An American Tradition

I will utilize this platform to proclaim that the ultimate American comfort food is an excellent grilled cheese sandwich paired with a cup of smooth, creamy tomato soup.

You know I’m right.

Don’t @ me.

But let’s be real, the vast majority of the time my reproduction of this staple looks a lot like a couple pieces of leftover bread with a processed American cheese single shoved in between. And don’t forget the hastily heated can of condensed tomato soup.

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup — *We ran out of paper. I was forced to finally use real plates.*

Today we needed more, though. The past week has been emotionally hard. Life is beautiful, but simultaneously cruel and unjust, and altogether too difficult to comprehend. We made it to Sunday, and I decided lunch was going to need to be more than just Kraft and Campbell’s.

Leveling Up Your Grilled Cheese

The first key to a perfect grilled cheese is using a few different types of good quality cheese. Our crew prefers a combination of Mild Cheddar, Pepper Jack, and Muenster with some American thrown in there for Asher. The “plain cheeseburger – just cheese and burger” Asher.

The next important detail in your grilled cheese creation is to spread a tiny amount of Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Gournay cheese on the inside of each piece of bread. Full disclosure, I generally omit this step for the kids as they can’t handle the utter amazingness. Plus if they see a single speck of green anything on their food, they will riot.

Kids are weird.

Lastly, PLEASE, for the love of everything holy, use enough butter. Slather each side of those pieces of bread with great quality REAL butter. I’m partial to Kerrygold Naturally Softer Irish Butter as it is more spreadable than a traditional stick of butter.

The Perfect Grilled Cheese

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 2 sandwiches

Calories 420 kcal

Equipment

2 sheet pans
oven

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter soften in microwave
4 slices bread your choice (a thicker Texas toast style works great)
1 tbsp Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Gournay Cheese soften in microwave
4 slices cheese your choice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit; place 2 sheet pans inside oven as it preheats.
Spread about half a tablespoon of butter on one side of each of the four pieces of bread.
Spread a thin layer of Boursin cheese on the other side of each piece of bread (opposite the buttered side).
Assemble sandwiches on hot sheet pan – bread buttered side down followed by two slices of cheese followed by bread buttered side up.
Place second hot sheet pan on top of sandwiches like a panini press.
Bake sandwiches 8-12 minutes, depending on desired brownness. (Feel free to lift pan to check on top, but know that bottom of sandwiches will be significantly more brown).

Keyword bread, butter, cheese

Side note: you can also make these grilled cheese sandwiches in a skillet the more traditional way. I attempted this new baking method that I’ll call the faux panini press. Sadly the technique was only halfway excellent as the top didn’t quite get browned (as you see below, just keeping it real). BUT the bottom was perfection, complete with ooey gooey melty cheese inside.

I made 9 sandwiches at one time. And I didn’t have to flip them.

You win some, you lose some.