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thecandlelightlibrary 's review for:
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
Thank you to NetGalley and Fox Chapel Publishing for sending me a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Great Book of Grilled Cheese is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a book of grilled cheese recipes (as long as you count a “grilled cheese” as a sandwich served warm with melted cheese in it, which I do). It includes recipes from the classic Ultimate Grilled Cheese to the decadent Loaded Lobster Grilled Cheese, but also includes recipes for sides, sauces, fillings, and other extras that go with each sandwich. From the version I received, each recipe includes a photo, a brief note on the recipe, ingredients and quantities, directions, and a recipe for a side dish. Most recipes also include extra recipes for sauces or fillings; the exceptions being the section with recipes from chef friends, which didn’t include side dishes, and the last chapter, which centered just on desserts.
Of the 47 grilled cheese recipes in this cookbook, I’ve tried a selection of five so far. I made each sandwich and shared it with the other three members of my family for a ‘grilled cheese tasting night’ and our combined thoughts are shared below. A few notes on the recipes: we used day-old homemade bread, a griddle to cook everything, and went light on the butter (adding a bit to the grill instead of coating each bread piece). The recipes we tried were:
- Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese: I love jalapeños and the addition of apricot jam on a jalapeño popper grilled cheese was new to me. The little bit of sweetness balanced the spice of the pickled jalapeños and the saltiness of the bacon and cheese.
- Super Cheesy Grilled Cheese: We used a combination of sharp cheddar, pepper jack, and smoked provolone. It’s a grilled cheese - it’s delicious!
- TBR Grilled Cheese (Turkey, Bacon, Ranch): All around, this was one of our favorite flavors of the five sandwiches we tried, although if we make it again we will probably swap out the cheddar for pepper jack and use ranch seasoning instead of dressing.
- Caprese Grilled Cheese: We used smoked provolone, fresh store-bought tomato (it’s a little too early for our garden tomatoes), and garden kale pesto. *Chef’s kiss* It’s a hard to beat combination of flavors.
- Peanut Butter and Cheddar Grilled Cheese: Around the group, this was our least favorite and generally we found the taste didn’t live up to the expectations of flavor the other sandwiches set.
There is no nutritional information included within this cookbook, but I highly doubt I would want to know it anyways: this isn’t really the type of cookbook you would be reading if you are tracking your health. Beyond the recipes, I enjoyed the color-coded symbols in the recipe guide and the addition of grilled cheese sandwiches from some of the author’s chef friends. Their creativity was more what I was expecting the rest of the book to be, but there are still plenty of flavor combinations I’m looking forward to trying.
I do think a few things could improve this cookbook, however. First, while this cookbook does cover tips on equipment, bread, browning agent, and a handful of types of cheese, it would have been nice to have a dedicated section with tips for designing your own grilled cheese from scratch. Second, the “Local/Regional Flavors” chapter is just for the Knoxville, Tennessee, area - which is great, except I was somehow under the impression it would showcase grilled cheese combinations from all over the U.S. Finally - and this is completely a personal preference - there are a couple of recipes throughout this book that feature banana. While I’m sure it deserves a following and has a time and a place, it’s one flavor I absolutely cannot stand.
Overall, though, this is a great cookbook if you like melted cheese and are looking to expand your sandwich flavor combinations. Thank you again to NetGalley and Fox Chapel Publishing for the privilege of reviewing an ARC.