What makes a great grilled cheese to one person might be very different for someone else. However, this doesn’t mean that this isn’t a universally beloved food, regardless of preparation.
Some folks are purists, and love a good slice of white bread, slathered in butter with ample amounts of American cheese. Nothing fancy just the way mom made it before the notion of being a “foodie” was ever a thing. Some folks tout the benefit of butter AND mayo for ultra crisp golden toasted bread and others are horrified that people would dare use mayo instead of butter.
Strong emotions are abound when discussing how folks take their grilled cheese. But make no mistake when you’re at cocktail hour at any party and you see a server glide by with a plate of toasty cheese, you’re happy.
Making a grilled cheese to me is an art in itself, it’s such a simple food to make and yet and it does require a certain finesse when you’re making as an appetizer. I have admittedly outgrown American cheese and white bread (no shade) and yet I crave a sandwich with a gooey center and crunchy exterior, this to me is the hallmark of a good grilled cheese.
How to Make a Perfect Grilled Cheese Every Time
- Shred your cheese, it might seem like an extra step but it will melt quicker and more uniformly especially when you’re including more than just cheese in your sandwich.
- Cook over low-medium heat and flip several times to ensure even toasting on both sides as the insides cook.
- Start with both sides of the sandwich open faced and cover the pan to use steam to cook the cheese inside the sandwich before joining the two sides together.
- Use good quality cheese and bread! This may seem simple and redundant but especially in a dish where there are so few ingredients the quality of what you’re using is really going to make or break you!
- Let the sandwich sit for 2-3 minutes before cutting into it, it will still be gooey but won’t give you that “cheese pull” everyone was so crazy about on instagram a year ago. It’s great to look at in a pic but when cutting smaller bites for apps this just becomes a big old mess.
You can use endless combinations because let’s face it – almost everything tastes amazing with cheese and bread. In this one here I’m using thinly sliced honey crisp apples, honey and fried sage with sharp white cheddar, these are perfect for holiday pregame snacking. Naturally I’m using toasted cracked wheat sourdough bread since it’s my all time favorite tasting bread and one of the healthier choices when it comes to bread in general. I find that because this bread is more dense it doesn’t need as much butter to get crisp and golden as you’d need with a white bread or challah.
Whatever combination of cheeses, breads and toppings you go with, making mini grilled cheese appetizers is an easy change up to a cheese board or baked brie this holiday season. If you wanted to be extra fancy you can use your slow cooker (this one is so affordable and my fav!) to keep some soup like my perfect carrot ginger or cozy butternut squash warm next to your mini grilled cheese apps and put out cute mini mugs for soup shooters. Not only is it all easy to make – neither require use of ever precious oven space!
How do you like your grilled cheese? I would love to hear your favorite combinations in the comments!
Xx
Easy Grilled Cheese Mini Appetizers
Equipment
- cast iron pan or other frying pan
Materials
- 4 slices Cracked wheat sourdough bread
- 6 oz White Cheddar Shredded
- 1 Apple Honey crisp or granny smith is great here
- 2 tsp raw honey
- 4 sage leaves
- 4 tbsp butter preferably grass fed organic
- 2 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in your frying pan and once hot add the sage leaves and fry for 1-2 mins flipping to get both sides crisp. Watch carefully as they burn fast, remove and set aside to dry on paper towels.
- Keep the excess oil in the pan and add 1 tbsp of butter and melt until it bubbles, then reduce the heat to medium low and lay 2 slices of bread in the butter open faced. Top each slice with a sprinkling of shredded cheddar and lay the sliced apples on top, sprinkle more cheddar on each side so the apples are sandwiched between cheese and then drizzle some honey on the cheese and apples.
- Cover the pan with a lid and allow the steam to start cooking the insides of the sandwich – after the cheese begins to melt carefully combine the two sides of the sandwich and press down firmly. Continue to cook over low-medium until the bread is golden and crisp. Add the additional tablespoon of butter as necessary. Use a pastry brush to add additional honey to the bread as you flip the sandwich back and forth.
- Repeat steps above for the second sandwich. Sprinkle each sandwich with crumbled fried sage leaves and then allow each sandwich to cool for 2-3 mins before cutting in half 4 times to make 8 bites from each sandwich. Makes 16 mini grilled cheese bites. Serve with more sliced apples and honey on a platter and enjoy!
