Gouda and Olive Tapenade Grilled Cheese

April is National Grilled Cheese Month and that makes me one very happy camper. I grew up eating pretty simple grilled cheese sandwiches made with Kraft singles. As yummy as they were my tastes changed when I hit my twenties and my love for cheese and/or melted cheese exploded. As I aged I started adding new cheese variations to my grilled cheese and then BAM grilled cheese became cool and popular which made me even happier as there were new variations I hadn’t even thought of.

One of my favourite things to do as a teenager was melt cheese in a pan and scoop it out with fresh bread (this was how I fondued). From here I moved on to toasting the bread, pressing it into the melted cheese and this is how I’ve always made my cheese toast. My kids love it and it’s perfect camping where there is no toaster oven.

This inspired me to up my grilled cheese game one day by pressing my grilled cheese into some melting cheese that was left in the pan instead of scooping it out and burning my mouth like I usually would. So I did both sides. Cheese on the inside and crispy cheese on the outside. It was reaaallly good!

Here’s how we do it.

Gouda and Olive Tapenade Grilled Cheese

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Course: camping, lunch, Snack

Servings: 1

Author: Wanda Baker

Ingredients

• 2 pieces thick sliced french bread
• mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup grated gouda and medium cheddar
• 1/4 cup olive tapenade
• 2 sun dried tomatoes packed in oil drained and chopped

Instructions

• Heat non stick skillet over medium heat.
• Mix sun dried tomato with olive tapenade.
• Spread mayonnaise on one side of each piece of bread. Place one piece of bread mayonnaise side down in hot pan.
• Sprinkle on a little cheese.
• With spoon add and lightly spread on your olive tapenade.
• Top with a little more cheese and your second piece of bread, mayonnaise side up pressing lightly.
• Turn heat to medium low and cover.
• Cook until golden about 3 minutes.
• Flip and cook other side until cheese is melted and bottom golden.
• Remove from pan to board or plate and let site for a minute before eating or cutting.
• If you want to add the crispy outer cheese add about 1 tbsp of shredded cheese to hot pan in a small circle. As it melts place your uncut hot grilled cheese sandwich onto the melting cheese. Once the cheese has melted completely and turned golden carefully remove with a flipper and set aside.
• Add another tablespoon of melted cheese to hot pan and repeat with other side of grilled cheese until melted and golden. Remove and let sit. Cut and enjoy.