Ahhh, Holiday Leftovers!
It’s amazing how that turkey and sausage gravy, mashed potatoes and stuffing taste even better the next day. It’s nice to have a variety menu of items to make and for this time of year, grilled cheese is one of my favorite lunches.
Thin sliced turkey breast, left over Brie cheese from the Charcuterie Board, cranberry sauce, these are the ingredients of an amazing grilled cheese sandwich. You can also experiment with different ingredients.
Here is your (at home left-over) shopping list:
1. 4-8 oz thinly sliced turkey breast
2. 4 thinly sliced pieces Brie cheese with rind removed
3. ½ C whole cranberry sauce
4. 3 tbsp whole-grain mustard
5. Sliced Sourdough Bread
6. Softened Butter
Make the cranberry mustard: Take the cranberry sauce and stir in the whole-grain mustard.
On one slice of bread, lightly spread on some cranberry mustard, layer the turkey and then add the Brie cheese.
Spread the second slice of bread lightly with cranberry mustard. Place on top of the Top with second slice of bread. Spread the top of that slice with butter.
Heat a fry pan on a medium-low stove. Place the sandwich with buttered side down. Now, spread the top of the sandwich with more butter.
Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. You want this to grill slowly so that the cheese has a chance to melt. Keep an eye on it and flip when it is golden brown. Cover again allowing the cheese to continue to melt.
You can continue to flip the sandwich until it is toasted to your taste. Serve with sweet gherkin pickles.
You can experiment! Brie is an acquired taste and may not be your choice in a grilled cheese sandwich. Swap it out with Gruyere or cheddar cheese. Replace the cranberry mustard with fig jam. I’ve tried all of them and I don’t know which is my favorite!
This week’s fun fact: Is the rind of Brie cheese edible and what is it made from? The first answer is, yes. Actually, the natural rinds of most cheeses are edible and safe to eat. Some are more enjoyable than others. The rind on Brie is an edible white mold called “bloomy rind,” and its job is to protect and encase the cheese and keeps it safe from unwanted microorganisms during its production breaking down the cheese’s fats and proteins giving it a creamy texture and an earthy flavor. It’s intended to be eaten, although it’s not my favorite part of the cheese to eat. In this recipe, I slice the rind off the cheese.