Cooking with Beer : Beer Soaked Grilled Cheese

OK, so, we all know one of my favorite foods is homemade mac and cheese. However, not far behind that, is the ultimate in comfort good sandwiches, the venerable grilled cheese sandwich. A grilled cheese sandwich, made with Velveeta, with a bowl of Campbell's Tomato Soup pretty much defines my lunches as a child, growing up in chilly, snow covered Western Maine.

Well, until recently, I pretty much made grilled cheese sandwiches the same way my mother did for me when I was little (just not with Velveeta), which is perfectly fine, just not overly exciting. Then I realized, there is SO much goodness in a simple grilled cheese and it CAN be so much more exciting, but so much room for improvement. So, I started messing with my recipe a bit, with some success.

Well, the other day, I was asked what beer to drink with a grilled cheese sandwich, and my first thought was not what to drink WITH it, but how to get beer IN my sandwich. I did a lot of surfing, and looking and experimenting, and this is the one recipe I found that was both easy, and delicious. I found this recipe on "The Brooklyn Brew Shop" website (for once I didn't land on a Beeroness recipe!), and I must give them ALL the credit for coming up with such a great, easy way to enjoy two of my favorite things. Plus, now that the weather is cooling off a bit (yes, even here in Arizona) the time for the grilled cheese sandwich is now! So, check out this beer soaked grilled cheese sandwich!! (you can check out their complete write up on this recipe by clicking here....)

"Beer Soaked Grilled Cheese Sandwich"

Ingredients

2 eggs

1 cup Chestnut Brown Ale or other nutty, brown ale

1/8 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1 loaf sourdough bread, cut into eight 1/2" slices

1 block mild or sharp cheddar cheese, sliced

2 tablespoons butter, plus more if needed

additional toppings: bacon, sliced ham, prosciutto, avocado (optional)

What You Do

1. In a large shallow bowl, whisk eggs, beer, flour, salt and chili powder. Dunk 1 slice of bread into the batter on both sides, giving it a second to fully absorb the batter, and let the excess batter drain back into the bowl.
2. Move to another plate, and top with cheese and additional toppings if desired (cooked bacon, sliced ham, etc.).
3. Repeat with another slice of bread, and complete the sandwich.
4. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Place the sandwich in the middle, and let cook on each side 3-4 minutes, until it reaches a crispy golden brown and a gooey cheese middle. Repeat for all sandwiches. Plate, add garnishes and enjoy.

OK, doesn't get much easier then that! Give this a show, and maybe enjoy with a bowl of tomato soup, or a potato beer soup??? Regardless, you can't go wrong when beer and cheese are involved! (Oh, and just a hint, I tried this with a bit of bacon, and it was wonderful!!!)

So, until next time
Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar