Pizza Grilled Cheese

Disclaimer: This post is a day late because I forgot to bring my notes with me to type up the full post during my lunch hour yesterday.  Sorry!

When people ask me what my favorite food is, they're often surprised to find out it's not grilled cheese.  Although my favorite does involve a combination of bread and carbs, the clear winner in the favorite food race is pizza.  Shocking, I know, but there's just something about pizza that gives it top billing in my heart (and my tummy).  Taking this into account (along with the fact that the pizza grilled cheese I pinned on Pinterest is my most often re-pinned item) I decided it was high time to bring my two loves together and make a pizza grilled cheese.

I didn't want to go with the recipe I actually pinned on Pinterest because it featured pepperoni and regular bread.  I don't like pepperoni and want to see what can be done with an actual pizza crust.  So I headed to the store and got your basic pizza ingredients with the plan of improvising a recipe.

* Pre-made pizza crust (thin)
* Fresh mozzarella
* Ricotta
* Pizza sauce
* Garlic
* Home-grown basil

So I knew that pizza dough wouldn't fully cook were I to just grill it, so I opted to cook the dough first in hopes of turning it into "bread."  This, of course, involved me tossing the pizza dough in the air while pretending to actually be an Italian pizza maker.  Sadly the dough ended up looking like this:

Yes, that's me peeking through a hole in the dough.

Well, I tried.  Upon yielding these results I opted to fold the dough back together and roll it out using a rolling pin *ahem* can of corn.  This was harder than I thought it would be, but eventually I had a workable rectangle of dough. 

I figured seasoning the dough before I cooked it would be a good idea, so I drizzled olive oil on it and spread some crushed garlic on top of that.  I also gave some sprinkles of my generic McCormick "Italian Seasoning."  I imagine this consists mostly of oregano.

Now it was ready to bake!  I had preheated the oven to 400 degrees and put the dough in for 5 minutes initially.  Checking on it at 5 minutes I decided it could use more time, so I went for 5 more minutes.

At this point it had cooked for 10 minutes total and was starting to crisp up, but just for kicks I decided to throw the ricotta on there for the final 4 minutes in the oven.

So total cook time ended up at 14 minutes.  While the dough was cooking I started trying to grate the mozzarella, but found that it didn't grate so much as it just came off in strips and strings (a la string cheese-- logically).  So I opted to break with tradition and pull the cheese into strips rather than grate it.

Once the dough had cooled a bit I used my pizza slicer to cut it into 8 squares and added dollops of pizza sauce to four of the slices.  On top of that went the mozzarella.  Colin decided he wanted a lot of sauce, so he also added pizza sauce to what would be the other pieces of his sandwiches.

Then we topped our pizzas according to our personal preference (and the ingredients we had on hand).  I opted for just basil, but Colin chose basil and super hot peppers.

I then made each pair of crusts into a sandwich and brushed each side of the exterior with olive oil.  Then it was time for a quick grill to help melt the mozzarella and to officially transform the sandwiches into grilled cheeses.

The sandwiches didn't spend long in the pan because I didn't want to burn the dough, so they were ready in no time.

Taste Review:

I think the combination of garlic, basil and fresh baked pizza dough combined to give the sandwich a nice aroma.  And as soon as I picked it up to take a bite the messiness of the sandwich took over.  The ricotta and pizza sauce combined to make it particularly runny, so multiple paper towels were necessary.  Conclusion: sauce on both sides was too much.  Just one side would decrease runny-ness.  But we're not here to talk about that, we're here to talk about the taste, and this definitely tastes like a pizza.

The crust is good and crispy with a little sweetness to it.  The pizza sauce is also sweet while the cheese is sort of neutral, and the basil definitely contrasts the sweetness of the sauce and crust.  At first I liked it, but by the end I wasn't sure if it was too bitter to really enhance the sandwich.  The ricotta was creamy, but didn't really bring much else to the table, so you could take or leave that (and potentially lean towards leaving it since it makes the sandwich pretty runny).  Colin voted that we grate the mozzarella next time so that it melts more evenly, but I'm not sure that's necessarily needed.  Overall this reminded me of a crispy calzone.

FINAL RESULTS:

Sandwich:	Pizza Grilled Cheese
Gooey-ness:	6
Aroma:	3
Appearance:	Bright red center with a golden crisp crust.  Looks like a panini.
Taste:	A-

Colin really liked the concept of this sandwich and gives the overall idea an A, however he suggested that it could be improved by customizing the filling to each person's taste preferences where toppings are concerned (in his case, add pepperoni, more peppers, etc.) and gave this iteration of the sandwich a B, so for overall grade we decided to meet in the middle with an A-.

Gooey Scale	Aroma Scale
1 = still cold/hard	1 = can’t smell a thing
2 = slightly melted but still firm	2 = tender waft
3 = melted evenly	3 = makes your stomach growl
4 = melted and slightly runny (starting to get those cheese strings between your sandwich and your mouth when you take a bite)	4 = strong scent
5 = runny	5 = overpoweringly pungent
6 = sloppy mess!

Grilled Caprese

Including this week's sandwich, there are 20 sandwiches remaining in "Great Grilled Cheese" that I have yet to try and, in general, there's a reason I've been saving these for the end.  While roast beef with cheddar and blue cheese butter may sound delightful to many, I don't eat beef and I don't like blue cheese and thus have been avoiding this sandwich, and others like it, all along.  Fortunately, this week's selection was one of the few remaining choices that makes my mouth water. 

In general, caprese salads/sandwiches/whatever seem to be fan favorites, so the idea of putting it on a grilled cheese is, naturally, an appealing prospect.  So let's get right down to it.

Ingredients included:
* Crusty Italian bread (in this case I opted for a Wegmans specialty item-- Garlic Tuscan Bread)
* 6 ounces fresh mozzarella (in my case 8 ounces-- you know how I love the cheese!)
* 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
* 2 Tbsp. dry jack or Parmesan cheese (in my case Parmesan & Romano)
* 2 Tbsp. chopped basil leaves (in this case pulled from our newly acquired home grown basil plants!)
* Olive oil

Step one was letting the tomatoes sit in very hot water for 15 minutes.  I still have zero idea why this step was necessary, but who am I to question GGC?  Maybe I was supposed to get dry tomatoes (the kind not packed in oil) and use the hot water to soften them up?  No idea.  Oh well!  After I had microwaved a half cup of water for 1 minute, in went the tomatoes.

I then turned on my broiler.  Yes, the broiler.  I wasn't sure where we were going with this step, but high heat makes me nervous!  Oh well, again-- I trust GGC.

YOWZA!

Next it was time to chop the basil-- I picked about 15-20 leaves and went to work.

By the time I finished this the tomatoes weren't quite done with their bath yet, so I took this opportunity to grate the mozzarella.  Once I had finished that it was time to remove the tomatoes and chop them.

After everything was chopped and grated I mixed all of the ingredients together.  Is it sad that I'm only now realizing that caprese salads have the same colors as the Italian flag?

Now we're ready to make the sandwiches.  After brushing one side of four slices of bread with olive oil I spread the cheese mixture evenly over the bread and topped them with another slice of bread, also brushed with olive oil.

After grilling each of the sandwiches it was time to brave an encounter with the broiler.  The recipe called for cooking the sandwiches in a heavy skillet that is oven safe but, since I don't have a skillet that meets that description, I opted to use a cookie sheet.  I put each sandwich on the cookie sheet and sprinkled the Parmesan on top.

Next it was into the broiler for 30 seconds to a minute or until the cheese is bubbling and starting to turn brown.  Well, before I hit that mark I heard my cookie sheet make a loud noise as it sort of buckled in the oven.  Fearing for its safety I removed the sandwiches shortly thereafter.  The cheese had melted, but not quite browned.

Once the sandwiches had cooled briefly, I plated them and was ready to chow down!

Taste Review:

Aside from an extra hint of charred bread courtesy of the broiler, there wasn't really an aroma for this one.  The sandwich looked very appealing with some nice color to the inside and the extra cheese on the outside (a step I'll need to repeat in the future).

The mozzarella is, of course, the perfect cheese for this sandwich.  It's creamy and provides the right backdrop to blend evenly with the other flavors.  That creamy inside was set off by the crispy exterior consisting of the crunchy crusty bread and the crispy bits of cheese.  I like that the cheese on the outside gave a hint of sharpness, but just enough to compliment rather than overwhelm the milder mozzarella.

I was able to pull Colin away from "Dogs in the City" for long enough to hear that he would've liked a little more tomato from a texture standpoint.  It's true, the filling is quite creamy, but I like that.  I think we've gotten used to lots of sandwiches with "stuff" in them, so although this sandwich was a little simpler I do think that was a good thing.  But in thinking about his desire for more tomatoes we pondered whether sun-dried is really the way to go and we think that it is.  If this sandwich used regular tomatoes there just wouldn't be enough flavor.  The basil would be the one and only standout ingredient.

The garlic in the bread was just a subtle hint in the crust, but it was great.  Again, just enough flavor to compliment rather than overwhelm the sandwich.  On the whole this makes me think of a panini I'd get at Corner Bakery (which, in my world, is a compliment-- I like Corner Bakery).  My only real criticism is that towards the end the sandwich starts to feel a little dry.  Perhaps because the bread is so crusty?  I'm not sure.  Maybe this could be fixed by adding a little more filling, but who knows.  I guess I'll just have to make it again and find out!

FINAL RESULTS:

Sandwich:	Grilled Caprese
Gooey-ness:	3.5
Aroma:	1.5
Appearance:	Nice and colorful with a cool cheese topping.
Taste:	A-

Gooey Scale	Aroma Scale
1 = still cold/hard	1 = can’t smell a thing
2 = slightly melted but still firm	2 = tender waft
3 = melted evenly	3 = makes your stomach growl
4 = melted and slightly runny (starting to get those cheese strings between your sandwich and your mouth when you take a bite)	4 = strong scent
5 = runny	5 = overpoweringly pungent
6 = sloppy mess!

Green Goddess Grilled Cheese

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day I bring you a holiday grilled cheese that's sure to leave a lasting impression (for better or worse).  You know I like to play into holidays when possible, but I don't like many of the traditional foods associated with St. Patty's Day (i.e. corned beef and cabbage), so a green grilled cheese seemed the order of the day.  Luckily, my friends are always on the lookout for me and my friend Whitney (who you may remember from the Crawfish Bread Grilled Cheese) sent me a recipe that fit the bill: the Green Goddess Grilled Cheese (original recipe posted here).  My only knowledge of green goddess dressing stems from my infrequent, but much beloved, trips to The Melting Pot where they serve up green goddess as one of the condiments with your entree.  I've always loved the green goddess there (requesting additional ramekins basically every time I go), so was excited to try it as the star of a tasty sandwich.

Not surprisingly, the ingredients are very herb heavy.  Something has to give it that green color, right?

1 clove garlic, 1 anchovy (skipped this-- no thank you on the anchovies for me), 1 tsp. lime zest, 3 Tbsp chopped parsley, 2 Tbsp chopped tarragon, 2 Tbsp cilantro (skipped this-- tastes like soap), 1 Tbsp chopped basil, 1 Tbsp chopped shallot (is that the same as scallions?  I hope so because that's what I got), 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 ounces cream cheese, 1 cup shredded mozzarella, 1 cup shredded cheddar, sourdough and olive oil.

Phew!  The ingredient list was long, but all of the items were very easy to find.  I was already feeling good about this one because it has two of my favorite sandwich components-- sourdough and cheddar!

Step one was mincing the garlic.  For this I employed my mini food processor :-)

We know I like to go overboard with the garlic, so I actually used more like 2 cloves.  Oh well!  Next came all the green components-- lime zest, parsley, tarragon (which smelled like spearmint to me), basil and shallot.  Since I was omitting the cilantro I did a little extra basil in an effort to maintain the right amount of herbs.  The mustard and cream cheese also went in and got blended up until it formed a nice green paste.

I then grated up 8 ounces of cheddar and 8 ounces of mozzarella and combined them in a mixing bowl.  A quick note on grated cheese-- it takes up more space by volume than not grated cheese (shocking, I know).  So in this situation with a recipe calling for 2 cups of cheese, I probably should have grated less than 16 total ounces to attain 2 measuring cups full of cheese.  BUT, I like cheese and to me 8 ounces means 1 cup, so that's what I went with.  To the bowl of cheese I added the green paste and mixed thoroughly.

Tasting this mixture I was overpowered by how pungent it was!  I think I forget that raw garlic is much stronger than cooked garlic, so I may have made a faux pas in adding more than the recipe called for.  The herbs weren't helping the situation either.  It was quite the flavor explosion.  With that in mind I decided to make 3 sandwiches as I had a feeling Colin would not a big fan of this one.

I brushed the bread slices with olive oil on one side and loaded the other with the cheese/green goddess mixture.  Closing the sandwiches with the second slice of bread left me ready to grill.  Since the filling was so dense I made sure to use my method of covering the sandwich with an additional (overturned) frying pan to trap in the heat.  I wanted to make sure that the cheese got gooey while it was cooking as I could tell this was destined to be runny!

Taste Review:

The first words that jumped to my mind upon taking a bite were creamy and STRONG!  The super pungent taste of the filling was only slightly dissipated during the cooking process, so it was still VERY strong, but at least a bit more piquant now.  The filling actually made the sourdough taste sweet by comparison, a feat that I didn't think possible.  In general, though, I felt like there were too many strong flavors all competing for top billing.  I think the extra basil and garlic weren't wise moves on my part as they both just slapped you in the face with flavor-- but then again, if I had lessened those quantities who's to say that another flavor wouldn't have taken over?  Overall I think this is best kept as a dressing since you're better able to moderate the amount you're eating.  Taken as an entree this is too strong for my taste!

FINAL RESULTS:

Sandwich:	Green Goddess
Gooey-ness:	3
Aroma:	5
Appearance:	Looks like pesto or guacamole.
Taste:	B-/C+

Gooey Scale	Aroma Scale
1 = still cold/hard	1 = can’t smell a thing
2 = slightly melted but still firm	2 = tender waft
3 = melted evenly	3 = makes your stomach growl
4 = melted and slightly runny (starting to get those cheese strings between your sandwich and your mouth when you take a bite)	4 = strong scent
5 = runny	5 = overpoweringly pungent
6 = sloppy mess!

Next year is the 1 year anniversary of The Big Grilled Cheese!  I'm sure some sort of retrospective will be in order.

Oh, and also-- happy belated Pi day.  I briefly debated a pie themed grilled cheese, but figured that might be hard to figure out, so I stuck with sipping on a drink filled with my Pi(ce) cubes :-)

In case you can't see that photo too well, here's the tray for proof: