Did you know that it’s National Grilled Cheese Day? National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day is observed annually on April 12th.
According to food historians, cooked bread and cheese is an ancient food, enjoyed across the world in many cultures. The United States modern version of the grilled cheese sandwich originated in the 1920s when inexpensive sliced bread and American cheese became easily available. Originally it was made as an open-faced sandwich. According to polls, today grilled cheese sandwiches are among one of the top comfort foods in the United States.
After all, who can resist delicious melting cheese inside buttery bread. Yum! When I think grilled cheese my mind refers back to two famous grilled cheese film scenes. The first is Jon Favreau’s artful portrayal of a grilled cheese sandwich in the film Chef and the second is what Adam Sandler makes in the film Spanglish. Both play chefs in these films and were coached by famous chefs for these scenes.
Chef – Grilled Cheese
In the movie Chef, Favreau prepares a generously buttered grilled cheese sandwich for his 10-year-old son, this is one grilled cheese that most years olds would be privileged to eat. If you watch the whole film and the credits, at the end there is a treat for you – a short sequence shows famed L.A. chef Roy Choi, who was a producer and food consultant on the movie, instructing actor, Jon Favreau on how to make the grilled cheese sandwich.
Spanglish – World’s Greatest Sandwich
For the film Spanglish, Adam Sandler was taught by Thomas Keller how to make the world’s greatest sandwich. Sandler, a chef, comes home from work and makes himself a late night snack that entails a fried egg with BLT inside rustic hearty bread that has been broiled to perfection with cheese. Ok, it’s not exactly grilled, but could be and fits the category in my book.
Cheddar & Swiss Gruyere Grilled Cheese
Today I opted for a grilled cheese slightly gourmet, but simple enough to quickly serve the kiddos.
Cheddar & Swiss Gruyere Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
2 slices whole wheat bread
Softened butter, for brushing
1 slice Cheddar cheese
1 slice Swiss Gruyere cheese
Method
Heat a pan on medium heat.
Butter generously each side of the bread slices.
Place the bread in pan and allow the side facing down to brown.
Flip over the bread and top with the cheese slices.
As the chees starts to melt, sandwich the slices together and grill each side for 1 minute each.
Press down on the sandwich with a spatula if you wish to compress it a little.
Serve while still hot.
