Oozing Gooey Grilled Cheese

My book promises that my prescription for Adultitis doesn’t require a steady diet of chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese (I think that if kids had a hand in re-writing the food pyramid, it would probably have four food groups: chicken, macaroni, cheese, and sugar.)

But I didn’t say anything about grilled cheese.

I’m a big fan of cheese–it’s pretty much a requirement here in Wisconsin–and love a good grilled cheese sandwich. I found an article in the Lexington Herald-Leader about making a grilled cheese sandwich to satisfy grown-up palates. (Let’s face it: when we were kids, the sheer decision on how Mom cut the sandwich in half was the primary factor in how the thing tasted.)

Laura Werlin, author of Great Grilled Cheese, offers the best choices for cheese, bread and cooking methods to use when we crave a grown-up version of the grilled cheese.

“I have always loved grilled cheese, and I had a hunch that most of America did, too. I decided to take my love for that sandwich and combine it with my passion for cheese and cooking and create a fun and useful book that kids and adults would enjoy equally,” she said.

For the perfect grilled cheese sandwich, Werlin said, any good melting cheese — Cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, fontina, Gruyere or Emmentaler — works best. And the bread? “I don’t think you can beat sourdough.”

Here are a few other tips from Werlin:

• Bread: If you’ve got a heavy filling, then you need a hearty bread.

• Butter: Softened, salted butter is best.

• Cheese: Grate, don’t slice. Pile it on. Let it ooze.

Yes, oozing is good. Very good. It all gets me excited about a plan Kim and I have to open “Kim & Jason” restaurants someday. The idea behind it is to create a dining experience that will transport you back to childhood, but in a trendy, sophisticated, un-Chuck E. Cheese manner. We’ve talked about having childhood staples, but with a grown-up slant to it. For instance, grilled cheese sandwiches with gooey cheeses melted between thick, fresh bread…chicken noodle soup with fresh veggies and fat, homemade noodles…gourmet, build-your-own hot dogs…you get the drift. We also talked about making twisty straws standard.

But don’t wait for that day to come (it’s on my 10-year plan) before you go make yourself a nice and gooey grilled cheese sandwich. Check out the article for a free recipe. Or buy the book at Amazon for 50 scrumptious recipes covering everything from classic (and “almost-classic”) grilled cheese sandwiches to quesadillas and sweet grilled cheese options.