Gruyere Grilled Cheese Sandwiches on a bed of Mesculun Greens with Humboldt Fog

This sounds complex, but it is quite simple. It is basically a grilled cheese sandwich on a bed of greens. But this is no ordinary grilled cheese sandwich. Instead of white bread, butter, and American cheese, we will be using an 8-grain loaf, chive butter, and gruyere. The salad can be made with Mesculun greens or spring mix, and will be tossed in a chive vinaigrette. And lastly, we will be placing a small wedge of Humbodt Fog Cheese on the salad. Humboldt Fog is a very expensive Californian, cave-grown cheese. It is amazing because it has a layer of brie, goat, and bleu cheese, all in one. These flavors mesh to create a beautiful spectrum, and intertwined with the chive vinaigrette, it is a flavor you will never forget.

Prep Time: 10 minutes Total servings: 2

4 slices 8 grain or whole wheat bread $.50
6 oz. of gruyere sliced $2.00
Four tbls. butter $.30
3 oz. of chives $2.00
4 oz. of Humboldt Fog Cheese $6.00
8 ozs. of Mesculun greens or spring mix $1.50
2 oz. of EVOO $.25
1 oz. of Balsamic Vinegar $.30
1 garlic clove $.10

Total Cost: $12.95 Cost per serving: $6.50

The Sandwich:
First make the butter. Soften the butter by leaving it sit out for an hour, or give it ten seconds or so in the microwave. Run the all the chives through a food processor (or blender). You can leave the minced chives in the blender for the dressing, and take out just enough (maybe 1 tsp. ) and mix in with your softened butter. Add a pinch of salt. You now have chive butter.

Heat a clean, dry skillet until it is very hot. Butter one side of each piece of bread, and lay the butter side down of one piece in the hot pan. Quickly, add the gruyere to the middle of the sandwich. Then top the sandwich with the other piece of bread, butter side up. It is grilled cheese, but fancy. You may have to drop the heat on the sandwich, depending on your stove top. The fresh chive can scorch, but a little is okay. Carefully flip the sandwich when the underside is well-toasted. The sandwich is done when the cheese is melted. Gruyere is not as milky as our processed American, so it will not be melted like oozing, but it should be very, very soft. Remove from the pan and cut into two triangles.

The Salad:
With the chives in the processor (or blender), add the garlic, EVOO, and Balsamic vinegar and a small amount of salt and pepper. Blend until emulsified. Toss in with the greens.

Plate a pile of salad in the middle of the plate. Slice a small wedge of Humboldt Fog and place in the middle of the pile. Surround the Humbodlt Fog with your grilled cheese wedges for a great presentation. The BEST Grilled Cheese Sandwich you have ever had.

Croque Madame

Tonight, we are having the delicious French sandwiches, Croque Madame. These are very simple, yet elegant.

Prep Time: Ten Minutes Makes two servings

8 oz. of sliced deli ham (not Oscar Mayer) $3.50
4 oz. Gruyere $3.00
4 slices of bread $1.00
2 eggs $.25

Total Cost: $7.75 Cost per serving $3.87

Slice the Gruyere and place it on the ham which should be on one slice of bread. So you have just made an open-faced Ham and Cheese Sandwich. Set your oven to Broil and place the open-faced sandwiches on an ungreased pan in the oven. Let the cheese melt on the ham, and toast the other side of the bread. Your uncovered slice of bread may toast faster than the cheese melts, so you may have to pull out exposed bread before the cheese melts onto the ham on your other slice of bread. While that is in the oven, fry two eggs. Be sure to coat your pan with a little butter or cooking spray.

Pull your sandwiches out of the oven, put them together and place one egg on both sandwiches. Bon Apetit! Some other recipes will call for beschamel to be added, but I find that a time-consuming expense.