Gourmet grilled cheese on a budget

NICK AND EDDIE, Minneapolis
Don’t let the portrait of a white skull inside Nick and Eddie’s fool you. The home style cooking here is fabulous. Just try the grilled asparagus, mushroom polenta or linguine and you’ll be hooked.
But I didn’t come there for items on their menu.
Would one of the chefs be kind enough to share a favorite grilled cheese recipe for the blog?
“We don’t have grilled cheese on our menu,” I was informed by Joe Smith, a sous-chef at the Minneapolis eatery.
But he was happy to share an interesting take on the American Favorite.
I call it the “Gourmet Grilled Cheese with Brie and Apples.”

Here is what you’ll need:
Two slices of Rustic Italian Bread
Honey
Four slices of thinly sliced pieces of apple such as honeycrisp, gala or pink lady (cored and peeled)
Four small pieces of Brie cheese (with rind on)
Two pieces of ham

Butter the bread. Place bread in a thin skillet or on griddle and toast on one side. Flip to toast the other side.
Place honey on the bread. Place one slice of ham, two pieces of Brie and two pieces of apple on each piece of bread. Put the sandwich together, cook until cheese is warm and melted and enjoy.
Smith said this is a nice fall sandwich that is popular in France.

Keys Café and Bakery, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Roseville, Woodbury

The owner of this well-known eatery, Jeannie Hunn-Collyard provided two recipes that are great.
The first is Keys Grilled Cheese Special

You’ll need:

Pumpernickel bread, buttered
Cheddar Cheese, two slices
Thinly sliced tomatoes
Raw thinly sliced onion
Small amount Italian dressing

Grill the pumpernickel bread. Place Italian dressing on the bread and top with cheese, tomatoes and onion. Cook until cheese is melted.

The second recipe is Keys Regular (on the menu) Grilled Cheese
What you’ll need:

Keys homemade white bread Buttered on both sides (obviously, you’ll need to substitute your own bread here)
Piece of Cheddar cheese
Piece pf American cheese
Piece of Provolone cheese
Sliced tomatoes, optional

Place bread on grill (or in a skillet) top with Cheddar, American and Provolone, sliced tomatoes optional. Cook until cheese in melted.

TOWN TALK DINER, Minneapolis

Sitting at this diner’s counter for dinner makes for a social evening because you can chat with bartenders as they mix drinks and observe people waiting to be seated.
But the food is what keeps people coming back.
This restaurant has a signature-grilled cheese and I called the chef for the recipe (so you don’t have to!)
“You want to know the secret to our grilled cheese?” I heard head chef Tony Callies say on the other line.
Yes.
Well, the secret is in the bread and tomatoes. You have to butter and toast both sides of the bread and sprinkle salt on the tomatoes.

Here’s what you’ll need for this grilled cheese:

Two pieces of bread, buttered on both sides
Two pieces of cheddar cheese
Two pieces of jack cheese
Two pieces of thinly sliced tomatoes
Salt

In a skillet or on a griddle cook the bread. Flip and place a piece of cheddar and jack cheese on each piece of bread. Place tomato on top of the cheese (just on one side) and sprinkle with salt. Cover with the other piece of bread and cook until cheese is warm and melted.