Manchego and Cheddar Grilled Cheese
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It's National Grilled Cheese Day (yes, this is a real thing), so it would be comletely wrong of me to do anything other than a classic grilled cheese. Of course, that doesn't mean I have to be totally unadventurous; what good would a grilled cheese recipe be if I didn't at least try to enhance it a little bit.
Manchego is a Spanish cheese with a nutty, piquant flavour that works particularly well when melted into other dishes, and I'm using it here to add a little sharpness to the taste. The 'Queso' Manchego name is one of protected designation of origin (PDO) status from the European Union, and ensures that it's the real deal you're getting. For the cheddar I've gone for an aged applewood smoked variety, giving it a bolder, deeper flavour compared to many other cheddars, helping bring out that strong cheese flavour we're looking for. Added to this we have a touch of garlic, to add a little pungency and nuttiness; egg yolk, to give a richness to the flavour; and cracked black pepper to add a little kick.
At the end of the day, this is straight talking, no nonsense grilled cheese sandwich; given that it's National Grilled Cheese Day, what more could you ask for?
Manchego and Cheddar Grilled Cheese
Serves: 2 People
Grilled cheese using queso manchego and an aged applewood smoked cheddar, enhanced with fresh garlic, egg yolk and cracked black pepper.
Ingredients
- 4 Slices of White Bread
- 100g Queso Manchego
- 100g Aged Applewood Smoked Cheddar
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- Cracked Black Pepper
- A Knob of Butter
Instructions
- Grate both the queso manchego and smoked cheddar into a mixing bowl.
- Grate the garlic cloves and add these to the cheese; mix thoroughly to spread out the garlic.
- Add the egg yolk and cracked black pepper, and mix in until it begins to form clumps.
- Bring a skillet to a low temperature, and melt in the butter.
- Add the bread to the skillet, and allow to fry for a few minutes until most of the butter has been absorbed. Move the bread frequently to ensure it doesn't burn.
- Flip all four slices, and allow to warm for one to two minutes, then flip back over. Most of the remaining butter should be soaked up when you do this.
- Add half of the cheese, garlic and egg mixture to two of the bread slices, then flip the remaining two slices on top to complete the sandwich.
- Continue the fry each sandwich, moving them frequently and occasionally flipping them fully until the mixture inside melts.
Notes & Tips
A low temperature is better; it will give the mixture inside time to heat up, cook and melt without the outside of the bread burning; if you try to rush things with a higher temperature, you'll have a burnt outside with raw egg yolk in the middle. Feel free to experiment with different breads on this one; personally I used a jalapeno and asiago loaf.
