Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Left-over Gruyère and Cider Fondue Sandwich

This post is in honor of Kathy's Grilled Cheese Pageant at her blog Panini Happy.

She gave plenty of time for all to enter. I had some great thoughts and ideas. Who doesn't love grilled cheese. And it is SO easy! But with my own "Open House", Easter etc... Time danced quickly away from me and the last minute was nearing. I didn't have everything I needed to make a Croque Monsieur like I wanted. I didn't have fresh mozzarella so my favorite tomato, basil, mozzarella was out. Plus that is fairly common. The good news? I had some left-over cheese fondue. Maybe I could do something with that. And I had some homemade bread. But when I woke up, there was NOT much of that even left! Paul had eaten some for breakfast.

So what you see above is ALL of the bread left in the house! The filling is left over fondue from Easter. I had made Bon Appetit's Gruyère and Cider Fondue from the March issue for an Easter appetizer. It was fantastic on Easter and I hated to throw away the left-overs, but each time I stared at the sad lump of cheese in my refrigerator, I was uninspired. The pageant was a good opportunity to use it. It was a more spreadable texture given the alcohol it was cooked with. And it did not look very appetizing at first. As it cooked though, the cheese gained back some of its sheen and melted around my panini press. Still it didn't look all that pretty. I paired it with bacon as originally I served it with sausage and thought it was a nice change yet complimentary. It was good. But something seemed missing. Maybe the bacon should have been inside?

I wish I had taken photos of the original fondue. It was great paired with bread (of course), small potatoes, green apples and kielbasa sausage. But we were so busy with the Easter egg hunt, scavenger hunt, jumping on the trampoline, eating candy, visiting with relatives, swimming, two big birthdays (my sister's 40th and my cousin's 30th, and eating more treats and goodies than anyone needs, that I totally got sidetracked and forgot!

Yes! My son opened all of his Easter eggs and candy onto the trampoline and began to eat and then jump, eat and then jump. Everyone was cracking up! He is SUCH a Dennis the Menace!

Click on the collage to see the images better if you like!

18 comments:

Fondue said...

Great meal save with the leftover fondue!

Laurie said...

I love gruyere anything.. it must have been very tasty! Is a Croque Monsieur the same thing as a Monte Cristo? I love them!
Ciao! :)

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

It looks the kids had such a famtastic time. These are the things memories are made of....tour grilled cheese sandwich is memorable as well:D

That Girl said...

This is one of the MOST fabulous uses for leftover fondue. I never know what to do with the leftovers.

Kathy - Panini Happy said...

I'm so glad you decided to post this (and submit it to the Pageant!) - it's such a unique, terrific idea plus it sounds tasty too. Looks like a fun time was had by all at your Easter celebration!

MamaGeek @ Works For Us said...

Oh, now THAT is a leftover to love!

Lori Lynn said...

What a great idea to use left-over fondue in a panini sandwich!

Pics of the kids are adorable.
LL

Laura in Paris said...

Happy Easter - belated! Your son's smile shows how much he enjoyed the treats and the fun.

Nicole said...

Fondue- Welcome! I hope you drop by again some time.

Laurie- I love a good Monte Cristo sandwich too! But a Croque Monsieur is a little different in that it doesn't have batter on it and has a sort of bechemel sauce on top. The thing is I have NEVER had what tastes like a real one here in the US!

Bellini Valli- Yes... so many memories at this young age. So fun.

Kate- So good to see you! I thought it was a clever use myself. ;) Hope you are well.

Kathy- Thank YOU for having me in the pageant! It was fun.

MamaGeek- I try!

Lori Lynn- Thanks!

Laura- My son had a BLAST!!!!

RecipeGirl said...

Using fondue to make your grilled cheese? What a totally decadent idea. I'll bet that was tasty!

Nicole said...

Lori- It was good! And a great way to hide the fact that it wasn't as pretty looking anymore!

Joy @ Joy Of Desserts said...

Congratulations, Nicole! You won the book I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti. I sent an e-mail via your missNnick.

taste memory said...

looks + sounds like a great time had by all! i love your new look + title here....looks lovely + just you!

Bren said...

sometimes leftovers are amazing things to make new food! i have some cheese i brought from France I've yet to use. Panini's with mozzarella and basil one of the most simple and classic things I enjoy eating.

Gloria Baker said...

I love the pictures!! Nicole and congrats by win the lovely book of Joy of Desserts, is a nice book I think, xxxGloria

Pille said...

Dear Nicole - what a great mosaic of your son!! Also, I wanted to thank you so much for popping by in February and congratulating us on the birth of our baby girl. She's doing very well, is already weighing 6 kg. We've named her Nora, and she's a real sweetie :)

Nicole said...

Joy- Thanks! Can't wait to read it!

Taste Memory- Thank you! Such a compliment from you. So you are here now aren't you? How's it going?

Bren- I agree mozzarella, tomato and basil panini's are my FAVORITE!

Gloria- I am so excited to have won!

Pille- Thank you for visiting! I really enjoy your blog. Enjoy your baby girl! Those early early days hold such fabulous memories. While mine are only 3 and 5 years old... it is going soooo fast already.

Anonymous said...

These are such beautiful images...love it!!
ronell