Jalapenos, Cheddar and Provolone... Simple Gourmet

Greetings again fellow seekers,

Today we present you with the first of a doubleheader of cheesy goodness. Our first sandwich up to bat is a delectable little number built on a foundation of Jalapeno Cheese Bread made from scratch at our local bakery then held firmly together by a core of Medium Cheddar and Provolone.

The Jalapeno Cheese Bread is not simply a bagged loaf of bread. The bread is baked fresh daily and isn't sliced until purchase. We ordered the bread to be sliced "Texas Toast" thick.

For those of you who aren't familiar with this term. "Texas Toast" generally refers to bread that is sliced to a thickness of about 1 inch. Texas Toast bread is perfect for grilled sandwiches because of the versatility and utility it has. Not only can it hold a serious load of meat or cheese it also manages to absorb and communicate the complex flavors and essences cooked into it.

Before I get to involved in the build, I'd like to introduce one my handy cooking tools. This is a classic 6 inch cast iron skillet. This is the smallest size you will typically see. This size skillet is perfect for grilling sandwiches as it provides even heat and control when cooking.

You will also notice I cook on gas. An open flame is in my opinion essential for grilling a sandwich, I know others might not share this point of view, but the proof is self evident in the results. This isn't to say a good electric griddle won't do the job.

Enough about that, let's move on to the sandwich.

As with any of our classic grilled cheese sandwiches a liberal coating unctuous substance is applied, in this case we chose a simple butter to perform the duty. Don't be afraid to lay it on thick because your going to cook off most of it anyhow. We will review several different ingredient, but this will probably be my coating of choice. There are several premium butters on the market which we will explore in depth as time goes on.

So now we've slathered our butter and preheated our skillet, it is now time to lay the bread in the pan and add the cheese. Cheese placement can be crucial especially with typical loaf bread because the cheese can easily melt over the sides of the bread and burn on the pan. However when your working with a generous portion of Texas Toast it's like having the wide open praire to work with the cheese can be laid out easily on the bread and there is plenty of thickness to the bread so even if it melts over the side, your going to be OK.

As I have mentioned multiple slices of cheese I believe are essential to the success of your grilled cheese. The layering of the cheese not only provides extra cheesy goodness but provides for different textures and consistancies within the center of the sandwich. Something we plan to discover is what cheese lends itself to the production of the finest grilled cheese. The classic American, a fine Swiss, or spicy Jack?

Who knows each cheese carries with it a different character and taste. Ultimately, the best cheese might be the one you can get your hands on. because sometimes you just can't wait. As you can see here we stacked two pieces of Mild Cheddar, later we added a slice of Provolone to the mix, to add bit more eccentric taste.

As I mentioned before the Texas Toast provides an excellent base in which to build your sandwich. Normally sliced bread tends to be fairly thin and the cheese can easily outweigh the bread, this is not so with our choice baked loaf. As you can see here even when the cheese managed to overflow from the side of the sandwich the spill was contained in a rather delicious looking way.

Once you've achieve a nice melt like this you know you've made something special. You can even see a bit of the Provolone peeking out from the edge of the sandwich. This isn't the ultimate in grilled cheese by a longshot, but it's a pretty decent start.

The finished result did come out a little on the dark side, but that's not always a problem. Some Cheesemason's actually prefer their sandwiches with a bit of "extra" toasting, especially along the crusts. I have yet to fully understand this facination but some swear by the extra bit of burn on the bottom.

Regardless, the sandwich did not disappoint, the bread was thick and maintained a kind of spongy quality and the cheese mix was fabulous, the cheddar providing a strong taste but yet married to the thickness of the provolone.

We will definately be trying this one again, maybe with some hot sauce added (thanks to ILPUL for the idea).

If you've got any thoughts or suggestions, please let us know by adding your comments to the blog.

Thanks for reading and remember to TASTE the ADVENTURE!!

DKJ