Grilled cheese for every craving + the soup to dunk it in!

There aren’t many simple foods that have the same level of cult status as grilled cheese sandwiches.

And it’s with good reason; they a warm, crispy and buttery on the outside, and melty, cheesy and decadent on the inside. Add to that the fact that it takes about ten minutes to prepare them, and you understand the grilled cheese love.

Here are a few of my favorite grilled cheese combos in honor of April being National Grilled Cheese Month:

Mama Steph’s Grown-up Grilled Cheese Sandwiches: French bread, Gouda, touches of cayenne and Dijon, a hint of garlic…this one couldn’t be simpler, but the taste payoff is BIG. Feel free to add turkey, or a thick slice of tomato.

Italian Grilled Cheese: Italian bread, prosciutto, fontina cheese…so rustic and full of flavor!

Bakeaholic Mama’s Chipotle -Avocado Grilled Cheese: Cabot’s chipotle cheddar (love this buttery cheese!) and slices of fresh avocado…use a TBS of guacamole if that’s what you have on hand! Yum!

Mama Steph’s Farmer’s Market Grilled Cheese: Making this sandwich is a great, healthy way to use up all the beautiful bounty from your garden this summer, including squash of all types, green tomatoes, eggplant slices, fresh herbs, and anything else you may enjoy!

On My Plate’s Mozzarella and Caper Grilled Cheese – To perfect its delicious saltiness/gooiness, this sandwich has an unusual preparation method.

And here is a simply perfect recipe from my friend and amazing chef, Jackson York: Creamy tomato-basil soup. You know what to do. 🙂

Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup

One medium onion, diced
One large or two medium cloves of garlic, minced
2 TBS olive oil
1/4 cup plain flour
1 TBS dried basil
1 large can tomato juice
3 cups heavy cream, plus more if needed
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

In a medium-sized soup pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook for five minutes, until clear. Add garlic and basil, and cook for a minute longer. Add the flour, and whisk it and allow it to cook for a minute to a minute and a half; don’t allow it to brown. Keep burner to medium level of heat.

Add whole can of tomato juice, whisking it into the veggie mixture. Add the heavy cream, continuing to whisk. Allow to get warm, and taste for saltiness. (I added KOSHER salt, instead of regular table salt, as it isn’t as sharp a flavor and isn’t as easy to over-salt food with.)

You may adjust the amount of basil as desired, also. If using fresh basil instead of dried, add it at the end of cooking instead of at the beginning. Remember to stir frequently, as cream-based soups scorch easily.

Please make this perfect soup and dip your grilled cheese in it, and then take a crispy, gooey, drippy bite…it really is what it’s all about. Yin-Yang and all that jazz, only culinarily speaking.

Enjoy!