Your cheddar sandwich recipe?

[Adrian II]

Friend brought me some sharp cheddar. I want to make cheddar sandwiches tomorrow, but I haven't got a clue, so please help me.

No grilled sandwiches please, just straight ones.

What's your favourite recipe?

+ = ?

[Whacker]

Bread + cheese + sliced meat product = win

[English assassin]

Bread + cheese + sliced meat product = win

Seriously AII, you are asking for a recipe for a cheese sandwich?

Even the English can make those. (Its a slice of bread between two slices of cheese, right?)

[Reverend Joe]

I agree with Whacker here.

Toasting, even lightly, really makes them kick ass as well.

I would go with the basics to avoid offending any sensibilities: roast chicken, oven-baked turkey, roast beef and basic ham.

You may consider a little mustard (preferably brown, as it has more flavor) for the ham and roast beef, and mayonnaise for the turkey and chicken, but go light on the condiments. You want the people to taste the meat and cheese, not the mustard or mayonnaise.

Finally, if you want to get REALLY fancy, you can get some bacon and make club sandwiches. Try stacking them thusly (as an example):

bread (top)
mayo
tomato
lettuce
cheese
ham/turkey
bread
mayo
bacon
cheese
ham/turkey (whichever you did not use above; preferably turkey, so that the bottom is not all pig meat)
bread (bottom)

Enjoy.

[seireikhaan]

Bread + cheese + sliced meat product = win

QFT.

[Whacker]

bread (top)
mayo
tomato
lettuce
cheese
ham/turkey
bread
mayo
bacon
cheese
ham/turkey (whichever you did not use above; preferably turkey, so that the bottom is not all pig meat)
bread (bottom)

Dear god. Except for the tomato, that sounds hellaciously delicious. The only thing I would add is consistence in the meat, I wouldn't mix ham and turkey in that.

[Adrian II]

I would go with the basics to avoid offending any sensibilities: roast chicken, oven-baked turkey, roast beef and basic ham.

You may consider a little mustard (preferably brown, as it has more flavor) for the ham and roast beef, and mayonnaise for the turkey and chicken, but go light on the condiments. You want the people to taste the meat and cheese, not the mustard or mayonnaise.

Thanks Reverend, that sounds good. BTW I am an aficionado of the club sandwich, so no news there (apart from the fact that I prefer slices of ripe avocado to lettuce).

One more question. Is anything mango chutney-ish advisable with the cheddar? In what sort of combination? Not with mayo obviously.

EDIt
EA, you are right that sharp cheddar is delicious in itself, in fact it is so delicous that I am keeping some of it apart for later tomorrow night, to savour with a glass of port and nothing else.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Mild Cheddar. Bread (white store-bought works, but traditional Bavarian breads are wonderful). Butter. Frying pan. Throw in some mozzarella if you feel like it.

[seireikhaan]

By the way, my personal bit of actual advice would be that pepper jack is the best kind of cheese to go with any kind of meat, especially if you toast the bread slightly and warm it in the micro for about 10 or 15 seconds.

[caravel]

Get yourself some decent fresh crusty bread, that's the key to a good cheese sandwich, preferably bread that is still slightly warm from the oven. Some mature, or extra mature, cheddar slightly chilled is also needed but if it's too cold you won't be able to taste it. Don't use butter or spread just add about 1/8" thickness of cheese between the two slices. Optional extras are tomato, onion or lettuce. Personally I like a bit of red onion and some fresh plum tomato with mine, though I don't eat dairy products these days due to intolerance.

Also try cheese on toast. Cheddar is arguably only cheese that is any good for this. You just toast one side of the bread turn over, add the cheese and then toast that side and serve while still warm. Ensure that the cheese is starting to bubble slightly leaving small holes in the surface for best flavour.

[Geoffrey S]

I like these with plenty of roast beef and cheese and some mustard. The simpler the better, I learned from some godly stops along the road in the States - let the fresh produce do the work.

[Adrian II]

Whow, you guys are all cheddar experts.

You know what? I just cut off another slice or two - 'just tasting', I told the others - and I think I may just hide the whole bloody lot of it until everyone is gone tomorrow night.. then break out that bottle of tawny port.. hmm..

[Louis VI the Fat]

Cheddar? Me, I'd go for a sandwich fragonais then.

[PBI]

For toasted sandwiches, fancy mature cheddar is a bit of a waste, any old cheapo supermarket cheddar will work just as well. Besides, mature cheddar is a bit too oily for my liking, you'll end up with the toast soaked through (though I guess some like that).

Mature cheddar is for having with nice, fresh, crusty bread. Perfection. No big secret to it, and no need to go polluting it with any other weird and wonderful ingredients.

Port and cheddar? I'm going to assume you meant to write port and stilton.

[Adrian II]

For toasted sandwiches, fancy mature cheddar is a bit of a waste, any old cheapo supermarket cheddar will work just as well. Besides, mature cheddar is a bit too oily for my liking, you'll end up with the toast soaked through (though I guess some like that).

Mature cheddar is for having with nice, fresh, crusty bread. Perfection. No big secret to it, and no need to go polluting it with any other weird and wonderful ingredients.

Port and cheddar? I'm going to assume you meant to write port and stilton.

Like I said I dont 'do' grilled. And the cheddar is sharp and pale yellow and comes waxed. Does that mean it is oily? I haven't noticed, in fact it seems less oily than the supermarket variety. Is tehre a difference between mature and sharp?

Anyway it'll be very good with tawny port, I am sure. I drink tawny port with most cheeses, whether Gorgonzola, Brie or Stinking Bishop.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

I have to say for a cheddar sandwich I prefer the sharpest cheddar available because it's just awesome. Then I like to take some honey mustard (definitely sweet not spicy mustard) and just spread a bit on the bread. Preferably whole wheat or something like that. A bit of lettuce is nice too, and any sort of sliced meat that isn't too overpowering or spicy. Oh and thick slices of cheddar are where it's at!

Enjoy!

[Reverend Joe]

Adrian... if the cheddar is really sharp, do club sandwiches, and toast them lightly.

And no... mango chutney does not belong anywhere near a sandwich.

@Whacker: the true club sandwich combines turkey and ham meat. Personal preference may certainly change it, but I was going by the American standard.

[Adrian II]

I have to say for a cheddar sandwich I prefer the sharpest cheddar available because it's just awesome. Then I like to take some honey mustard (definitely sweet not spicy mustard) and just spread a bit on the bread. Preferably whole wheat or something like that. A bit of lettuce is nice too, and any sort of sliced meat that isn't too overpowering or spicy. Oh and thick slices of cheddar are where it's at!

Enjoy!

That's it! I was looking for something sweet to go with the salty cheese. Hence my mango chutney question. But honey mustard may be just the answer.

Go Vermont!

[Uesugi Kenshin]

That's it! I was looking for something sweet to go with the salty cheese. Hence my mango chutney question. But honey mustard may be just the answer.

Go Vermont!

Vermont does indeed rock....Especially since our cheddar is delicious! Go Cabot!

Oh I found some other sort of sweet mustard that goes with it really well, but I forgot what type it was...Geez I should go find out what it was. It was brown and had darker brown spots in it, anyone have a clue?

[Geoffrey S]

Ever tried a cheddar omelette? That's delicious.

[Sigurd]

I am not a cheddar fan, but of cheese sandwiches I am.

My favorite so far (I am agnostic in this too);

Italian crusty white farmer bread (to make really large slices).
Raw red onion rings (slice it yourself for real freshness).
Strong mustard with seeds (on a glass not the squeeze bottle).
Sliced roasted pork (preferably home made, so you get really thick slices. Yes, make it yourself).
Mature Norwegia cheese.
Iceberg lettuce.
Sliced tomato.
Freshly "kvernet" pepper*

Now that is a sandwich.


* I can't think of a English word for "kvernet". Its where you have pepper grains on a hand grinder... when you grind the pepper grains, out comes ... ??

[Mikeus Caesar]

* I can't think of a English word for "kvernet". Its where you have pepper grains on a hand grinder... when you grind the pepper grains, out comes ... ??

Ground pepper?

[PBI]

Like I said I dont 'do' grilled. And the cheddar is sharp and pale yellow and comes waxed. Does that mean it is oily? I haven't noticed, in fact it seems less oily than the supermarket variety. Is tehre a difference between mature and sharp?

I think sharp cheddar generally is mature cheddar, not certain if it actually means the same thing though. But a really good stinky mature cheddar should certainly take the roof of your mouth off.

I tend to find mature cheddar shrinks and sweats huge amounts of oil when melted rather than bubbling and going crispy, I think it's 'cause it has so much fat in it. It's not oily when it's not melted though, should be hard and crumbly. Glad to hear you aren't planning to waste a good cheddar by melting it.

Still not convinced by the port, maybe I'll give it a go with a nice strong cheddar sometime. Hope your own cheddar experiment is successful whatever you decide to do with it.

[Adrian II]

But a really good stinky mature cheddar should certainly take the roof of your mouth off.

Then this is a good stinky mature cheddar!

I wasted about half of it on sandwiches for my women and serfs today. The other half will be savoured tonight.

[Kongamato]

Tuna+Cheddar+Salsa is my signature sandwich. I prefer this toasted, but I suppose it can work non-toasted as well. It may not be suitable for expensive cheeses.

[Reverend Joe]

Honestly, Adrian, if you got ahold of some really good cheddar, you don't even need a sandwich.

Just get a baguette, some green olives, some butter for the baguette, some wine (preferably white, and somewhat sweet) and enjoy.

And just for the record, I hate mild cheddar. It's rubbery and tasteless, neither of which is a trait I look for in cheese.

[ajaxfetish]

You should also dig up Mouzafphaerre's "Apples: I like them!" thread for some additional synergy once you finish with the sandwich craving.

Ajax

[Adrian II]

You should also dig up Mouzafphaerre's "Apples: I like them!" thread for some additional synergy once you finish with the sandwich craving.

Ajax

As a matter of fact, I have some cheddar left. The sweet spoils of fatherhood..

Cheddar and apple is also a good combination, I hear; the sweet and sour of the apple offsets the salty tang of the cheddar.

I'ma try it this afternoon.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Cheddar and apple is also a good combination, I hear; the sweet and sour of the apple offsets the salty tang of the cheddar.

Yes, it is quite a brilliant combination. A nice, crispy apple is very good with cheddar.

[lars573]

My sandwiches depend greatly on mood. And avialbility of ingredients. I only toast bread for scrambled egg sandwiches. Around our house were usually have salami slices and smoked meat chuncks. Always good, as I dislike ham. And now bran bread. I apply mayo directly to bread slices grate the cheese on one and put the romain letuce on top of that. Then stack yon meat product on the other. Some times sliced white onion. If some is left over from salad making. For topping salad dressing (creamy cucumber or creamy poppy seed currently), or honey mustard.