As I’ve grown up, I’ve expanded my repertoire of dishes beyond these and my cookbook collection shows it. They include gourmet, French, Thai, Spanish, Italian, vegetarian, spicy, salads, lasagna, Portobello mushroom, grilling, garlic, tofu and more. There are recipes that can be put together in 10 minutes and recipes that take days to make. There are simple recipes with three or four readily available ingredients and others that require trips to the specialized spice shop or gourmet market. And I indulge in them all, though not equally.

The common thread in all of them, I think, are the memories I have with each one. Some memories are recent such as a red lentil soup. It’s a comfort food from my early adult years when I lived on a commune. Others are earlier memories even if my current  recipes aren’t. I have been thinking about this recently and especially today, Mother’s Day, because some of those dishes that hold the fondest memories came from my mother’s loving hands or from time spent with her.

Grilled cheese sandwiches are among them. I remember special trips to Woolworth’s, the five-and-dime stores that dominated American middle-class shopping sprees for many decades of the twentieth century. Their lunch counter was ringed with twirly stools that were fun to sit on and staffed with cheerful women who called you “Hon.” The grill was right across the counter, and the salt, pepper and sugar stood in glass containers held in their place by silver metal bands. It was a special treat to go there with my mother, to buy some things and to have lunch at that counter.

Woolworth’s grilled cheese sandwiches were made with Weber’s white bread and two or three “American cheese” slices. Oil would be added to the grill, the cheese slices laid on buttered bread, and the entire sandwich slapped on the sizzling metal, first one side, then the other until it was golden brown with the melted cheese dripping out the sides. It was hot and hard to hold at first. It could burn your tongue, but oh, was it good. Even now, just writing this makes me salivate.

So when I came across Great Grilled Cheese: 50 Innovative Recipes for Stovetop, Grill, and Sandwich Maker (Stewart, Tabori & Chang; $16.95) by Laura Werlin I just had to have it. The cover image is so close a representation to my memory that inevitably I begin to drool uncontrollably whenever I pick it up. (I now know not to take it to bed at night.)

This hardcover book may be small, but it is exquisite. The cover design and interior layout have a deliciously sensual quality that promotes the grilled cheese sandwich as a food of nobility. It’s almost as if the publisher wished to assure the book—and its fortunate readers—that grilled cheese, whether made with common but quality cheddar or sophisticated Taleggio is worthy of art-level attention. Individual images are brilliantly planned and shot so that each sandwich is the sole focus; no flowers, no wine glasses, no place settings or outdoor scenes distract. When you look at the photograph of the Salami and Cheese #2 that is precisely and only what you see. <drool>

Werlin , a food journalist and cheese expert who has written for Saveur and Cooking Light among other food publications, has put not just her knowledge but her soul into this. “I can’t remember a time,” she writes in the Introduction, “when I didn’t love grilled cheese.” Neither can most of us, I suspect, and if you are one of them you must get this book. Here’s a few reasons why:

The Best Grilled Cheese
Apple, Ham and Cheddar on Sourdough
Feta and Eggplant on Pita with Sesame-Yogurt Sauce
Crab-Feta Melt
Cheesy Gashouse Egg Sandwich
Grilled Caprese
Portabella and Provolone
Grilled Goat Cheese with Tapenade
Grilled Spinach and Goat Cheese Croissant
Grilled Ricotta and Shrimp with Cilantro Pesto
Buttery Fig and Blue Cheese Melt
Tomato, Tarragon, and Goat Cheese on Olive Bread
Summer Plums with Brie and Blue Cheese
Taleggio with Rosemary Grapes on Focaccia
Grilled Brie with Apricot Jam
Chocolate-Hazelnut and Goat Cheese Melt
Nectarines, Blueberries and Ricotta on Egg Bread

In addition to the recipes, Werlin provides a fascinating overview of grilled cheese history. She notes several possible beginnings of the American grilled cheese sandwich going back to the early 20th century, but says,  “England, in fact, was quite likely the place of original for today’s grilled cheese. In the mid-1700s, Elizabeth Raffald gave instructions in her book, The Experienced English Housewife, to ‘toast a light wigg (a spiced roll) and pour melted cheese over it.’ In the mid-1800s, another English writer and cook named Eliza Acton had a recipe for ‘Savoury Toasts.’ This may very well have been the precursor to America’s grilled cheese sandwich because she recommends frying cheese-topped bread in a pan.”

The pleasantly detailed Sandwich-Making Tips section offers specific instructions on the cheese, bread and butter, the cooking , sandwich makers, using a grill, and types of bread and cheese. In addition, each recipe offers directions for making the sandwich by stovetop, with a sandwich maker or by the gas grill method. She has really left nothing to chance to ensure that her readers will produce perfect grilled cheese sandwiches.

In order to leave you with both a reason to drool (along with me) and an excuse to pick up Great Grilled Cheese (as if you needed one), let me reproduce one of my many favorite sandwiches from the book. Happy eating! 2 ounces feta cheese
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
8 slices pain au levain or sourdough bread (1/4 inch thick)
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, coarsely grated (or use Emmentaler or Monterey jack)
4 whole roasted red peppers (from a jar), drained and cut in half
1/2 cup baby spinach leaves

In a small bowl, mix together the feta, olives, capers, lemon peel, and pepper to taste. Set aside.

To assemble: Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place four slices on your work surface, buttered side down. Spread the feta mixture evenly over the 4 slices. Press the Gruyère into the feta mixture, and top each slice with 2 pepper halves and the spinach. Press again to compress the filling. Place the remaining 4 bread slices on top, buttered side up.

Stovetop Method: Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Put the sandwiches in the skillet (in batches if necessary), cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the undersides are golden brown and the cheese has begun to melt. Uncover, and turn the sandwiches with a spatula, pressing very firmly to flatten them slightly. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the undersides are golden brown and the spinach has wilted. Turn the sandwiches again, press with the spatula, and cook for 30 seconds, or until the Gruyère has melted completely. Serve immediately.

Sandwich Maker Method: Preheat the sandwich maker If you machine has adjustable heat, set it to medium). Follow directions for sandwich assembly, and cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Gas Grill Method: Brush the grill rack with oil and preheat the grill to medium. Follow directions for sandwich assembly. Put the sandwiches on the grill and follow directions for the stovetop method.


Since her childhood days of Mother Goose, Lauren has been giving her opinion on books to almost anyone who will listen. Lauren shares her home with several significant others including three cats and nearly 1,000 books that, whether previously read or not, constitute her to-be-read stack. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it