– Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, one of my favorite, makes an amazing gourmet grilled cheese sandwich. Here it’s paired with peaches, Dijon mustard, and sourdough bread. –
Over the past month or so, I’m been working with my friend and food blogging colleague Amber Stott to help support her nonprofit, the California Food Literacy Center. Amber recently helped pass an initiative approved by the state, which declares the month of September “Food Literacy Month” in California. This is a HUGE step for her organization, whose top priority is “to inspire change today for a healthy, sustainable tomorrow through enduring community food education.”
Amber started the CFLC because only 25% of Americans eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Low intake of vegetables in childhood is linked to health problems throughout the life span, including allergy, asthma, heart disease and diabetes. In Sacramento, 40% of children are overweight.
To gear up for this groundbreaking event, I recently teamed up with Amber to help teach young kids how to get more comfortable preparing food in the kitchen. I spent an afternoon helping teach a bunch of urban Sacramento children how to make pizza dough from scratch, which was hugely educational not only to the kids, but to me, too. (I was shocked when only two out of 20-something kids knew what a yellow squash was, and only one knew that flour was made out of wheat… wow!!)
Later that week, Garrett and I worked with a little girl named Michael to teach her the finer points of how to make a grilled cheese sandwich – and of course, since we were the ones running the show, we had to add a little oomph to the sandwich.
(If you’re into gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, check out this recipe for butternut squash grilled cheese with caramelized onions and sage butter.)
The dish Michael created was a gourmet grilled cheese with Cabot Clothbound Cheddar cheese, fresh peaches, and Dijon mustard. Even though her dad said she was normally a picky eater, Michael was a great sport and dove into her sandwich like a champ. After making sandwiches, Garrett took Michael outside and helped her pick some fresh veggies from the garden.
Below you’ll see a handful of photos that were taken with me, Garrett, and Michael as we enjoyed our time in the kitchen. It was a lot of fun!
– Mom voice: You need to TUCK your fingers, like this, so you don’t cut them off! –
California Food Literacy Center presents the Kids Recipe Contest
– Oh the cutes, they kill… –
Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Peaches, and Dijon Mustard on Sourdough Bread
Ingredients
- 4 slices of sourdough bread
- Butter at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 yellow peach peeled, pit removed, and sliced
- 1/4 pound Cabot Clothbound Cheddar cheese grated
Instructions
- Spread butter on one side of each piece of sourdough bread and lay the slices butter-side down on a plate. For each sandwich, spread the un-buttered side of only one slice of bread with Dijon.
- Cover just the mustard-spread slices of bread with a generous amount of shredded cheese, then follow with a layer of sliced peaches. Top each sandwich with another slice of bread, butter-side up.
- Place the sandwich in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Cover with the lid and let them cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden. Watch carefully - grilled cheese sandwiches go from golden to burnt in the blink of an eye!
- Lower the heat to medium and very carefully flip the sandwiches, making sure they does not fall apart while flipping. Cook for another 2 or 3 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted. The second side will cook faster than the first, so keep an eye on it. Slice each sandwich in half and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
– Me guiding Michael’s hand in a way to cut small slices of cheese –
– Carefully spreading the butter, making sure to get every corner –
– Garrett and Michael picking cucumbers in G’s new garden –
– Isn’t she the cutest? But I think she already knows that. ;) –
This content was originally posted on FearlessFresh.com.