Frying Pans & Skillets

Since we're based in Boston, we wanted to start off with an easy step-up from your average Kraft Singles grilled cheese. The key to mixing cheese for a perfect grilled cheese sandwich is to combine the harder cheeses (like Cheddar, Swiss, or Manchego), with softer cheeses (like a Havarti or Brie). The soft cheeses by themselves will melt a little too well, so mixing them with harder cheeses helps to maintain consistency within the sandwich. The hard cheese "absorbs" the soft, melding the flavors together while keeping each and every bite gooey with melted cheese.

Our recipe is tried and true, but feel free to experiment with mixes of hard and soft cheese.

As far as bread, the Pullman loaf is a good choice for a grown-up grilled cheese because of its classic "white bread" shape.

Ingredients (per sandwich):

• 1/4 cup Vermont cheddar, grated into a bowl
• 1/5 cup Gouda, grated into a bowl
• 1/5 cup Muenster, grated into a bowl
• 2 slices Pullman loaf bread
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon white wine (optional)

Directions:

1. Grate all of your cheeses into a bowl and toss them so they are evenly mixed.
2. Butter one side of each slice of your bread, then lay your bread butter-side down on a plate.
3. Add your cheese mix to one slice of bread (you should have around a half-inch layer). Top the sandwich with your other slice of bread, so the buttered side is facing up at you.
4. Heat your skillet or frying pan on medium-high heat for a minute or two, then add one or two sandwiches as space allows.
5. Let the sandwich fry on each side for approximately two minutes, moving the sandwich occasionally to get an even toast. Before flipping the sandwich to cook the other side, be sure to pat down the top with your spatula to ensure that the top slice of bread is stuck to the now melted cheese.
6. Once your desired toasti-ness is achieved, remove your sandwich from your cooking pan and enjoy!

#2: Norwegian Grilled Cheese

Our first stop away from home is the winter wonderland of Norway. Gjetost cheese is very dense, and has a sweet, butterscotch flavor with a lot of texture. The flavors come through best when thinly sliced, so don't go overboard on volume here.

Ingredients (per sandwich):

• 1/4 cup Gjetost, grated into a bowl
• 2 slices pullman loaf bread (thinly sliced)
• About ¼ Granny Smith apple (thinly sliced)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Butter one side of each slice of your bread, then lay your bread butter-side down on a plate.
2. Layer cheese and apples on one slice of bread. Top the sandwich with your other slice of bread, so the buttered side is facing up.
3. Heat your skillet or frying pan on medium-high heat for a minute or two, then add the sandwich.
4. Cook for approximately two minutes on each side, moving the sandwich occasionally to get an even toast. Before flipping the sandwich, be sure to pat down the top with your spatula to ensure that the top slice of bread is stuck to the now-melted cheese.
5. Remove your sandwich from your frying pan once it's toasted to your liking and enjoy!

Gjetost melts wonderfully, and the warm apple is perfect and still retains some of its crunch.

#3: Turkish Grilled Cheese

Next we travel from the chill of Norway to the culinary wonderland of the Mediterranean. Inspired by a recommendation by the Chef-du-Cuisine at Oleana in Cambridge, Mass., we're mixing some iconic Mediterranean flavors into a grilled cheese. From olives and feta to salami and tomatoes, this was one of our favorite sandwiches in the collection. Harissa is a slightly spicy tomato paste used in a lot of Mediterranean dishes, and it adds a perfect high note to the sandwich.

Ingredients (per sandwich):

• 1/3 cup Feta, crumbled
• 1/3 cup cheddar or Gouda, grated into a bowl
• 2 slices olive loaf bread
• 3 slices salami
• 1-2 slices tomato
• 1 teaspoon harissa (can be found in most Whole Foods)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Crumble the Feta by hand, and mix with grated cheddar or Gouda in a bowl.
2. Butter one side of each slice of your bread, then lay your bread butter-side down on a plate.
3. Spread some harissa on the inside of one slice of bread.
4. Add a layer of your cheese mixture on top of the harissa, then add the salami and the sliced tomato. Top the sandwich with your other slice of bread, so the buttered side is facing up at you.
5. Heat your cooking pan on medium-high heat for a minute or two, then start grillin'.
6. Cook for approximately two minutes on each side, moving the sandwich occasionally to get an even toast. Before flipping the sandwich, be sure to pat down the top with your spatula to ensure that bottom slice of bread is stuck to the now-melted cheese.
7. Remove your sandwich from your skillet once it's toasted to your liking and enjoy!

#4: Vietnamese Grilled Cheese

Hopefully you've had a chance to taste the famous Vietnamese sandwich the "Banh Mi," which is a testament to the French influence on Vietnamese cuisine. Our Vietnamese Grilled Cheese sandwich is inspired by the fresh vegetables and liver pate that accent the Vietnamese Banh Mi.

The Gouda melts to perfection, but make sure to go easy on the mayonnaise. Banh Mis generally have a healthy dollop of mayonnaise, but when you heat it up a lot of the oil separates from the mayonnaise and can get things a little oily. If you want to add more meat in the sandwich, you can also add bacon or red pork.

We used the New York Times recipe for quick pickled carrots, which only took about 20 minutes to develop a pleasant, vinegary tang.

Ingredients (per sandwich):

• 2/3 cup Gouda, grated into a bowl
• 1 to 2 tablespoons liver pate
• 2 tablespoons pickled carrots
• 1-3 slices of cucumber (slice thinly lengthwise)
• 3 to 5 sliced jalapenos (depending on how spicy you'd like your sandwich)
• 2 to 3 sprigs cilantro
• 2 slices French loaf or 1 French roll
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Grate your Gouda into a bowl or onto a cutting board.
2. Butter one side of each slice of your bread, then lay your bread butter-side down on a plate.
3. Spread a healthy dollop of the liver pate to the inside of your one slice of bread, and add a thin layer of mayonnaise to the inside of your other slice of bread.
4. Add a layer of Gouda on top of the pate, then add the cucumber, sliced jalapenos, pickled carrots and cilantro. Top the sandwich with your other slice of bread, so the buttered side is facing up at you.
5. Heat up that skillet pan on medium-high heat for a minute or two, then add the sandwich.
6. Cook for approximately two minutes on each side, moving the sandwich occasionally to get an even toast. Before flipping the sandwich, be sure to pat down the top with your spatula to ensure that bottom slice of bread is stuck to the now-melted cheese.
7. Remove your sandwich from your pan once it's toasted to your liking and enjoy!

#5: Colombian Grilled Cheese

Next, our grilled cheese journey takes us to Colombia, where we opted for incorporating some of the native cacao (aka chocolate) in our grilled cheese sandwich. While adding chocolate to a recipe might sound kind of strange, it's actually a common ingredient in a lot of dishes in Latin America. For example, recipes for molè sauce (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chicken-mole-352649) always call for a wheel of Mexican hot chocolate, and hot chocolate and cheese is a common snack served in most Colombian cafes.

For cheese, we choose a delicious Brie, which pairs well with fruits, honeys, and other sweets on many cheese plates. The Brie melts somewhat, but the chocolate is the real star here. It melts out of the cheese, gets on all of the bread and is a delicious, decadent mess. Be sure to sprinkle powdered sugar over your finished product, to give it a real "grown up" look.

If you're sweet on Nutella, it's a perfect substitute for chocolate chips. Just add a layer to your bread and move over to your frying pan.

Ingredients (per sandwich):

• 1/3 cup Brie, rind removed
• 2 slices French loaf
• 1/4 cup chopped semisweet chocolate (or Nutella)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Powdered sugar for garnish

Directions:

1. Remove the rind from your Brie and set the cheese aside.
2. Chop your chocolate chips, and then work them into your brie by hand. Make 2-3 "slices" of cheese that are around 1/4 - 1/2 inches thick (If you're using Nutella just spread some on the top slice of bread).
3. Add your cheese-chocolate mixture to one slice of bread. Top the sandwich with your other slice of bread, so the buttered side is facing up at you.
4. Heat up the skillet or pan on medium to high heat for a minute, then add the sandwich.
5. Cook for approximately 2 minutes on each side, moving the sandwich occasionally to get an even toast. The chocolate and cheese should start melting pretty quickly, since brie is such a soft cheese.
6. Remove your sandwich from your cooking pan once it's toasted to your liking and add a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Enjoy!

#6: Californian Grilled Cheese

Our final stop brings us back to the U. S. of A. for a classic Californian sandwich – the avocado BLT, with a nice helping of melted cheese added on. We're mixing sharp cheddar with shredded American block cheese to achieve the scrumptious West Coast taste.

Ingredients (per sandwich):

• 1/4 cup American cheese, grated into a bowl
• 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese, grated into a bowl
• 2 to 3 slices bacon
• 1 to 2 slices of tomato
• 1 to 3 leaves of lettuce (to taste)
• 1/4 avocado, sliced
• 2 slices Pullman loaf bread
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Get your frying pans out, and begin by frying up your bacon (2 strips for the sandwich, one for energy while you cook) over medium heat in your. Drain the bacon fat into a container (beware burning a hole in your trash bag with hot bacon grease!), and wipe your pan down with a paper towel.
2. While the bacon is cooking, you can start grating your Cheddar and American cheeses into a small mixing bowl. Toss the cheese together so it is well mixed.
3. Wash your lettuce, slice your tomatoes and avocados.
4. Butter one side of each slice of your bread, then lay your bread butter-side down on a plate.
5. We recommend having cheese on the top and the bottom of your sandwich, so layer your ingredients so you have cheese at the top and bottom. This helps keep the sandwich melted together.
6. Heat your skillet or frying pan on medium-high heat for a minute or two, then add the California Grilled Cheese BLT to the pan.
7. Cook for approximately three minutes on each side, moving the sandwich occasionally to get an even toast.
8. Remove your sandwich from your breakfast skillet or frying pan once it's toasted to your liking and enjoy!

We hope you enjoyed our journey around the world with grilled cheese.