CHOCOLATE AND BRIE GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH: National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day!

Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day, and I have an old trusted recipe for the best Chocolate and Brie Grilled Cheese Sandwich you will ever taste. The original recipe is for Giada de Laurentis's recipe for a Chocolate & Brie Panini, but since it's Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day, make this on top of the stove.
Today is

Yum Sugar, one of my favorite food sites, modified this recipe, and I totally agree. Less chocolate is better as in the recipe below, so the chocolate doesn't overpower the cheese. As in all of the recipes, I recommend using the very best of all products. It really makes a difference--from the olive oil to the bread to the brie and chocolate.

A few other possibilities: try using ciabatta instead of sourdough. Don't have a panini press? You can make this as you would a grilled cheese sandwich. In a dorm? Use your iron as the press (you will need to clean it afterwards).

Chocolate and Brie Grilled Cheese Sandwich
this is for a crowd, but you can modify it, or serve it as an appetizer at your next party--cut in squares

Ingredients
12 slices sourdough bread (try ciabatta if you want a change)
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces Brie cheese, thinly sliced
10 ounces dark chocolate squares, chopped
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves

Directions
Preheat panini grill.
Brush both sides of bread with olive oil. Grill bread slices until they begin to turn golden, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove from panini grill and place 2 ounces of cheese on 1 slice of bread (the bottom half), top  cheese with 1/4 cup chopped chocolate, and a few leaves of basil. Top with another slice of bread. Continue with remaining sandwiches.
Return sandwiches to the panini grill until chocolate begins to melt, about another 2 minutes.
Cut sandwiches into 2-inch wide rectangles or small triangles and transfer to serving platter.

DARK CHOCOLATE RICOTTA PARMESAN GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

As we're all Sheltered-in-Place, we're wanting comfort food. And what could be more comforting than a Grilled Cheese Sandwich? This recipe for Dark Chocolate Ricotta Parmesan Grilled Cheese Sandwich is perfect for Grilled Cheese Day. As always use the very best ingredients! Please don't use Parmesan from the can -- either grate your own or use a higher grated Parmesan quality. And, of course a good Parmesan/Reggiano would be great in this Grilled Cheese Sandwich! But since you're depending on what's in the market or being delivered, use what you have! We all need to be resourceful now!

Dark Chocolate Ricotta Parmesan Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients
4 slices brioche or sweet sourdough
Butter, for bread
2 Tbsp Rricotta cheese
1 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Lightly spread one side of each bread slice with butter. Evenly divide ricotta between two bread slices and then evenly sprinkle the Chocolate and Parmesan over the ricotta. Top with remaining bread slices.
Heat skillet over medium-low heat. Place sandwiches in warm skillet and cook on one side until golden brown and cheese begins to melt, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip sandwich over and cook until golden brown and cheese is completely melted, 2 to 4 additional minutes.
Let cool 2 minutes before cutting in half.

DARK CHOCOLATE, PARMESAN, & RICOTTA GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH: National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day

I'm a big fan of Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, so I really wanted to post a great recipe today for Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day. As always use the very best ingredients for the best taste! Please don't use Parmesan from a can--either grate your own or buy it at a specialty shop where it's just been grated. Recently I've been favoring a Wisconsin Parmesan--not too salty and fabulous flavor. And, of course a good Parmesan/Reggiano would be great in this Grilled Cheese Sandwich! This is a chocolate blog, so this is a recipe for a Dark Chocolate Grilled Parmesan Cheese Sandwich

Dark Chocolate, Parmesan, and Ricotta Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients
4 slices brioche or sweet sourdough
Butter, for bread
2 Tbsp ricotta cheese
1 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Lightly spread one side of each bread slice with butter. Evenly divide ricotta between two bread slices and then evenly sprinkle the Chocolate and Parmesan over the ricotta. Top with remaining bread slices.
Heat skillet over medium-low heat. Place sandwiches in warm skillet and cook on one side until golden brown and cheese begins to melt, 2 to 4 minutes.
Flip sandwich over and cook until golden brown and cheese is completely melted, 2 to 4 additional minutes.
Let cool 2 minutes before cutting in half.

Sweet Chocolate Orange Marmalade Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Today is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day, and, of course, I've posted many different variations on Chocolate Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, including yesterday's Grilled Cheese Nutella Sandwich. So today here's one more. Bread, Butter, Cheese, Chocolate--and Orange Marmalade! What could be better?

I love my Panini Press, but this one should be made on the stove in an iron skillet. My mother used to make her fabulous grilled cheese sandwiches in an old iron skillet with the top of a smaller iron lid pressing down on the sandwiches. Both were inherited from my grandmother. I have the lid (with a 1950s era blue enamel handle), but not the original skillet. Interesting what we hold on to.

This recipe is great for Sunday Brunch. It's sweet, so if you'd like another version, just add a bar of chocolate, some goat or brie cheese--and place in between buttered challah or another bread. This recipe is too creamy (and oozing) for the panini press, so make it in a big skillet. Reduce amounts if it's only two of you. Try this recipe to celebrate National Grilled Cheese Day.. or save it for brunch another time.

Sweet Chocolate Orange Marmalade Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients
6 ounces Mascarpone
2 Tbsp Orange Marmalade
2 Tbsp sweet Butter (room temperature)
8 slices Challah or Brioche (sandwich size)
8 ounces Brie (sliced 1/4 inch thick)
14 ounces Dark Chocolate (65-75% cacao, fair-trade, organic), chopped

Directions
Combine orange marmalade and mascarpone.
Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place 4 slices, buttered side down on work surface. Spread mascarpone on bread. Place brie slices over mascarpone mixture and sprinkle with chocolate chunks.
Top with remaining slices of bread, buttered side up.
Heat large skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Put sandwiches in pan, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Watch carefully.
Turn sandwiches, pressing each firmly with spatula or heavy pot lid (smaller than the skillet).
Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until undersides are browned.
Remove cover, turn sandwiches over and press firmly with spatula or pot lid again.
Cook until cheese has melted completely.
Remove from pan and let cool 2-3 minutes.

Grilled Cheese, Chocolate & Marmalade Sandwich

SantaCruzArt at Etsy.com

I tend to post a lot of recipes that revolve around Food Holidays. Not sure who designated some of these holidays or why, but no matter, I love to celebrate any and every food...especially when I can add Chocolate. So this entire month was Grilled Cheese Month and April 12 was Grilled Cheese Day. Would hate to end the month without a nod to my favorite comfort food--Grilled Cheese. So here you have the Grilled Cheese + Chocolate Sandwich.

Bread, Butter, Cheese, Chocolate--and Orange Marmalade! What could be better?

I love my Panini Press, but this sandwich should be made on the stove in an iron skillet. My mother used to make her fabulous grilled cheese sandwiches in an old iron skillet with the top of a small iron lid pressing down on the sandwiches. Both were inherited from my grandmother. I have the lid (with a 1940s era blue handle), but not the original skillet. Interesting what we hold on to.

This recipe is great for Sunday Brunch. Just add a bar of chocolate, some cheese--and place in between buttered challah or another soft bread--and make it in a big skillet. Reduce amounts if it's only two of you. Try this recipe today to celebrate National Grilled Cheese Month.

Grilled Cheese, Chocolate, & Marmalade Sandwich

Ingredients
6 ounces Mascarpone
2 Tbsp Orange Marmalade (or try a hot pepper orange marmalade!)
2 Tbsp Butter (room temperature)
8 slices Challah or Brioche (sandwich size)
8 ounces Brie (sliced 1/4 inch thick)
14 ounces Dark Chocolate (65-75% cacao, fair-trade, organic), chopped

Directions
Combine orange marmalade and mascarpone.
Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place 4 slices, buttered side down on work surface.
Spread mascarpone mixture on bread.
Place brie slices over mixture and sprinkle with chocolate chunks.
Top with remaining slices of bread, buttered side up.
Heat large skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes.
Put sandwiches in pan, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Watch carefully.
Turn sandwiches, pressing each firmly with spatula or heavy pot lid (smaller than the skillet).
Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until undersides are browned.
Remove cover, turn sandwiches over and press firmly with spatula or pot lid again.
Cook until cheese has melted completely.
Remove from pan and let cool 2-3 minutes.

Photo: SantaCruzArt at Etsy.com.  (There's also a great Chocolate Chip painting!)