayonnaise. Seriously. I didn’t come up with this, I wish I had of, but I didn’t. I first saw this in Bon Appetit.
Okay, again, I know it seems weird to spread mayo on the outside of the bread before putting the grilled cheese in the pan (with no other fats or oils) but think about it. What is mayo? It is mostly oil, usually corn or canola. As Bon Appetit points out, mayo (because of the oil) has a higher smoke point than butter, which means you are less likely to burn your bread. Mayonnaise is also, again, as BA points out, more spreadable than butter. And, it adds a bit of extra flavour.
“Grilling” The Bread
Okay, the sandwich is made. Dijon on the inside, mayo on the outside. Now, heat a pan over medium heat and put your sandwich in. The key to getting a perfectly browned and crisp exterior while melting the cheese inside is heat control. That means you will have to observe your pan and make sure it isn’t getting too hot. When cooking the grilled cheese, I recommend flipping it multiple times. This will allow the heat to penetrate right the center without burning the bread on one side or the other. Once the bread starts to brown, flip it every minute or so until it is fully browned and the cheese is completely melted.
Serving The Ultimate Grilled Cheese
I find that grilled cheese, especially when being served with tomato soup, really needs something extra to cut through the richness. For this job, I use balsamic reduction. It not only adds a great sweet/acidic flavour, but it adds a visual pop too.
What is balsamic recduction?
Balsamic reduction is a mixture of balsamic vinegar and something sweet cooked on low heat for an extended period to evaporate water and concentrate the flavour and texture of the vinegar. I’ve shared a recipe below that I’ve been using for over ten years. It comes from a restaurant I worked at a very long time ago.
Balsamic reduction is great on lots of things, not just grilled cheese. It can be drizzled over scallops or salmon, on crostini, or over fresh tomatoes or for countless other things. The recipe below makes about 2 cups of reduction, maybe a little less, which seems like a lot, but it will last in the fridge for up to six months. Really, it will last pretty much forever.
Ingredients
- 500 ml Balsamic Vinegar
- 500 ml Apple Juice
- 1 cup Sugar
Instructions
- Combine the balsamic vinegar, apple juice and sugar in a medium pot.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Turn the heat down to low and simmer for about an hour or until the mixture is coats the back of a spoon.
- Store the balsamic reduction in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 6 monhts.
Conclusion
To me, the Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich is crispy on the outside and gooey in the middle. And, it has multiple layers of flavour. This sandwich definitely checks all of those boxes. As far as I’m concerned, this sandwich is a 100% must make for anyone who enjoys a grilled cheese, or even just a good sandwich.
Do you have any grilled cheese tips you’d like to share. Leave them in the comments section below or tell me on Facebook.
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