Experimenting in the kitchen, again...

Dannyalcatraz · Sep 21, 2014

Tonight's dinner was simplicity itself, a grilled cheese sandwich. But not your garden variety, oh no...

I didn't have any sourdough (my favorite) or feel like using the onion rye we did have (really good stuff from Market Street), even though I love it. I stuck to plain old Mrs. Baird's white bread. And butter was the flavorful pan-greaser and bread flavorer, as is traditional.*

But instead of the more common American, Cheddar or even Velveeta, I went with a smoked blue cheese, shaved and chunked onto the bread. In addition, four slices of Roma tomato were added, as was some cracked black pepper.

Result: pretty tasty, worth repeating. Maybe more cheese, next time. And a slice of ham, smoked turkey, or a couple pieces of bacon would probably boost this into greatness.

* I have read recently, that using mayonnaise along with butter is actually better- not quite as flavorful, but delivering a better texture.

Elf Witch · Sep 22, 2014

Dannyalcatraz said:
Tonight's dinner was simplicity itself, a grilled cheese sandwich. But not your garden variety, oh no...

I didn't have any sourdough (my favorite) or feel like using the onion rye we did have (really good stuff from Market Street), even though I love it. I stuck to plain old Mrs. Baird's white bread. And butter was the flavorful pan-greaser and bread flavorer, as is traditional.*

But instead of the more common American, Cheddar or even Velveeta, I went with a smoked blue cheese, shaved and chunked onto the bread. In addition, four slices of Roma tomato were added, as was some cracked black pepper.

Result: pretty tasty, worth repeating. Maybe more cheese, next time. And a slice of ham, smoked turkey, or a couple pieces of bacon would probably boost this into greatness.

* I have read recently, that using mayonnaise along with butter is actually better- not quite as flavorful, but delivering a better texture.

Sounds good. I am always trying different bread and cheese I will have to try this. I always use mayo instead of butter I like how it browns better and I like the texture.

Dannyalcatraz · Sep 22, 2014

I have done more Internet research on the grilling with mayo thing...it seems polarizing, a binary choice. Some swear by it, others hate it. Nobody seems to take a middling path on it.

Dannyalcatraz · Sep 23, 2014

And, as it so happens, there's a recent Yahoo article on fancy-schmancy grilled cheese sandwich options!

https://www.yahoo.com/food/4-brilliant-ways-to-upgrade-your-grilled-cheese-97819987129.html

Elf Witch · Sep 23, 2014

Dannyalcatraz said:
I have done more Internet research on the grilling with mayo thing...it seems polarizing, a binary choice. Some swear by it, others hate it. Nobody seems to take a middling path on it.

Dannyalcatraz said:
And, as it so happens, there's a recent Yahoo article on fancy-schmancy grilled cheese sandwich options!

https://www.yahoo.com/food/4-brilliant-ways-to-upgrade-your-grilled-cheese-97819987129.html

It is a polarizing thing in my household.

I am always trying new combos one of my favorite is sweet ham, vidala onion slice and baby swiss cheese on challah bread. I am usually not fond of swiss on a grilled cheese sandwich but I do like it with this one.

Dannyalcatraz · Sep 23, 2014

After trying a variety of Swiss cheeses over the years I have settled on a simple, classic, big-eye natural Swiss. It's naturally ultra low in sodium- a big plus for me- and it has a dry, nutty finish.

Parrano is another cheese I'm going to look at here: its a hard, dry cheese that has a flavor somewhere between Parmesan and Gouda. It's a go-to cheese for me, and partners extremely well with tomato. This could elevate the classic comfort food combo of a grilled (ham and?) cheese sandwich and tomato soup to new heights.

Elf Witch · Sep 24, 2014

Dannyalcatraz said:
After trying a variety of Swiss cheeses over the years I have settled on a simple, classic, big-eye natural Swiss. It's naturally ultra low in sodium- a big plus for me- and it has a dry, nutty finish.

Parrano is another cheese I'm going to look at here: its a hard, dry cheese that has a flavor somewhere between Parmesan and Gouda. It's a go-to cheese for me, and partners extremely well with tomato. This could elevate the classic comfort food combo of a grilled (ham and?) cheese sandwich and tomato soup to new heights.

I made a brie and apple on raisin bread. For this I used butter not mayo and it was wonderful.

Dannyalcatraz · Sep 24, 2014

Apple & cheese partner SO well...it's that sweet & tangy combined with the salty dairy. According to a nutritionist, that combo is also very saturating: during digestion, the fruit and cheese combine to form complete proteins, slapping hunger down like it was red meat. Since I learned that, I've used it several times to help others who were having hunger jitters.

When I was a kid, living in Tacoma, Washington, one of my friends' mom made a playtime snack of sliced apple, each wedge topped with a half-slice of American cheese and sprinkled with cinnamon. 3 minutes to make...90 seconds to devour.

Many years later, a restaurant chain called Jojo's used to have something on the menu called the Peasant's lunch: a bottomless bowl of cream of broccoli soup, a slab of garlic toast, chunks of sharp cheddar, and a sliced apple.

Umbran · Sep 25, 2014

Dannyalcatraz said:
According to a nutritionist, that combo is also very saturating: during digestion, the fruit and cheese combine to form complete proteins, slapping hunger down like it was red meat.

Small science correction/clarification.

"Complete protein" refers to food that has a full spread of essential amino acids, the amino acids that your body cannot produce for itself. Dietarily, "complete protein" does not refer to a single molecule of protein as being complete, but to the spectrum of amino acid content overall in the food.

The body does *not* change amino acids during digestion. So, "during digestion they combine to form complete proteins," is misleading. Digestion doesn't create proteins at all - your body cannot absorb anything bigger than a tri-peptide, much less a full protein with dozens or hundreds of peptides. Digestion is about breaking proteins down into their constituent parts. It is just that neither food, on its own, provides complete protein nutrition, but together, they do. There's nothing in the digestion process that changes this.

Yes, protein does help satiate feelings of hunger, but the stomach does not measure the completeness of protein. The stomach has to churn proteins more than carbohydrates or fats, whether they are complete or not, so it slows its process of emptying - and that makes you feel satiated. In effect, "I'm not lettin' this stuff go for a while, dude, so slow down with the shovel!!"

Fruit and cheese together does the job well because it has protein (cheese), fiber (fruit) and sugar (fruit), which together create satiation more effectively than say, just sugar and fat from a candy bar.