Chef Tom’s Grown Up Grilled Cheeses and The COVID-19 Songbook

Thank You, Cheeses!

Welcome to Grilled Cheese Heaven.

Who doesn’t love grilled cheese sandwiches? Not on anyone’s diet, I know, but SIP requires comforting our aching souls in any way we can, right?

Nothing plain about these recipes. You can always do these as they are written, or you can use them to spark your imagination, then take a close look at your Quarantine Cuisine Pantry and build your own. If you DO make it out to the store, make a list of the key ingredients you’d LIKE to have and then spend the weekend challenging the elastic on your fat pants.**

 

Grilled Cheese

TRAINWRECK GRILLED CHEESE

4 SANDWICHES

INGREDIENTS:

8 slices of bacon

1 Tbsp good quality whiskey

2 Tbsp good quality maple syrup

1 Tbsp brown sugar

8 Tbsp salted butter at room temperature, divided

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup mayo

4 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard

6 oz. good Gouda cheese, grated

8 slices sandwich bread of your preference

INSTRUCTIONS:

TO MAKE THE GLAZED BACON:

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees.

Start by adding the whiskey, the maple syrup and the brown sugar to a medium sized bowl. Whisk everything together until well combined.

Add the bacon and toss it until evenly coated with the maple-whiskey mixture.

Line a baking sheet with foil and place an oven proof baking rack on top.

Lay the bacon on the baking rack in a single layer and bake it for 15 to 20 minutes or until the bacon is cooked and crispy.

Drain the bacon with paper towel and, once cool, cut the bacon slices in half. Reserve.

TO MAKE THE CARAMELIZED ONIONS:

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter on a large skillet. Add the onions and cook, covered, over med-low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the onions are deep brown and caramelized. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve.

TO MAKE THE MAYO-DIJON “SAUCE”:

Combine the mayo and the grainy Dijon mustard and mix well using a spoon.

TO ASSEMBLE THE GRILLED CHEESE:

Lay the bread slices on a board.

On 4 of them, spread each with 1/2 tablespoon of butter. On the other 4, spread some of the Mayo-Dijon sauce.

Add the grated cheese to the buttered slices. On top of that, pile the bacon and the caramelized onions. Top with the remaining slices, sauce side down.

Butter (1/2 tbsp per slice) the outside of the sandwiches.

Preheat your grill over medium heat for at least 5 minutes. Add the sandwiches and grill for 3 to

5 minutes per side or until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted.

Allow the sandwiches to cool for a few minutes, cut them in half and serve.

More, please, sir!

Grown-up Grilled Cheese

Six Killer Grilled Cheese Recipes

There are tricks to the best-grilled cheese sandwich.

South African Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ooey, gooey, smokey, cheesy, creamy, spicy, sweet, and crunchy. Any questions?

Grown-Up Guide to Grilled Cheese

From five New York City restaurants that specialize in grilled cheese sandwiches.

And for dessert!

When most people think of grilled cheese, they imagine a savory, cheesy sandwich served over lunch, but have you ever had a sweet grilled cheese?

**Backed by Science

Truthfully, the human brain is nearly 60 percent fat. We’ve learned in recent years that fatty acids are among the most crucial molecules that determine your brain’s integrity and ability to perform. Cheese, like other high-fat dairy products, contains powerful fatty acids that have been linked to all sorts of benefits, including reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.

Butter is an excellent source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) — a type of fat found in meat and dairy products. CLA has been linked to impressive health benefits. Studies show that CLA may have anticancer properties and could help reduce the growth of breast, colon, colorectal, stomach, prostate, and liver cancer.

For when this fogs lifts again, we might want to give a bit more:

Why Restaurants are so Fucked.

Your Favorite Restaurant

On That Note

You’ve probably heard all of the Covid-19 / Corona musical parodies by now. Isn’t it so very cool that when you give people a squeeze (Lockdown Boogie), out oozes their creative juices.

Here are my top three:

This brings back good memories of hanging out at the Stull’s in Eureka. What I would have given for a family that could sing together like this.

Family’s lockdown adaptation of Les Misérables song goes viral

Chris Mann is incredibly prolific, but this was my fave.

Stay Home Vogue (Vogue Corona Parody by Chris Mann)

I thought this one was one of the funniest, and the mix takes me waaay back.

“Stayin’ Inside” – Coronavirus Bee Gees Parody

Bonus Track:

Covid-19 Homeschool Song

=CTH=

Chef Tom is currently transitioning from Personal Chef to Private Chef. He also teaches cooking classes, caters small parties and leads overseas culinary tours. His specialty for the last twelve years has been cooking for people with food allergies and sensitivities. His motto is “Food should give you pleasure, not pressure.”

Check him out at www.hippkitchen.com