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The Great Grilled Cheese Book

Grown-Up Recipes for a Childhood Classic [A Cookbook]

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Hardcover
$17.99 US
7.28"W x 8.27"H x 0.64"D   | 19 oz | 24 per carton
On sale Aug 07, 2018 | 152 Pages | 9780399580741
Fifty chef-created recipessome classic, some boundary pushing—for America's favorite sandwich, the grilled cheese.

A fresh take on the beloved American classic, from the classic white bread with American cheese to "The Champ" (a taleggio and short rib extravaganza); the "Johnny Pastrami," which combines pastrami with the bite and freshness of apple chutney; and "The Tomater" with creamy mozzarella and a sun-dried tomato spread. Featuring both common and elevated ingredients like brie cheese, poppy seed bread, olive tapenade, fig marmalade, smoked salmon, candied bacon, bourbon-glazed ham, and raisin walnut bread, these are recipes that invite you into new and uncharted grilled cheese territory. With notes on the best cheese and breads and pro tips for the best cooking techniques, this book has something for every taste and is guaranteed up your grilled cheese game.
“My brutha Eric Greenspan can cook it up with the best of ’em. So it comes as no surprise that he can crush one of our all-time favorite comfort foods, the grilled cheese. But of course, he’s not just throwin’ down two slices of bread, peelin’ off some American cheese, and callin’ it a day. No, no, he’s taking the simple classic to new heights with a real deal cheese education, unexpected sweet and savory ingredients, and some killer combos that will take your cravings to new levels. Check out The Great Grilled Cheese Book . . .your inner child will thank you for it.”
—GUY FIERI, chef

“Having Eric Greenspan teach you the basics of something simple like a grilled cheese sandwich is akin to Michelangelo giving you a primer on finger painting. Letting a profoundly skilled, highly trained chef demonstrate his skill and craft in the creation of the humble, classic, and approachable melty masterpiece is the genius of this book:making the food you already know you love while learning how to apply proper technique in its creation, and most important of all, letting fun, flavor, and imagination be your guide in the kitchen. If you love comfort food, you will love this book.”
—ADAM RICHMAN, TV food explorer, host/producer of Man vs Food
ERIC GREENSPAN is graduate of Le Cordon Bleu culinary school and has trained with celebrated chefs in New York and Spain. He worked as executive chef at Patina in Los Angeles and, in 2007, opened The Foundry on Melrose, which was nominated by the James Beard Foundation as Best New Restaurant in America. He has competed on numerous food shows and has been featured in the New York TimesWine SpectatorArt CulinaireLos Angeles ConfidentialAngeleno, and Los Angeles Magazine. He just opened Fleishik's, a new modern Jewish deli, in Los Angeles. View titles by Eric Greenspan
INTRODUCTION

I didn’t come from a family of world travelers, and I wasn’t raised around great food. My only true childhood food memory is of my mother putting a plate on top of thin, crispy grilled cheese sandwiches as they cook. They were delicious, especially the little bits of cheese that oozed out and crisped up on the bottom of the hot pan. But you won’t find that technique anywhere in this book.

My love of food developed first with a love of cooking. I started as a short-order cook while attending the University of California, Berkeley. Caffe Med was an open kitchen, and I enjoyed creating simple, delicious food for the customers who quickly became my friends. I knew immediately I wanted to reach people through food. I never thought I would ascend to being a chef recognized for my culinary talents, but I understood that if I was ever going to make a great sandwich, I had to learn how to make a great steak. As someone who had always taken pride in doing my very best work, I knew I needed to learn more, so I set out to study with some of the finest chefs in the world: David Bouley, Alain Ducasse, Ferran Adrià, Joachim Splichal. 

The more I learned, the more I grew as a chef. But I never lost sight of the fact that what I loved about food was my love of people. I wanted to take what I learned as a chef and apply it to something everyone could enjoy. So when I opened The Foundry on Melrose in 2007, I chose to eschew the highfalutin cheese plate found in every upstart fine-dining restaurant at the time in favor of an elevated grilled cheese. I wanted the everyman walking by my restaurant to  think, “Hey, I like grilled cheese,” and wander unbeknownst into a new culinary experience. I took a stinky Taleggio and put it between two slices of the raisin-walnut bread common to a cheese plate but so uncommon to a grilled cheese. I blended dried apricots and capers into a puree and added sun-dried tomato as a nod to the dried fruits and pickles typically found on a cheese plate. For good measure, I added some shredded short-rib beef that happened to be lying around the kitchen, and my signature grilled cheese, The Champ, was born. 

What follows builds on the spirit of that sandwich. The recipes take what I’ve learned about flavor, technique, and texture while working in Michelin-caliber restaurants and puts that knowledge into a package that everyone can relate to—the grilled cheese. From making your own American cheese, jams, and pickles to braising meats and exploring reworked classic dishes, this book takes the grilled cheese sandwich to another level, while keeping true to what it is at its core—delicious. 

This book is not meant to be a bible. The recipes are not meant to be law. The Great Grilled Cheese Book is instead a point of reference for exploring the many ways this beloved sandwich can be embellished. Each chapter is dedicated to a cheese, so you can easily decide which sandwich to make based on what cheeses are available to you; each recipe makes four sandwiches. In the recipe list at the beginning of each chapter, I’ve also labeled the recipes as Vegetarian (V), Breakfast (B), Meat and Fish (M), and Sweets (S) to help you tailor your sandwich to your mood. 

Play with the recipes. Use them as inspiration for your own creations. Most of all, have as much fun making these grilled cheeses as I have had writing this book. I’m hoping you’ll never look at a grilled cheese the same way again.

About

Fifty chef-created recipessome classic, some boundary pushing—for America's favorite sandwich, the grilled cheese.

A fresh take on the beloved American classic, from the classic white bread with American cheese to "The Champ" (a taleggio and short rib extravaganza); the "Johnny Pastrami," which combines pastrami with the bite and freshness of apple chutney; and "The Tomater" with creamy mozzarella and a sun-dried tomato spread. Featuring both common and elevated ingredients like brie cheese, poppy seed bread, olive tapenade, fig marmalade, smoked salmon, candied bacon, bourbon-glazed ham, and raisin walnut bread, these are recipes that invite you into new and uncharted grilled cheese territory. With notes on the best cheese and breads and pro tips for the best cooking techniques, this book has something for every taste and is guaranteed up your grilled cheese game.

Praise

“My brutha Eric Greenspan can cook it up with the best of ’em. So it comes as no surprise that he can crush one of our all-time favorite comfort foods, the grilled cheese. But of course, he’s not just throwin’ down two slices of bread, peelin’ off some American cheese, and callin’ it a day. No, no, he’s taking the simple classic to new heights with a real deal cheese education, unexpected sweet and savory ingredients, and some killer combos that will take your cravings to new levels. Check out The Great Grilled Cheese Book . . .your inner child will thank you for it.”
—GUY FIERI, chef

“Having Eric Greenspan teach you the basics of something simple like a grilled cheese sandwich is akin to Michelangelo giving you a primer on finger painting. Letting a profoundly skilled, highly trained chef demonstrate his skill and craft in the creation of the humble, classic, and approachable melty masterpiece is the genius of this book:making the food you already know you love while learning how to apply proper technique in its creation, and most important of all, letting fun, flavor, and imagination be your guide in the kitchen. If you love comfort food, you will love this book.”
—ADAM RICHMAN, TV food explorer, host/producer of Man vs Food

Author

ERIC GREENSPAN is graduate of Le Cordon Bleu culinary school and has trained with celebrated chefs in New York and Spain. He worked as executive chef at Patina in Los Angeles and, in 2007, opened The Foundry on Melrose, which was nominated by the James Beard Foundation as Best New Restaurant in America. He has competed on numerous food shows and has been featured in the New York TimesWine SpectatorArt CulinaireLos Angeles ConfidentialAngeleno, and Los Angeles Magazine. He just opened Fleishik's, a new modern Jewish deli, in Los Angeles. View titles by Eric Greenspan

Excerpt

INTRODUCTION

I didn’t come from a family of world travelers, and I wasn’t raised around great food. My only true childhood food memory is of my mother putting a plate on top of thin, crispy grilled cheese sandwiches as they cook. They were delicious, especially the little bits of cheese that oozed out and crisped up on the bottom of the hot pan. But you won’t find that technique anywhere in this book.

My love of food developed first with a love of cooking. I started as a short-order cook while attending the University of California, Berkeley. Caffe Med was an open kitchen, and I enjoyed creating simple, delicious food for the customers who quickly became my friends. I knew immediately I wanted to reach people through food. I never thought I would ascend to being a chef recognized for my culinary talents, but I understood that if I was ever going to make a great sandwich, I had to learn how to make a great steak. As someone who had always taken pride in doing my very best work, I knew I needed to learn more, so I set out to study with some of the finest chefs in the world: David Bouley, Alain Ducasse, Ferran Adrià, Joachim Splichal. 

The more I learned, the more I grew as a chef. But I never lost sight of the fact that what I loved about food was my love of people. I wanted to take what I learned as a chef and apply it to something everyone could enjoy. So when I opened The Foundry on Melrose in 2007, I chose to eschew the highfalutin cheese plate found in every upstart fine-dining restaurant at the time in favor of an elevated grilled cheese. I wanted the everyman walking by my restaurant to  think, “Hey, I like grilled cheese,” and wander unbeknownst into a new culinary experience. I took a stinky Taleggio and put it between two slices of the raisin-walnut bread common to a cheese plate but so uncommon to a grilled cheese. I blended dried apricots and capers into a puree and added sun-dried tomato as a nod to the dried fruits and pickles typically found on a cheese plate. For good measure, I added some shredded short-rib beef that happened to be lying around the kitchen, and my signature grilled cheese, The Champ, was born. 

What follows builds on the spirit of that sandwich. The recipes take what I’ve learned about flavor, technique, and texture while working in Michelin-caliber restaurants and puts that knowledge into a package that everyone can relate to—the grilled cheese. From making your own American cheese, jams, and pickles to braising meats and exploring reworked classic dishes, this book takes the grilled cheese sandwich to another level, while keeping true to what it is at its core—delicious. 

This book is not meant to be a bible. The recipes are not meant to be law. The Great Grilled Cheese Book is instead a point of reference for exploring the many ways this beloved sandwich can be embellished. Each chapter is dedicated to a cheese, so you can easily decide which sandwich to make based on what cheeses are available to you; each recipe makes four sandwiches. In the recipe list at the beginning of each chapter, I’ve also labeled the recipes as Vegetarian (V), Breakfast (B), Meat and Fish (M), and Sweets (S) to help you tailor your sandwich to your mood. 

Play with the recipes. Use them as inspiration for your own creations. Most of all, have as much fun making these grilled cheeses as I have had writing this book. I’m hoping you’ll never look at a grilled cheese the same way again.