“The secret ingredient is always cheese.” -Unknown

This week’s recipe is… Peachy Grilled Cheese and Bacon Sandwiches!

This week is a special take on the classic grilled cheese sandwich. This week’s recipe is Peachy Grilled Cheese and Bacon Sandwiches. The Peachy Grilled Cheese and Bacon Sandwiches are made from bacon, peaches, sourdough bread, cheddar cheese, basil leaves, mayonnaise, and Arugula. The bacon is cooked and crumbled, the peaches thinly cut, and the basil leaves chiffonade (thinly cut).

Accompanying our yummy grilled cheese, we have a rich Honey Dipping Sauce. Our Honey Dipping Sauce is made of honey, orange zest, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, cornstarch, cold water, pepper, and salt. To prepare the Honey Dipping Sauce, drizzle the honey and add the orange zest, orange juice, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar to a small non-stick pan. Then, whisk the mixture until it’s blended and bring it to a simmer. Next, add the cold water and cornstarch into a small bowl, then add that to the pan and stir until thickened. Once the dipping sauce is thickened, remove it from the heat and let it cool.

Finish off the recipe by dipping the sandwich into the Honey Dipping Sauce, or drizzle it on top! Talk about a delicious dish! Now that we’ve gone through what the Peachy Grilled Cheese and Bacon Sandwich and it’s accompanying sauce is made of, let’s get into the history of the grilled cheese. This will be a fun one!

HISTORY OF THE GRILLED CHEESE!

At it’s most basic level, a grilled cheese sandwich is a combination of bread which is usually grilled or toasted and one or more varieties of cheeses. This basic canvas is frequently added with spreads such as mayonnaise (like in our recipe!) or butter. From there, grilled cheese sandwiches also often include different kinds of meats. The most common meats being ham, or tuna.

But what about the history? Well, cooked bread and cheese, according to historians, is an ancient food, popular across the world in many different civilizations. Apparently, the United States modern version of grilled cheese sandwiches was first made in the 1920s when sliced bread was inexpensive and American cheese was available in high quantities.

TRIVIA (FUN FOOD FACTS!)

Question: True or false: cheese toastie or toastie are formes of a cooked cheese sandwich which is popular in the United Kingdom.

Answer: True! It is usually served as a snack or lunchtime meal in many cases accompanied by a side salad.

Question: True or false: the cheese dream is an open-faced version of the grilled cheese sandwich.

Answer: True! The cheese dream was very popular in the United States during the Great Depression.

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We hope you enjoyed this week’s recipe! Keep your year rolling by giving your child the gift of a March or April Cooking Class!

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