Grilled Cheese Invitational (to do in L.A., April 19)

People who really, really, really like melty dairy products and bread -- rejoice. A new competitive sport is emerging in cities across America. "Grilled Cheese Invitationals" are kinda like a WWF tournament meets hot Velveeta, and the queso combat is coming next to LA, this Saturday, April 19.

The sammich definitions are as follows:

The Missionary Position: White bread, orange cheese (Cheddar or American) and butter or margarine only.

Spoons: Any kind of bread, any kind of butter and any kind of cheese (or combination of cheeses) but no additional ingredients.

The Kama Sutra: Any kind of bread, any kind of butter, and any kind of cheese (or blend of cheeses) plus additional ingredients.

The Honey Pot: Any kind of bread, any kind of butter, any kind of cheese (or blend of cheeses), and any additional ingredients, but a sandwich that is sweet in flavor, or would best be served as dessert.

Link to info on this weekend's LA event. These people are not kidding, there are rules.

• [scottfree]

  how does one judge these missionary position sammiches? They must be real aficionados to discern the subtle craft.

  I reckon I could whip up a mean Mediterranean style one. Or else is it cheating to just serve up a cheeseburger?

• [scottfree]

  Oooh just thought how to do a honey pot: Either fry the bread or use a large cracker, dip that in chocolate, thin layer of chocolate ice cream with maple treat, and cream cheese to satisfy that requirement. I reckon that would be about the tastiest sandwich ever. Or leave off the treat and garnish with mint perhaps…the possibilities, mmmm.

• [recyclepile]

  My favorite is The Lovewich from GrilledCheeseGeeks.com

  Challah bread, Swiss cheese, thin slices of pear and bittersweet chocolate. Oh yeah.

• [inseptiv]

  I believe deep frying, beer batter, and bacon should be involved, somehow.

  And, maybe, a jalapeno red jelly.

  Mind you, I also believe the grilled cheese is famous because Heinz and Kraft decided that their perfect synergy would be required if mankind were to evolve into the perfect grocery store customer. And if you’ve looked around at all with your eyes open, you know this mission has been accomplished.

• [ornith]

  Allow me to suggest the following Delicious Grilled Cheese Sandwich:

  cheese (I use white cheddar, but swiss and other sandwichy cheeses should work too)
  prosciutto
  thin slices of pear
  bread which is hearty but without too much flavor of it’s own (oatmeal bread is good, as are big thick slices of homemade bread)
  any sort of spreadable butter will do, and you could probably even get away with olive oil.

  nom nom nom.

• [The Unusual Suspect]

  Since we’re trading recipes:

  Fresh rye kimmel (caraway seed) bread lightly brushed with extra-virgin olive oil, filled with jalapeno havarti and briefly pressed in a panini grill at high heat.

  (And if you want to scare off the vegans, insert between the layers of cheese a hammered-thin patty of extra-lean ground beef lightly seasoned with minced shallots and cooked medium-rare.)

  And yes, a bowl of tomato soup makes a great side dish, especially if you top it with freshly-ground parmesan.

• [Jardine]

  You people make me sick with all your fancy addons.

  Grilled cheese sandwich:

  1. Get some chedder cheese and slice off the desired amount for each sandwich. Put the cheese in between the bread. No butter.
  2. Plug in the grilled cheese maker. It’s like a waffle iron, but with flat cooking surfaces.
  3. Place the sandwiches in the grilled cheese maker. Push down on the top of it so the sandwiches are squished together. The cheese will be forced into the bread.
  4. Let the sandwiches get brown. Cut in half corner to corner. Eat with ketchup.

• [The Unusual Suspect]

  Bas @ #13: “…a thin sweet cheese melted in the center (it had the consistency of melted swiss, but I’m not sure what type it was)…”

  Brie. Oh, please let it be Brie!

• [scottfree]

  No way Jardine, you need to go into grilled cheese making with the spirit of science and experimentation. Never eat the same sandwich twice. Same kind of sandwich, that is. If you made a sandwich so good you want to heave up and have a second go at it, then you should probably take that chance, although you may learn a lesson in too much of a good thing.

• [Frank_in_Virginia]

  Jardine, may I have mine with Tillamook cheese and a bowl of tomato soup please? You will have a friend for life.

  http://www.tillamookcheese.com/

• [BaS]

  Awww if only it weren’t on the other coast I’d be all over this :(

  As far as the honeypot version it doesn’t have to be super complicated, one of the best restaraunt “french toast” I’ve had was a light bread that had the egg/milk/vanilla mixture on the outside and edges, with a thin sweet cheese melted in the center (it had the consistency of melted swiss, but I’m not sure what type it was), that came with a spiced syrup.

  And I’ve found the George Forman Grill to be one of the best grilled cheese makers as you get the grilled goodness all over, but with a nice, easy to section apart, texture.

• [ike]

  I’ll second #18 Frank_In_Virginia on the Tillamook cheddar. I couldn’t say what, if anything, makes it better than other cheddars, but it’s really really good.

  Most of my grilled cheese is made with Cabot jalapeno jack or habanero cheddar on Matthew’s whole wheat bread. I put cheese on one slice of bread, and toast it and another slice to ‘medium’ in a toaster oven. After the toasting is done, I press the pieces together and enjoy. If I’m getting fancier I’ll use Tillamook cheese and/or cook it in a skillet with oil and/or have tomato soup on the side.

  …and while we’re discussing unusual variations, I also love to eat grilled “chreese” sandwiches, where instead of cheese, you use a vegan cheese substitute made with nutritional yeast and a few other ingredients. Call me a heretic, but it’s delicious.

• [velocity girl]

  What a contest! The possibilities are endless…

  I’ve got a couple ideas for the Honeypot category:

  Brioche topped with lemon ricotta cheese and raspberry coulis.
  Substituting french toast made with brioche might be an idea too…

  Cheesecake with a cinnamony-gingery bread base.
  Cheesecake on cinnamon French toast?

  You really can’t go wrong when you start with french toast…

• [coop]

  To hell with the cheese. That child frightens me…

  coop

• [Antinous]

  Edam and pre-cooked asparagus on dense baguette-style bread. Smear the outside with crushed garlic. Fry in butter.

• [Jake0748]

  Cheese, Gromit…. CHEEEESE!

• [Takuan]

  it’snot Wendsleydale…

• [Avram]

  For a while, when I was living in Jersey City, there was a small local restaurant that specialized in grilled cheese sandwiches. Didn’t do quite enough business to survive, but man, it was good while it lasted.

• [sleestax]

  Venezuelan Beaver Cheese on Rosemary Sourdough with Garlic Pomerey Butter.

• [lenpict]

  “queso combat” is a phrase that I am going to use as much as humanly possible from now on.

• [George Curious]

  What’s with all the sexual imagery? I shudder to think what some foks are doing to/with a poor underage cheese sandwich. At least use some aged cheddar.

• [Antinous]

  You mean the donkey fellating a microphone and the viking flapper hooker?

• [George Curious]

  Are we still taking about grilled cheese sandwiches?

• [Takuan]

  yes, but with perverted sex

• [EH]

  Wait, people use cheeses other than American?

• [pahool]

  Hey! That’s Passover!

  Matzo grilled cheese for the lose…

• [swoody]

  I’m a huge fan of substituting olive oil for the butter. Pair that with some brie cheese and whole wheat bread, and you’ve got a sandwich that’s delish!