The Ridiculous Grilled Cheese

Many of you may be aware, but for those of you who are not, April is Grilled Cheese month. In fact, today is actually National Grilled Cheese day, so take the hint and have an ooey gooey grilled cheese today! Maybe even this one. I have to say, I'm a huge fan of celebrating yummy foods that existed mainly in my childhood. This sandwich is not, however, that American cheese between white bread sandwich that many of us think of when we hear the term "grilled cheese". It happened a few weeks ago, whilst putting together a bit of this and that from the fridge that it came to be, and the husband and I dubbed it "The Ridiculous Grilled Cheese".


To make your own ridiculous sandwich you will need:

brie (if you've never had this cheese, really, go get some brie. It's worth it.)
fig butter (I get mine at Trader Joe's)
arugula
a baguette or some french bread, sliced as thick or thin as you like
mayo (you can use butter, but if you've never made a grilled cheese with mayo you don't know how crispy and golden brown that bread can really be!)

Start by slicing your bread, try to get each slice about the same thickness so it cooks evenly, but I can tell you, it's gonna be RIDICULOUS either way. Next, get some slices of brie, or if it's soft enough, just spread some onto your bread. Be pretty generous, this cheese is awesome and gooey.

Place brie onto one slice of your bread and spread some fig butter onto the other side. Slap some arugula between them and then spread your mayo or butter onto the outsides of both slices.

Place into a skillet that is already warm (I usually go medium to medium high heat on my stove top). Let side one cook for about 1-2 minutes (until that side is golden brown) then flip and cook the other side. Remove from skillet and serve warm. I like to slice mine into two pieces, it tricks me into thinking I have more sandwiches than I really do. I always want more sandwiches.

If you have trouble finding fig butter, apple butter would be a good substitute. Or you could add some apple or pear slices. Fruit and cheese are super yummy together. Go ahead, take a bite. Ridiculous.

Do you have a favorite fancy grilled cheese?

Friday Food Craft: Easy Bruschetta

It's time for another easy entertaining food craft, with ingredients out of the garden! I love Summer if only for it's abundance of tomatoes (and the basil is in full swing now as well)! This recipe is great if you lack time and have to make an appetizer for a big group. You can even prepare your topping ahead of time and allow it to set overnight if needed.
Also, while I once again made my French Bread from scratch, don't feel bad about going to the local grocery store bakery or another bakery around town and grabbing a ready made loaf of bread, or baguette (or two or three).



For this version of bruschetta you will need:

1 loaf French bread, or Baguette
1 pint cherry heirloom tomatoes
2-3 oz. Chevre (you can substitute your favorite cheese, or leave it altogether)
4 leaves fresh Basil
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Balsamic Vinegar
1 clove garlic, peeled
salt and pepper to taste


Start by slicing your bread into pieces about 1 inch thick, and arranging them on a baking sheet. Broil for 3-4 minutes on the top rack of your oven, until golden brown.

While your bread is toasting, slice up your cherry tomatoes and basil and toss them in a bowl with your oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. To cut up my basil, i generally roll the leaves up together and slice through to make long strips.

Once the bread is out of the oven, rub each piece with your garlic clove (you now have some yummy garlic bread--try not to eat it just yet).

Top each slice with a spoonful of your tomato mixture. Break up your goat cheese and sprinkle some onto each slice. Enjoy!

Friday Food Craft: French Bread

I'm a sucker for freshly baked breads, almost nothing is better than the smell of bread right out of the oven. Usually once Summer strikes, I kind of stop baking, not wanting to make the apartment any hotter than necessary, but I can thank this year's belated arrival of Summer and unseasonably cool weather for allowing me to make this tasty treat. There are very few ingredients, most of which you likely have on hand just about any time. Also, if you have a stand mixer it's pretty low fuss. Use it for grilled sandwiches, garlic bread, serve along side soup or salad, toast some into croutons, you really can't go wrong with this simple yummy recipe.

You will need:

1/4 cup warm water
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 cup very hot water
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 heaping tablespoon Sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 cups all-purpose flour

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the warm water and the active dry yeast. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes while you measure out your other ingredients (I usually use a 2 cup glass measuring cup and mix all of my wet ingredients together and add them at once).

In your measuring cup, or another bowl, combine the hot water, oil, sugar and salt.

Measure out your flour. Place 1 1/2 cups into your yeast mixture, then add your wet ingredients on top and mix slowly with a dough hook.

Add the remaining flour and stir until the dough is smooth and all flour is incorporated.

Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

Stir and let rest for 10 minutes again.

Repeat rest and stir process three more times (for a total of five times).

Turn out your dough onto a floured surface. Press out to a rectangle, roll up (like making cinnamon rolls) and place on a greased baking sheet.

Let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

With a sharp knife, make 3 diagonal slashes across the top of your loaf. Brush with egg white (optional, but gives the bread a deeper brown crust and a little crispness).

Bake in a 400-degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet to a cooling rack immediately to avoid overcooking.