Grilled Cheese Bar

A few of my friends started a supper club for a group of 15 of us girls in Charleston.  Every month 3 girls make a delicious meal, and the others just show up, so you’re only responsible to cook 1-2 times a year.  At the end of the rotation, we go out to a new restaurant, then start over again.  It’s been fun to have a night with the girls each month, and enjoy all the good food.

August was our month to host Supper Club again, and Brittney, Michelle and I decided to do a grilled cheese bar!  What is a grilled cheese bar, you ask?  Basically you have an assortment of breads, cheeses, and toppings, then everyone chooses what they want, and makes their own sandwich.  It’s a perfect option when planning ahead, and only requires a little prep time.

So what did our grilled cheese bar include?

Breads

We had 3 different breads for people to use: Sourdough, honey wheat, and multi-grain.  Susu also brought a gluten free option.  The sourdough and 5 grain were the most popular options.

grilledcheese01

Cheeses

We offered 5 different types of cheeses: Mozzarella, cheddar, pepper jack, jalapeño pimento, and brie. Honestly, just about every cheese was seriously depleted at the end of the night, so there was something for everyone.

grilledcheese03

grilledcheese02

Toppings

I’m not gonna lie, coming up with the toppings to offer was really fun.  We had an assortment of spreads and toppings to make fancy grilled cheeses with: Mayo, cranberry spread, pesto, sriracha, turkey, bacon, prosciutto, apple slices, avocado slices, tomatoes, spinach, and caramelized onions.

grilledcheese10

grilledcheese12

grilledcheese13

Of course, everything was labeled with my new wine cork place card holders

grilledcheese11

After you finally figured out what toppings you wanted, it was time for the grilling.  Michelle and Brittney grilled everyone’s sandwiches on the stove, with a little butter.
grilledcheese06

grilledcheese08

Finally, we cut them in half and demolished them.  I don’t even have a picture of any of the grilled cheeses when they were all melted and delicious — we ate them that quickly.

My sandwich included cheddar and pimento cheeses, bacon, prosciutto, and apple slices.  Other popular combos were the brie with cranberry spread and apples, pepper jack cheese with tomatoes and avocado, and mozzarella, with spinach and onions.  There were so many possible combinations..

Strategy: It was pretty hard to choose what you wanted on your sandwich, so the smartest option was to make your own sandwich and then trade half with someone else for a multiple tastes!

I personally had a blast with the grilled cheese bar, and it was one of the more creative culinary nights since everyone made up their own sandwich combinations.

What would you put on your perfect grilled cheese?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *