[Liz]

Grilled Cheese Wisconsin

2 slices French bread, 2 T butter 2 oz. Monterey Jack, 1 T Chevre cheese 2 slices cooked Apple-Smoked Bacon or Vegetarian Bacon, Jalapeno/ Apricot Jelly (”Joy’s Peach-Jalapeno Jam” is good) or any good Red Pepper Jelly

Directions: Butter one side of bread thoroughly. Spread approx 1/2 oz of Chevre cheese on unbuttered side. Layer w/ 2 oz sliced Monterey Jack and 2 slices cooked bacon. On the unbuttered side of second slice, spread approx 1 T jam or jelly.

Place the first piece of bread, cheese/bacon side up into a hot skillet that has been greased with about 1/4 t butter. Immediately place second piece of bread buttered side up, jam side down, on top of this.

Cook covered, 2-3 minutes, then flip with a spatula. Cook other side for another 2-3 minutes or until bread is toasted brown on both sides and cheese is melted. Feel free to press down sandwich with spatula on second side to make it brown faster. Cut in half and serve.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Mmmm! It is Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup weather here, today! 1-5” of snow with more coming this week/end.

I’m so ready for Winter! Loved that we had a VERY long & warm Fall, though.

Love the idea of adding apples - have never done that, but will give it a try. Bacon, with EVERYTHING, goes without saying, LOL!

[Ellendra]

Tip for grilling sandwiches: butter the pan, not the bread.

When you butter the bread, at least one side always ends up soggy. Sometimes both sides do. But, if you start with a hot pan, and smear butter just in the spot where the bread will sit (or as close as you can manage when eyeballing it), then the bread only absorbs a little of the grease, giving you a perfectly crisp, grilled surface.

Flipping the sandwich can be tricky. If the pan is big enough, butter a spot to flip it to right before flipping. If the pan is too small, have the butter right there ready to go, lift the sandwich with one hand, butter the pan with the other, then flip the sandwich into the freshly-prepared spot.

My grandfather has been in the restaurant business, either as owner/chef or just head chef, for more than 60 years. He told me it wasn’t possible to make a grilled cheese sandwich without one side ending up soggy. I hate soggy bread enough that I just had to fix that. He said it was the best grilled cheese he’d ever had, and he is NOT one to hand out empty compliments!

If you absolutely must butter the bread, keep the top piece away from heat until you’re ready to flip it, or else grill both pieces separately and assemble the sandwich after they’ve grilled. The key is not to let the butter melt into the bread until said bread is touching the hot surface.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Oh! I read ‘apple bacon’ as just ‘apples’ but now I want to try it with thinly sliced (even shredded) apples! :)