Cheddar And Apple Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe
Why have a plain old grilled cheese sandwich when you could have a cheddar and apple one? Thanks to this recipe from developer Jessica Morone, all of your cheesy desires can come to life, with the added sweetness and texture of apple slices. There's also brie cheese on this sandwich, and Morone notes that "the sharpness of the cheddar really complements the more creamy, melty brie." She also notes that the apples provide "a nice crunch," and there's a touch of honey to help add sweetness without being overbearing.
Not only does this sandwich taste good, but it also provides a more elegant way to enjoy an otherwise low-brow food. "I love this grilled cheese because its more of a 'grown up' grilled cheese than the kind with processed American cheese," Morone explains. "It is very gourmet, but is still incredibly easy to make." This recipe will yield two sandwiches, and all told, you'll only be spending 20 minutes prepping and cooking them — for a gourmet meal, it really doesn't get much easier than that.
Gather the ingredients for this cheddar and apple grilled cheese
You'll be using sourdough bread as the base for this sandwich, and on the inside, there'll be cheddar cheese, brie cheese, apple slices (any kind will do, but Morone notes that she likes to use granny smith or gala), honey, and arugula. Instead of using butter to get the bread nice and toasty, you'll use mayonnaise, something that Morone describes as a special method. "A lot of grilled cheese recipes have you spread butter on the bread, but butter is harder to spread, and putting mayo on the bread will make the sandwich brown more evenly and gives it a nice crispy exterior," she explains.
Build the grilled cheese as the bread toasts
Place a 12-inch, nonstick skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat, and allow it to warm up a bit. Grab your sourdough slices and generously spread mayo on one side of each slice. Then, place two of those slices mayo side-down onto the skillet. Drizzle half of the honey onto one of the bread slices, then add the arugula, followed by the brie slices. Next, place two slices of cheddar cheese on the other slice, followed by half of the apple slices. Cover the pan and let everything cook for about 3 minutes — during this time, the cheese should get melty and the bread should start to toast on the outside.
Combine the grilled cheese halves and finish cooking
Once the cheese is melty, go ahead and flip the brie slice onto the cheddar slice. Cover the pan once again, and allow the grilled cheese to cook for another 3 or 4 minutes. During this time, the cheese should fully melt, and the bread will be nice and crispy thanks to that mayo. Once the first sandwich is done, remove it from the heat and repeat the process with the second sandwich.
Slice and serve your elevated grilled cheese
Once both sandwiches are ready, slice them in half horizontally, then serve them while the cheese is still melty. "Pairing grilled cheese with soup is a classic, so you cant go wrong there," Morone suggests and notes that it doesn't necessarily have to be tomato soup (though, a tomato soup and grilled cheese combo is hard to beat!). "Also serving these with sweet potato fries is one of my favorite combinations," Morone adds. Considering it's such a decadent sandwich, you may desire to cut some of that richness with a nice salad. You could also enjoy this cheddar and apple grilled cheese all on its own, and it makes for a great lunch or dinner.
- 4 slices sourdough bread
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 ounce fresh arugula
- 4 ounces brie, cut into slices
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- ½ apple, sliced into ¼-inch slices
- Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet on medium-low heat.
- Generously coat 1 side of each bread slice with mayonnaise. Place 2 bread slices, mayonnaise side down, into the skillet.
- On 1 piece of bread, drizzle half the honey. Top with half of the arugula and then add half of the brie slices. On the other piece of bread add 2 slices of cheddar cheese and half of the apple slices. Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook until the bread starts to brown and the cheese starts to melt, about 3 minutes.
- Once the cheese has started to melt, flip the brie half of the sandwich on top of the cheddar half. Cover the pan with the lid and let the sandwich cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Repeat the process with the second sandwich.
- Cut each sandwich on the diagonal and serve warm.
| Calories per Serving | 266 |
| Total Fat | 10.5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4.8 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.1 g |
| Cholesterol | 23.9 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 32.1 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.5 g |
| Total Sugars | 5.4 g |
| Sodium | 495.8 mg |
| Protein | 11.1 g |
