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The Ten Most Recent Comments By gentlyferal

From Required Eating

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

My former sister-in-law taught me to spread the inside of the bread with mustard. What a revelation! At our house, we prefer Plochman's, which is a nice stone-ground German mustard spiked with horseradish.

For extra kick, I often add minced raw garlic. (Fun story: once, when our house was invaded by sand fleas, I found out that fleas hate the taste of garlic. So I made everybody eat a grilled-cheese-and-garlic sandwich every day for about a week. Family was happy, fleas decamped, and we didn't have to flea-bomb the house. But I digress...)

Everybody's suggestions are fascinating, but I (reluctantly) agree with the cheese-only purists - when I make a grilled cheese sandwich, I want a hit of salt, butterfat, crunch and teh savory.

gentlyferal at 12:39PM on 04/21/08

From Talk

Alright. Do people really hate fruitcake?

I don't like fruitcake, even when it's homemade by a talented cook (like my mother; she made it as part of her Christmas baking binge for several years).

I know I'm not alone. I once heard the Chieftains sing something called "Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake." You can google the lyrics easily.

It wasn't until I was grown that I figured out why I hated it so: it's mostly the day-glo fruit - which is composed principally of bitter, leathery CITRON. That, plus the fact that there is far too little cake. Oh, and the raw taste of whiskey or brandy, not calculated to appeal to a child's tastebuds.

And yet I love pannettone, which is a nice challah-type bread spangled with the same day-glo fruit. But not nearly so much, and no whiskey.

If the Corsicana Fruitcake is anything like the "quintessential fruitcake of the South" that brooke29 links to - no wonder it's a thriving business. No citron!!

gentlyferal at 12:17PM on 04/13/08

Responses to Comments by gentlyferal

From Required Eating

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

third on the outside mayo tip.

avisualperson at 6:47PM on 04/22/08

From Required Eating

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

Purists don't look, but when I was little my favorite was a "pizza grilled cheese" sandwich: marinara sauce and mozzarella on Jewish rye, buttered and fried. It might not be a "real" grilled cheese, but it comes darn close to my favorite comfort sandwich.

natty at 3:39AM on 04/22/08

From Required Eating

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

And I forgot...try it with Rye sometime....

tigger at 5:56PM on 04/21/08

From Required Eating

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

At least three cheeses,and try putting fresh tomato and sweet onion in before grilling..and being from the south mayo as always...

tigger at 5:55PM on 04/21/08

From Required Eating

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

i like to mix in some garlic powder with the butter on the outsides of the sammich. then fry it on high heat so it almost burns. so tasty!

boltchloer at 5:43PM on 04/21/08

From Required Eating

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

My dad's specialty was a split-cheese sandwich- lightly toast white bread, make a slit almost to the bottom but keep three edges intact, spread inside with mustard and slip in sliced imported swiss cheese and then pan-fry in butter. Quite delicious to this day!

deefine at 3:11PM on 04/21/08

From Required Eating

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

Grown up version - Really sharp cheddar, Brownberry whole wheat bread, put open faced in toaster oven on "Toast" till it dings, then smoosh together.

Childhood memory version - Pepperidge Farm white bread, Kraft singles, made in a small nonstick skillet with Parkay spread on the outside. I used to eat the middles and dip the crispy margarine crusts in my chocolate milk.

akk328 at 1:37PM on 04/21/08

From Required Eating

Grilled Cheese Throwdown

Though I love my Wonder Bread and 3 Kraft Singles, I graduated to Havarti and a thin slice of turkey on rustic white bread, toasted and dipped in olive & garlic salsa.

elswinger at 1:33PM on 04/21/08

From Talk

Alright. Do people really hate fruitcake?

Costco's has a remarkably tasty fruitcake available during the holidays. It is filled with pecans and cherries and other non-dayglo fruits. It reminds me of the kinds of fruitcakes I see for sale at Saks during the holidays for $50 but at Costco it is only $12.

Bouchon also has a delightful fruitcake like loaf. I think it is also seasonal. No problem with bad fruit overcoming the cake there, of course.

JohnFred at 9:14AM on 04/14/08

From Talk

Alright. Do people really hate fruitcake?

Regarding the cakes at the Collin St. Bakery, they make one that only has apricots and pecans. I guess it still qualifies as a fruitcake. Check it out.
http://www.collinstreet.com/pages/apricot_pecan_cake

grampart at 12:48PM on 04/13/08