Highly rated… but didn’t turn out quite right for us. Here’s what we did:

1 (16 oz) pkg extra firm tofu
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tblsp maple syrup
2 tblsp ketchup
1 tblsp vinegar
1 dash hot sauce
1 tblsp sesame seeds
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp liquid smoke flavoring

1. Preheat oven to 375 (190 c). Lightly spray a non-stick baking sheet with oil

2. Slice tofu into 1/2 inch slices and gently press excess water out of tofu. Cut sliced tofu into 1/2 inch cubes.

3. In a bowl, stir together the soy sauce, maple syrup, ketchup, vinegar, and hot sauce. Stir in sesame seeds, garlic powder, black pepper, and liquid smoke. Gently stir tofu cubes into sauce. Cover and marinate at least 5 minutes.

4. Place the tofu on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn tofu, and bake until the tofu turns golden brown, about 15 minutes more.

Source: www.allrecipes.com

I know, right?

Gourmet… Grilled cheese?

You betcha.

So – you start with the RIGHT bread.  You can use French or Sourdough… depending on what you want to end up with.  But the magic – is in preparation and ingredient.  The first time I made this… my family went from “oh, we’re going to have a low-key night…” to amazed and confused and overjoyed.  Seriously.  This is some good stuff.

Start with

INGREDIENTS

Fresh Loaf French Bread (will make smaller sandwiches, you’ll have to give everyone TWO!  They won’t mind…)
– Could use Sourdough.  But don’t. Unless you must.

8 oz Havarti Cheese
8 oz Philadelphia Cream Cheese (1 brick)
8 oz Cheddar (or WHITE cheddar) cheese
6-8 oz pepper jack (or monterey jack)
2 tblsp Mayonnaise
1 stick of butter
1 fresh tomato

THE PROCESS

Grate the hard cheeses into a bowl.  Large grating is fine.  I love to use my SALAD SHOOTER… works great.

Add the mayonnaise and the cream cheese.

Mix it together with a large spoon.

SLICE the bread.  A bit thick is nice.

Soften the butter in the microwave… about 25 seconds should do the trick.

Okay – time to assemble the sandwiches.  IDEAL way – butter one side of the bread, apply a generous portion of cheese mixture to the unbuttered side, butter another slice of bread, make the sandwich SET ASIDE on a plate.  Make them all first.

Then – turn on the heat!  Using a griddle or pan, turn heat to 4 out of 10… and add a few pats of butter to get things rolling.

place the sandwiches… intact… on the hot griddle.

DON’T FLIP OUT (or flip the sandwiches) for a good 4-6 minutes.  If they burn – it was too hot.  Most people try to microwave their slices of cheese on bread (meaning go too fast)…

When they’re done… cheese is melting… bottom is golden… FLIP ‘EM.

Another 5 minutes… and you’re done.

SUGGESTION:  Buy extra bread.  The mixture goes a long way.  AND they’re great in the microwave the next day.

TOMATO: The tomato… is amazing… if sliced VERY thin and placed on the bread before the cheese mixture.

SERVE WITH TOMATO SOUP.  You can make it from scratch… or buy a high quality organic in the green aisle at your grocery store or whole foods.

You’ll LOVE it!

Let me know what they think.