Teppanyaki Grilled Cheese Galore!

Sometimes the simplest pleasures in life can also be the most indulgent. We decided to have some fun with our food (like we often do!) and so we created an array of decadent and delicious grilled cheese sandwiches. Yum!!!We gathered bacon from our favorite local butcher shop, Proper Sausages, as well as some prosciutto and salami; eight different cheeses: Gruyere, Swiss, American, Gorgonzola, Brie, Fontina, Havarti and Monterey Jack; multigrain sourdough bread from our beloved local baker, Zak the Baker; fresh tomato, cucumber, olives, sundried tomatoes, spinach, arugula, fresh apple slices, spicy mustard and avocado. Fully stocked and ready for some serious grilled cheese action! Once the Cook-N-Dine was preheated, we turned the temperature up to 8.5. First we grilled up the slices of bacon, getting them to sizzle and pop until perfectly crispy. Once those were done, we moved them to the outer edge of the cooking center so they would stay warm while the cheese melted on the bread. We prepped the slices of bread with butter one the outside of one slice, mayonnaise on the other. The first round was American-Havarti and Swiss-Monterey Jack; once the cheese started to melt, we added avocado, spinach, sundried tomatoes and bacon to the Swiss-Monterey Jack, and the American-Havarti was topped with fresh tomato and bacon, classic-style. To get a little more crispy on the outside, as well as a kick of extra flavor, we dabbed some garlic ghee on hot cooking center and cooked each side a bit longer. The first set of grilled cheeses were complete, and we were ready to eat. Mmmmm, talk about ooey-gooey deliciousness! Between the burnt grease from the bacon and the stuck on melted cheese, we needed a quick cleanup in between sandwiches. Taking advantage of the warm surface, we chose the 'water cleaning' method. Seltzer water, straight-edge spatula and paper towel to the rescue![wpvideo fnEoZqND]Next up on the gourmet grilled cheese deck: Brie-Gorgonzola and Gruyere-Fontina. We topped the Brie-Gorgonzola with fresh apple slices, arugula and prosciutto; since Gorgonzola has a pretty strong flavor, we used just a smattering of it on one side of the bread. The Gruyere-Fontina was topped with arugula, fresh cucumber slices, sliced black olives, sundried tomatoes and bacon. Voila! More delicious ooey-gooey grilled cheese sandwiches, ready for us to enjoy! All of the sandwiches paired nicely with a touch of the spicy mustard, if one is so inclined. It's hard to pick a favorite amongst such strong competition...but I think the Gruyere-Fontina...wait, no...the Swiss-Monterey...or maybe the Brie...OK, nevermind, they were all amazing! Getting creative with something as simple as a grilled cheese sandwich was a lot of fun, and just showed more of how versatile and easy to use the Cook-N-Dine Teppanyaki is.A few tips/hints:

• You can use a lid over the open faced slices of bread with cheese to help the melting, if needed.
• When using fresh slices of artisanal bread, like the one we use, beware that cheese will melt through the holes...and create an extra layer of outer melted crispy cheese deliciousness!

We hope you enjoyed reading this as much as we enjoyed making it, and that you are inspired to go out and get creative with even the simplest of meals. See you at the Teppanyaki table!