Joanne Weir Follow @ChefJoanneWeir

Not Your Mother's Grilled Cheese

Not Your Mother's Grilled Cheese

When my Producer, Paul Swesen, and I started talking about how to create the absolute best grilled cheese sandwich for the "Gets Fresh" series, we got a little competive!  This is the delicious result.

Serves 1 happy person.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Unsalted butter, room temperature
2 slices hearty white bread such as Pullman loaf
3 ounces  Montasio cheese, thinly sliced 
1 tablespoon pickled red onion
1-2 tablespoons hot cherry peppers or Calabrian chilies, thinly  sliced 

Instructions

Preheat a panini press to 400F or place a heavy  frying pan over medium heat.  Brush one side of the bread liberally with butter one side of each slice. Turn one slice of the bread over so the butter side is down and set on the press or in the pan.  Place the sliced peppers on unbuttered slice of the bread in an even layer.  Place the cheese on the peppers leaving a 1-inch border around the edge empty.   Sprinkle the onions on top of the cheese and cover with the other piece of bread butter side up.
 
Close the top of the panini press and lightly press and cook for 4-5 minutes. If you are using a pan, cook on each side for about 3 minutes or until golden brown with cheese is completely melted. 
 
Serve immediately.