Creative Grilled Cheese
I needed an appetizer for an event and thought “Why not creative grilled cheese?” I used Italian bread and gluten free sandwich bread cut in half for me, but this could easily be done with regular sandwich bread. I have also seen and read about using mayonnaise in place of butter. I tried it and it browned evenly and tasted good. One sandwich that is a standard every fall at our house is Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, Ham and Apple. I like the cheese and salty ham paired with the slightly sweet taste of apple. This time I created Provolone, Roasted Tomato and Pesto grilled cheese sandwiches. I couldn’t decide which one was better! Enjoy these sandwiches for lunch or a lite dinner with a salad or soup on the side. They also make great appetizers for game day or any event.
Cheddar, Ham and Apple Grilled Cheese
Mayonnaise or butter
Bread of your choice
X-sharp white cheddar cheese-sliced
Slice ham
Your favorite local apple
Wash and core apple, peel if you like, I personally leave the peel on for extra color and fiber. Slice apple thin; set aside.
Spread one side of bread with a light coat of mayonnaise or butter, on the unbuttered side, layer cheese, and a slice of ham, a few apple slices and another layer of cheese. Top with another slice of bread with the buttered side up. I have found that a layer of cheese on the top and bottom layers keeps the ham and apple in place. The cheese next to bread acts like glue to hold your apple and ham in place. Grill until golden brown pressing down as it cooks, this helps the cheese “glue” it all together. Flip and grill the other side until golden.
Eat whole, or cut in half, or in quarters for mini size sandwiches. Or go crazy and cut them into bite size sandwiches and thread them onto a skewer.
Provolone, Pesto and Oven dried Tomato Grilled Cheese
Mayonnaise or butter
Bread of your choice
Provolone cheese-sliced
Pesto, fresh or fresh from the freezer*
Oven dried tomatoes*
Spread one side of bread with a light coat of mayonnaise or butter, on the unbuttered side, spread with pesto, then provolone, top with oven dried tomatoes, and another slice of provolone. Top with another slice of bread with the buttered sided up. Grill until golden, pressing down as it cooks, this helps the cheese to “glue” it all together. Flip and grill until golden.
Eat whole, or cut in half, or in quarters for mini size sandwiches.
*recipe for Pesto and Oven Dried Tomatoes can be found under “basil” and under “tomatoes”
