Meatless Monday: Cranberry grilled cheese sandwich

Yes, it has been awhile. Yes, life has gotten in the way. Yes, I am well on my way to a management role at my newly remodeled restaurant job. Yes, I now have a career and not a job. Go me! However, you are probably not here to listen to me ramble, you want to hear about the new sandwich, yes?

This particular grilled cheese is not fancy in the least but it is most definitely delicious.

ingredients for cranberry cheese grilled cheese…

• Kerrygold Dubliner
• Ilchester Wensleydale Cheese with Cranberries
• Greenbrier Farm Tomatoes
• Rye Bread

cheese #1: ilchester wensleydale cheese with cranberries

"A mouth-watering combination. Succulent and juicy deep red cranberry pieces sit within the soft, mild flavour of Wensleydale cheese. This is one of our most popular fruit cheeses and with very good reason! It looks great and of course it tastes even better." (Ilchester)

cheese #2: kerrygold dubliner

Yum.

See: Nachos & Cheese Super Bowl Grilled Cheese and Asparagus & Lemon Pepper Vinaigrette Grilled Cheese

thoughts

Recently, Mr. & Mrs. Sous Chef and I traveled to The Greenbrier for our new summer tradition. (We used to go every year for Thanksgiving but for multiple reasons we recently switched to the summer. At this point, we have probably gone once a year for at least 18 years. The resort is that good. Have you been?)

Within the past year or two, The Greenbrier started their own 40-acre farm:

Located to our East in Virginia, on 40-acres of pristine beauty, everything at The Greenbrier Farm is naturally grown with no pesticides. A knowledgeable and experienced staff of blue ribbon winners with 32 years of experience oversees the planting and harvesting of a variety of prize-winning produce including heirloom tomatoes. The farm raises nearly all of the produce for The Greenbrier Restaurant Collection including 23 varieties of vegetables. With this distinction, we will become the finest resort Food & Beverage program in the country. (The Greenbrier)

This year, the sous chef had an obsession with The Greenbrier’s tomatoes and discussed her interest with one of the dining room managers, Julian. They talked for a few minutes and Julian was kind enough to give us a basket of Greenbrier Farm’s tomatoes free of charge.

When I was thinking of other ingredients to include in this sandwich, since I didn’t want anything too overpowering with the two cheeses, the Greenbrier tomatoes were a perfect option.

I am not one who would eat cranberries by themselves or in a sauce. However, when I saw that the local market had cranberry cheese on sale, I thought why not? I am glad that I did. The base cheese is in fact mild but the cranberries add a nice, strong flavor that would enhance the taste of any cheese. Even if you don’t like cranberries, I would still recommend this cheese. It is something different, with a bit of a tart flavor.

Since this was a last minute sandwich and we had yummy rye bread just waiting to be eaten, we didn’t purchase any new bread. The rye ended up working perfectly.

Grade: A

Unfortunately, I cooked this grilled cheese a week or two ago and only remember little parts. I don’t remember the exact taste or flavors, I just know that this sandwich, as simple as it is, was delicious and a true winner. The combination of the Dubliner and Wensleydale worked perfectly and the farm tomatoes added great texture. This sandwich demonstrates that simplicity can be a great thing.