The Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Oh yeah. Definitely an Ultimate Sandwich.


I've loved grilled cheese sandwiches for as long as I can remember. My daughter and I make them on a regular basis, and being purists, we only use real cheese. Real, extra-sharp, sharp cheddar cheese. No fake stuff for us, even if it does melt like crazy.
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As participants of the Barefoot Bloggers, we were lucky this month to be able to get a sneak preview into Ina's new cookbook, due out in late October, “Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?”


Rebecca, of Ezra Poundcake fame, chose the Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich as our first recipe from the new cookbook.


I had all the ingredients on hand, extra-sharp cheddar cheese, parmesan, gruyere, bacon, bread.


Oh, and I am a mayo girl. Forget ketchup and mustard, give me mayonnaise for my sandwiches, hamburgers, and hot dogs. As a kid, my favorite burger was a beef patty with lots of mayo and dill pickle slices. Anything else was a hideous addition. Decades later, I still feel the same way, although I'm a bit more tolerant now of other condiments.



I don't think it really matters if you have a panini press for this. I don't press my normal grilled cheese sandwiches, and, frankly, they tasted just fine cooked the ordinary way. My one change would be to cut back on the salt, or omit it altogether. I do like salty foods, but this was just about over the edge. My daughter loved the mustard in the spread. Me, too. It wasn't overpowering and added just the right bite.



I'm looking forward to seeing what the other new recipes are. Meanwhile, I'll keep going through the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks that I currently own. They are quickly becoming some of my favorite recipes that I make many times.


For the sandwich recipe, head over to Rebecca's blog. You'll be glad you did.