Gourmet Grilled Cheese Recipes and the Best Soups to Pair Them With (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to the best grilled cheese? ›

Low and slow is the way to go.

Cook your sandwiches at medium-low heat. Try to speed up the process and you'll end up with a sandwich that's hot on the outside, but still cool and unmelted in the middle. It'll also be harder to get it to brown properly.

Out-of-the-box kitchen staples like peanut butter can easily elevate your grilled cheese sandwiches. Avocado, tomatoes, pickles, and bacon also make delicious additions.

The sandwich starts with “two thick slices of French Pullman Champagne Bread made with Dom Perignon Champagne and 23k edible gold flakes, buttered with grass-fed white truffle butter. It is filled with thick slices of rare Caciocavallo Podolico Cheese, made in Southern Italy from the milk of the Podolica cow.

Divide cheese evenly on both slices. Top with remaining slices, buttered side up. Heat a large skillet over low heat until warm. Add sandwiches and cover; cook, turning once with a spatula, until the bread is golden-brown and the cheese has just melted, 5 to 8 minutes per side.

Tuck in a little sautéed spinach, caramelized onions, chopped steamed broccoli, roasted red peppers, or roasted tomatoes. Add fruit. For really gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, use a mix of Gruyere and brie cheese along with thinly sliced apples or a slather of fig jam. Pickles, please!

For the ideal grilled cheese, look for bread with a soft-but-hearty texture with even slices of medium thickness (about 1/4 inch). Hearty sandwich bread, sourdough, brioche, and rye all work very well. Avoid rolls and loaves with large holes in the interior.

Comté/Raclette/Gruyère

(Raclette actually comes from the French verb “racler” which means “to scrape.”) These are also the cheeses used for fondues and French onion soups, so it follows that they are also some of the best options for gooey grilled cheese sandwiches.

Finally, it's a matter of taste: Sometimes, butter's richness feels a little too heavy and can overpower the cheese. Mayonnaise's light, tangy flavor means your tastebuds can fully appreciate the flavors of your cheese and bread choices.

"Adding veggies to a classic sandwich—in this case, broccoli, zucchini and red bell pepper—boosts the nutrient-density of the meal," she says.

Foodies with a fondness for cheese can double up by dipping their grilled cheese in broccoli and cheddar soup. The cream-based soup has a nice texture that stands well against the crispness of a pressed and buttered cheese sandwich.

Is it better to make a grilled cheese sandwich with butter or oil? ›

Ina encourages using a mix of butter and olive oil because butter adds a rich flavor to dishes while the olive oil helps prevent the butter from burning.

Cook until golden brown on each side and the cheese has completely melted, 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once. Before removing from griddle, flip sandwiches to reheat first side, about 15 seconds. Cut each sandwich diagonally in half; serve immediately.

Spread 1 side of each bread slice with butter. Layer 4 slices bread, buttered-side down, with 3 slices cheese.

The Quintessential Grilled Cheese is served on two pieces of French Pullman champagne bread which is made with Dom Perignon champagne and edible gold flakes, with white truffle butter and the very rare Caciocavallo Podolico cheese.

Gordon Ramsay's best recipes include Beef Wellington, Coq au Vin, Beef Stroganoff, Chicken Piccata, Rack of Lamb, Baked Salmon with Lemon and Dill, Shrimp Scampi, Beef and Guinness Stew, Spaghetti Carbonara, and Beef Burgundy.

Ramsay's recipe calls for Romano cheese with Pepperberry, Asiago cheese, thick slices of country bread, and kimchi. Some standard butter, olive oil, and salt are also in the mix. I went to my local grocery store, Foodtown, to see if I could find the slightly upscale ingredients. I had to purchase a few alternatives.