SAUTEED CHARD + GRUYERE GRILLED CHEESE
Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 3:24PM 
First off, my Dad wanted a personal aknowledment for cleaning all the dishes I used to cook with at their house last night. Here it is, Dad! Thank you. As long as we get to share dinners together, I will likely be the one cooking and you will likely be the one cleaning. It's our team. I'll be waiting for my thank you on your non-existent blog whenever your ready.
We also got to spend some time this weekend with our nearly-three-year-old niece. She picks up on the slightest details and her cuddles make me want to stop time, but it's always refreshing to hear how she takes life in with such fresh eyes. Through her, I witnessed a more life-like example of how inhibited we become as we grow up. She runs without fear, wants to pet every dog, easily expresses sadness, approaches other children without hesitation, certain they will be quick friends. That state of mind takes you by surprise when you are coming from a stage of life without kids, and spend most of your time with friends who don't have kids yet either. I admire her. I just watch her, hoping that she stays so precocious, and for myself, curious about when I started to let fear creep in and judgement manage the things I do and say. I'm not going to go too far down the rabbit hole, but every now and then the older are not always wiser.
This grilled cheese satisfies the need for something warm and tasty. The greens and apple keep it on the fresher side, and the gruyere is mixed with some chopped shallots (a tip from Ruth Riechl at Gilt Taste) to add just enough kick to that perfectly melty, nutty cheese. Why people choose cold over hot sandwiches, I'm still not sure. We teamed up with the people at Wisconsin Cheese to compose a video of our grilled cheese sandwich recipe. You can watch it here. They are also hosting a recipe contest to enter an idea of your own with a pretty nice prize!
SAUTEED CHARD + GRUYERE GRILLED CHEESE // Makes 2
A few fine tuning notes. First of all, you want to let the moisture out of the chard so it doesn’t get soggy in the sandwich, so keep your sauté moving to release the pockets of steam. To get nice melty cheese, do not use pre shredded kinds. It has a coating on it to keep from sticking that tends to leave the cheese a bit dry. Fresh grated cheese will give you the best possible meltiness which we all prefer in a grilled cheese. Keep in mind, the measurements are all rough, so give and take as you wish.
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
4 leaves of swiss chard, stem removed and thinly chopped
1/3 cup fresh grated gruyere
1/4 cup fresh grated mozzarella
1 heaping tablespoon finely minced shallot
4, ½’’ slices fresh whole grain bread
roughly 1/4 cup thinly sliced apple such as braeburn, honey crisp or pink lady
1 1/2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
sea salt
While preparing the sandwiches, start preheating your cast iron or grill pan over medium heat.
Combine both grated cheeses and the finely chopped shallot.
On two slices of the bread, divide the mustard and spread to all edges of the bread. Lay two to three slices of thinly sliced apple on top. Divide the shredded cheese on top of the apple slices in an even layer. Lastly, divide the sautéed greens on top of the cheese and top with the remaining slice of bread.
Drizzle olive oil on the top, an optional sprinkle of sea salt and put it in the pan, oiled side down. Cover with a press if using and cook for two minutes. Drizzle oil on top and flip the sandwich over, cook for another two minutes until the cheese is melted through.
Cut in half and serve warm.
Reader Comments (29)
Yum! Being from Wisconsin I've always said I have cheese (or beer, depending who you ask) running through my veins :)
Also, regardless of living in warm, sunny Southern California, I am a sucker for warm, comfort foods - Grilled Cheese being in my top 3. Cool video and we'll be looking forward to trying this recipe out very soon!
You are so right about children having a different attitude toward life, and a much better one than the adults. Perhaps having children would bring back those fresh eyes again! I am in the non-children club as well...
yummy :)
Ooh, perfect! I usually eat chard & cheese in pasta or some sort of hot rice salad--but a sandwich sounds like another great idea. :)
After seeing this, I went to the store tonight, just to get some swiss chard for grilled sandwiches. I had everything else. :)
Beautiful as always!
Simple but scrumptious! Your Dad is so sweet for cleaning the dishes :)
I think more often that not (as opposed to every now and then) are the younger the wiser. yay chard!
This sandwich is seriously taunting me right now. I have a drawer full of chard and the cheese in my fridge but no bread! Beautiful photos as always.
Oh, 3 is just the perfect age! So cuddly and funny. Did you talk her into this grilled cheese? Cause it looks ridiculous.
Whoa! Must make this deliciously gorgeous sandwich!! :)
Sounds yummy. I like the sliced apple in the grilled cheese. On a separate note. I suggest making the video you link to open in a separate tab or window. I viewed the video and closed the page and then couldn't remember the url to get back to this post for the recipe.
Oh man, its like you're in my head and know what I crave! This is an awesome idea!
After todays NYT piece on grilled cheese trucks, I want this even more. Looks so good!
Oh god, YUMMY!
This looks absolutely amazing. I have some lovely rainbow chard in the fridge that needs using so I guess I'm just going to *have* to make this sambo. I might use a cheese called St Gall which is the Irish version and made in Cork. Just as yummy as Gruyére, if not yummier. But I may be biased being Irish :)
Love your blog, have been a reader for a long time but have never left a comment! Thought I'd say hello. Keep up the mouth-watering work!
This is absolutely delicious! I just made this for lunch and am so pleased with how tasty this sandwich is. Thank you for sharing this recipe!! My only changes were I used rainbow chard because that's what I had on hand, and didn't use mozzarella.
What a fantastic sandwich recipe. I made it last night with some slight variations, using mixed braising greens rather than chard, and skipping the shallots and mozzarella. It was to die for; had to have it again tonight. Thanks for sharing!
I so agree with you about young children! I love how unedited they are and I find it inspiring. And then there's this amazing grilled cheese sandwich. I'm addicted to apples and cheese generally, but love your clever addition of chard. Hugh's images make me want to devour this. Beautifully done, as always.
Pure awesomeness right there!
Yum! I'm crazy about swiss chard. And grill cheese. Your blog always hits the spot, love it!
I love your blog. Just found it. made my mouth water too btw. I bet you've heard that a dusin times.
Just wondering, what camera and lens are the photos shot with? Inspired.
One of my favourite things to do... aside from eating... is reading food blogs and salivating it all with some amazing photos. Your blog hits the spot every time! Congrats... I'll be back for more.
Olga
I've been eating grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner for the past couple of weeks-- they are amazing! This version looks just fantastic, I love the addition of Swiss Chard. Makes my nightly habit almost "healthy", right? Right? I think so. :)
This looks absolutely amazing, very similar to the grilled cheeses at Fundamental in Westwood right now. Yum yum.
Where have I been!? I've missed so many posts! Thank you for being such wonderful influences in her life!
This looks like such a delicious combination! A perfect for meal for my lunch today, as it's rainy and dreary here in RI...
Made these last night for dinner and couldn't resist making them again tonight. SO delicious, the depth of flavor is incredible! I used kale instead of chard because my grocery store didn't have any (I always have so much trouble finding chard, so frustrating). But I cooked the kale till it was crisp and it was great. Thanks for another phenomenal recipe!
This is one of my favorite pressed sandwiches, though I usually make mine with dinosaur kale (I always keep some in the fridge; it "keeps" longer than chard). My sandwich press, though wobbly from a missing bolt now, is the second most-used electrical appliance in my kitchen after my coffee grinder. Bless me father, for I eat grilled cheese every day. But it's probably not a sin because I, too, lived in Wisconsin and well, you just can't get that out of your blood once it's in.
This is a seriously tasty sandwich, my favorite right now! I have made it several times and love it more each time - the flavors work so well together. Simple, yet complex. The only thing I did different was to saute the minced shallot along with the kale (kale is easier to find than chard, as others have mentioned); I typically don't like raw or near-raw onions/shallots so took this route and it's delish!