Love and Olive Oil

Grilled Cheese with Apricot Jam and Arugula

Remember a week or so ago when I begged, er, asked nicely to vote for my rainbow cake in the Butter recipe exchange? Well, if you hadn’t heard, I won. And I am pretty darn proud and thankful for all of you who rallied behind me. (Thank you!)

Anyways, the prize for the victory, a $150 Kerry Gold gift basket, arrived shortly after. While I knew I was getting some butter (and fantastically amazing butter at that), what I didn’t expect was the sheer quantity of cheese. Swiss and cheddar and gouda, oh my!

Now the grilled cheese probably makes more sense, huh?

But this isn’t just any grilled cheese, this grilled cheese has class. With a thin layer of homemade apricot jam and a few leaves of fresh arugula added at the very last minute, this sandwich is as delicious as it is simple. I mean, it is a grilled cheese, after all. And what a perfect way to highlight the superb ingredients I was given.

This particular sandwich makes use of Kerry Gold’s unusual Dubliner cheese, described as somewhat sweet, somewhat nutty (sound like someone else you know?). That slight sweetness, when combined with the fruit jam and spicy arugula, makes for the perfect grilled cheese sandwich.

Grilled Cheese with Apricot Jam and Arugula

Makes 2 sandwiches.

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Ingredients:

  • 4 slices country bread
  • 4 oz. Kerry Gold® Cheddar or Dubliner cheese, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons apricot (or other fruit) Jam
  • 1 tablespoon Kerry Gold® salted butter
  • 1/4 cup arugula

Directions:

  1. Preheat a large skillet or sandwich press on medium-high heat.
  2. To assemble sandwiches, spread a thin layer of jam on one side of bread. Top with a double layer of cheese slices and second piece of bread. Generously butter outsides of both pieces of bread.
  3. Put sandwiches in skillet and toast until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from pan. Carefully (it will be hot!) peel apart bread and place arugula inside and replace top slice of bread. Cut in half and serve immediately.
All images and text © / Love & Olive Oil

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Spread some love butter this holiday season.

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463 Comments

  1. Sharp cheddar, fresh tomato, and spinach! With lots of that lovely Irish butter smothering my bread. Mmmm.. I miss Ireland.

  2. What ingredients are in your ultimate grilled cheese

    The ingredients in my ultimate grilled cheese would be sourdough bread with a tiny amount of butter spread on the top, then garlic powder sprinkled on top of that. That gets toasted before it goes on the skillet. Cheddar cheese as the main cheese, with a few shakes of pepper. Maybe some red cabbage for more crunch.

  3. I love making grilled cheese on a Portuguese bun, with Portuguese sausage and either Castelo Branco or Castelo Branco.

  4. I use a good crusty bread, cheddar or fontina, and olive oil instead of butter. But if Kerrygold butter is as good as you say it is, I might have to change my mind!

  5. Well, this recipe could be a new favorite, sounds amazing and I plan to try it right away! I love Robusto cheese in mine and always like a nice generous amount of avocado in mine!

  6. swiss cheese and heirloom tomato with bacon. Yummy!

  7. I also liked you on FB! Now I’m gonna be extra hungry all day, though! Mmmmmmmmm…grilled cheese!

  8. I’m following you on Twitter!

  9. It would have to be chutney, any kind. These days that’s all I’m eating! Thanks for the chance to win such a great treat!

  10. In the middle of winter, i like to whip up grilled cheese on homemade wheat bread. I spread a think layer of Camembert then I add a big ol’ hunk of cheddar, a sweep of oven roasted Roma spread canned over the summer (so we can taste the sun even though we can’t see it), and I top it all with a few of the pale basil leaves languishing on my indoor plant. Then I fry it all up in a good amount of Brummel & Brown and enjoy it hot!

  11. I haven’t made it yet, but I have a post saved that does a Brie and Chocolate Panini- Usually, we’re pretty boring with the grilled cheese at our house- almost always plain old Kraft singles or, if I have it, Organic Creamery’s cheddar- probably because we’re almost always dipping it in some homemade tomato-basil soup and don’t want to compete with those flavors!

  12. Ultimate grilled cheese: sharp cheddar on sourdough with sprinkling of cinnamon sugar

  13. And I just liked you on Facebook. :)

  14. My ultimate grilled cheese:

    Bacon
    Caramelized onions
    Creamy dill sauce you get from good Greek restaurants
    A fabulously melty and smooth cheese, like Asadero or Tellegio

    All packaged into a baguette or a soft sliced bread, like French bread or Challah.

    It. is. so. good.

    Frankly, almost any kind of food that involves melted cheese gets my attention.

  15. Sourdough, a slice of fresh heirloom tomato, mozzerella, with a little sprinkling of canned parmesan on the buttered side of the bread. . . . mmmmmmmmmm. . . .

  16. pepper jack cheese. oh, and pepper jack cheese. one more secret ingredient: pepper jack cheese. :)

  17. And i liked on facebook!

  18. homemade wheat bread and thinly sliced Tillamook white extra sharp cheese… so good… if i’m getting real crazy i do love to throw some tuna and tomato on their too, but… that’s a pretty good start

  19. Even though I am out of the US for the prize bit, I thought I would share my favourite for a grilled cheese… the addition of sliced onion and chutney.
    Kerry Gold’s products are fabulous and I can get them here in Mauritius and back home in South Africa.
    :-) Mandy

  20. I gave you the ol’ “like” on FB!

  21. I follow and tweeted.

  22. We love mozzarella, sliced summer tomatoes, and fresh basil on sourdough brushed in garlic-infused EVOO. Frozen pesto will do, but just barely, in the winter.

  23. I forgot to mention I “like” you on facebook!!

    woot!

  24. Decent bread, real butter, american cheese…why complicate matters?

  25. Love myself a grilled cheese made with KG reserve Cheddar & some yummy Gouda with a thin Slice of black forest ham. Yum!

  26. good bread, fresh tomatoes, sharp cheddar. and homemade bread & butter pickles on the side.

  27. YUM! I like my grilled cheese with a nice helping of pesto~ off to like you on FB :)

  28. Mmmmm, grilled cheese! My favorite is my husband’s. Sourdough bread, real butter and medium cheddar cheese. Thanks for the chance!

  29. Smoked Gouda and garlic jam.

  30. love grilled cheese!!! so delicious. my ultimate grilled cheese includes whole grain or health nut bread, different shredded cheeses (usually whatever I have in the fridge, cheddar, colby jack, havarti, gouda… mmmm), and butter. pretty simple! oh and ketchup on the side of course

    I liked you on FB and follow on Twitter and retweeted! ;)

  31. My ultimate grilled cheese has bacon and homemade tomato jam.

  32. I tweeted about the KerryGold giveaway on Twitter.

  33. I liked Loveandoliveoil on FaceBook.

  34. Ultimate grilled cheese: great artisan bread, butter, sharp cheddar, apples, bacon. Yeah baby!

  35. So i have the irish butter sitting in my fridge… lets just say YUM! My favorite grilled cheese would include kerrygold irish butter of course sourdough bread spiniach and right now since we are in the holidays cranberry cheese… yummy! and I always have roasted garlic… just run in the over for a few minutes… thats it all very very yummy!

  36. My ultimate grilled cheese sandwiches are tiny slices of baguette with Taleggio cheese, griddled and then drizzled with a little truffle oil. AMAZING. I serve them alongside steamy cups of soup or a salad of chickory and pear slices with crumbled walnuts.

  37. I “liked love and olive oil

  38. Just liked you on FB!

  39. ciabatta – butter – fontina val d’aousta & vanilla-plum butter if I want a little extra sweetness

  40. Gouda, turkey, pesto and tomato…. YUM!!

  41. Best grilled cheese is on homemade bread with just enough butter. Sharp white cheddar or Dubliner and a chutney. My most recent was with a Figgy Lemon Chutney I made and it was fantastic. Or with an Apple, Onion and Ale Relish. Delicious!
    I’m FB fan!

  42. liked you on FB! :)

  43. Okay. Here’s how we do: throw some butter and minced garlic in the skillet. Sourdough bread. Mayo on one side, that side goes up. Bread in skillet. Then, in this order!!: gouda, SHARP cheddar, genoa salami, pickle slices, sharp cheddar, gouda, sourdough with mayo side DOWN. Toasty, delicious, then flip it. Oh, mama.

  44. Grilled cheese is the ultimate comfort food! I love whole grain bread with cheddar and the adobo sauce from the can of chipotle peppers spread on the bread, grilled in lots of butter!

  45. Cheddar cheese on buttered bread with yellow mustard, grilled and served with soup. AWESOME. Thanks, Mom!

  46. Garden fresh tomatoes, greens, pesto and mozzarella on thick french bread yum!

  47. I like you on FB>

  48. Tweeted on Twitter! @livinglocalnh

  49. Obviously lots of butter but my grilled cheese also has to have a thin layer or grape jelly on top. Mmmmmmm Something I grew up with!

  50. My grilled cheese always comes with a bowl of creamy tomato soup :-)

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