Ever since I had my first for-real grilled cheese experience a little over two years ago (not a joke; I went twenty-eight years before discovering the wonder that is melted cheese on toasted bread; and to answer your question, no, not even as a kid – my mother is an alien who doesn’t like cheese and never really kept any in the house), I’ve been sorta obsessed with them. I’m generally of the opinion that simplicity is key when it comes to food like this – give me Kraft Singles and Wonder Bread, and I am a happy lady – but sometimes the addition of things like bacon and avocado makes a dish just worlds better.
Oh, who am I kidding with that “sometimes” jazz?
Bacon and avocado always make a dish worlds better. Even (especially?) chocolate ice cream: bacon and avocado make that stuff better, too. (Try it.)
A little discovery I made last night: rather than spreading butter (or mayo) directly onto the outsides of the bread, which is both messy and a pain when you’ve forgotten to bring your butter to room temperature and it’s all hard and unspreadable, just pop a big dollop of it in a heated pan and let it get foamy before adding the sandwich. When you’re ready to flip the bread, just balance it on your spatula for a moment and let a little more butter melt in the pan before frying the other side.
Oh, and use really good bacon. Like, really good. Expensive. It’s worth it.
(I know, it doesn’t look like there’s bacon in there. That’s because there isn’t. I used up all our bacon in last night’s grilled cheeses, and then devoured them like a crazed velociraptor before I could even take a photo, so what’s pictured above is today’s sadly baconless lunchtime replica.)
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