The Magnitude

I couldn't very well go through grilled cheese month without posting a grilled cheese of my own! I think that violates some rule or law of food blogging. Or hey, maybe I wanted an excuse to eat grilled cheese just like the rest of you people, with your...fresh breads, your marinades, your bacons and all that melty cheese......... Alright, before I start drooling all over my keyboard.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: The Magnitude. For those of you who watch the show Community:

 

Somehow, it never gets old.

The Magnitude is a sandwich built on a homemade pretzel roll the flavours of a jalapeno (pop) popper in mind. Rather than roast the jalapenos however, I quick pickled them (recipe below!), so they maintained a lot of the heat they naturally possess. The result is a crunchy and creamy grilled cheese sandwich with as little or as much spice as you like. If you want to make this and quick pickle your own peppers, the recipe is just below. If not, keep on scrolling......

Quick Pickled Jalapeno Peppers

Makes 3/4 cup
Recipe by Bon Appétit

 Ingredients

1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
pinch kosher salt
4 jalapenos, thinly sliced

1. Whisk together vinegar, sugar, and salt. Add the sliced jalapenos to the mixture, tossing to coat. Let sit for at least 30 minutes before using, tossing occasionally. For deeper flavour, make a day ahead, cover and chill.

Now for the main event!

The Magnitude: Inside Out Pretzel Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese

Makes 1 Sandwich

Ingredients

1 pretzel roll (DIY: I used a GREAT, easy recipe from The Slow Roasted Italian.)
3 tbsp plain cream cheese, softened
1-3 tbsp panko bread crumbs
Pinch salt, onion powder and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Cheddar cheese, grated (as much as you want!)
Pickled Jalapeno pepper rings (homemade or store bought), to taste
Butter

1. Cut the pretzel roll in half, flipping it inside out, so the cut sides are outwards, and the brown part is inside. If you want a flatter sandwich, carve off the "dome" of the bun. 

2. Combine the cream cheese, panko crumbs, salt, onion powder and half of your grated cheddar in a small bowl until it becomes spread-like.

3. Assemble! Spread the cheese mixture on one half of the bun. Add as many jalapeno rings as you like, pressing them into the mixture. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over top of the jalapenos. Top with the second bun. Butter the hell out of it. (Extra points if you use garlic butter, ooh baby.)

4. Grill in a pan or on a panini press over medium heat until the outside is golden brown and the inside is melty and delicious.

I Am Jack's Step By Step Photos

1.  Cut the buns in half, then cut off the dome section to make a flatter sandwich.

 

2.  Combine the panko, cream cheese, half of the cheddar, salt, pepper and onion powder in a bowl. Spread it on the roll, press a few jalapeno rings into it, and sprinkle with more cheddar.

 

3.  Top with the other bun, slather with butter and fry. it. up!

I don't even have another finished picture to show you because I ate this thing so fast.

Submarine

The other day I tweeted a recipe for a vegetarian "cheesesteak" style sandwich, which I didn't take pictures of because I was not aware of how bombastically delicious it was going to turn out. It was so good, I actually decided I had to make it again. (Post impending.) However, I had used a store bought roll in the original and realized one way to elevate it to an even HIGHER state of deliciousness would be to make my own submarine rolls for it. Moisty, chewy, simple rolls that let the ingredients be the star of the show. Yes, this plan was starting to take a tasty shape.

Bread baking is one of my favourite things, and so it took all of 10 seconds before I made up my mind. I ran to the internet, in the direction of "YES, LET'S MAKE BREAD!"  to find a basic recipe for the rolls, and then something strange and wonderful happened. What started off as someone's recipe became my own design, as I realized what I did and didn't have in my cupboard, and what I wanted from the recipe. I was baking bread, from scratch-- off the cuff of my own instincts! It was a strange, proud moment when I pulled the tray of these soft, simple roll babies out of the oven, the entire flat smelling like fresh baked bread. It was only minutes before I ripped one in half and ate it.

....Probably shouldn't have used the word babies in there. OH WELL.

Riley's Whole Wheat Submarine Rolls

Based on a recipe by The Galley Gourmet
Makes 6-8 Rolls.

 Ingredients

2 1/2 tsp (1 packet) quick rise yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 tbsp sugar
 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour or bread, plus more for rolling & shaping
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp salted butter, softened
1 1/4 tsp salt
oil (for greasing the bowl)

1. Put the warm water into a large bowl, sprinkle it first with the yeast, then with the sugar. Whisk, and wait until it gets foamy and fragrant.

 2. Add the butter and, gradually, the all purpose flour to the water mixture. If making this bread by hand, stir it in with a spoon, adding more flour until it won't stick to your hands, and knead with those unsticky hands. Then, add the salt and knead more. Work those biceps!

If you're lucky (or lazy like me) put it in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment. Mix on low until combined, then add the whole wheat flour, and let the machine do the hard work. Knead it on medium speed for 10 minutes, until a smooth, elastic dough is formed.

3. Put the dough on a floured surface and form it into a ball. Grease a large bowl,  put your dough in it, and cover it with plastic wrap. Place in a warm place and let rise until doubled in volume. An hour or so.

4. When the dough is risen, turn it out onto a floured surface, and depress the air out of it. Divide into 6-8 equal pieces. Cover and let rest, 15 minutes. Then, on a tray covered in parchment, shape the balls into rolls 6-8 inches long or so.

6. Cover and let rise for an additional hour until puffed up, just like the photo below... Bread making is a practice in patience, and finding other stuff to do in the meantime. (I watched Nigella Lawson and went for a run.)

7. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees until golden brown, 30 minutes or so. Remove to cooling racks, and then go to town, or else, freeze for future use! Voila, soft fluffy dinner rolls for you to create your sandwich masterpiece on.

Challenge: Hail Cheeses!

EDIT: The contest deadline is now FRIDAY APRIL 19th, 2013!

 In case y’all had no idea, APRIL is NATIONAL GRILLED CHEESE MONTH, and I thought it was something worth celebrating, because I will take almost any excuse at any time to eat bread and cheese. Let’s be fair here though, it’s hardly that simple anymore: everyone’s favourite sandwich has had more facelifts than Hollywood in the recent years, and no one’s complaining, with all the tasty results.

One of the things I miss about living in Waterloo is their hip, late night, weekends only grilled cheese window, Cheeses Murphy.  Cheeses cooks up incredible sandwiches and then crowns them with names that are so puntastic, I practically wrote them myself. (My personal favourite: “The Big Lebowskcheese.”) Their signature sandwich, the Cheeses Murphy features bacon jam. I had never heard of such a thing before I accepted Cheeses as my 12:30AM, Saturday night savior.

Do not adjust your screens. This is a real live paparazzi shot of myself, caught in the act with a grilled Cheeses Murphy sandwich with mac & cheese on it.  

Since I miss Cheeses oh so much, I decided to bring a little bit of their inventive spirit to the blog and into my own kitchen with a contest, because I’d like to get to know my audience a little cheddar. (Wah waaah.)

The "Hail Cheeses" Challenge

THE CHALLENGE: Create a unique grilled cheese creation (get crazy!), photograph it, name it and send it to me at IAmJacksHunger@gmail.com.

THE PRIZE: I’ll be posting my favourite creation of all the submissions on the blog for all to see, so get ready for bragging rights. Plus, you’ll have your own personal sandwich invented: cross it off your bucket list. Look, do you really need motivation to get competitive and make yourself a delicious, original creation?

EDIT: It's not official yet, but Cheeses Murphy tweeted at me, saying it's a possibility that they COULD feature the winning sandwich at their digs. Which means your delicious genius would be available to the masses. THINK ABOUT IT PEOPLE.

RULES:

•  Your beautiful sandwich should be sent to me by APRIL 15^th, 2013, puntastic and clever name, a pic, list of ingredients and all! That's next Monday, so be sharp and feta move on!

• Any cheese and any bread combination are allowed, so long as it becomes a sandwich in the end. (Sorry wraps, not this time.)

• There are literally unlimited toppings, too. Fruits, vegs, spreads, snack foods. Let your imagination run wild. Literally send me the sandwich of your dreams!

That's all for today, friends. If you're craving inspiration, you can also find Cheeses Murphy on Twitter & Facebook.