The Flavor Packed Ingredient Ina Garten Adds To Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Garten dresses up her grilled cheese with mango chutney to add a touch of sweetness and spiciness. Of course, it comes as no surprise that the Barefoot Contessa herself, the perpetual font of cooking tips, gives the whole shebang a makeover, replacing the common plastic-wrapped singles for piles of shredded extra sharp Vermont cheddar, before snuggling it all together in a panini press for a resta
Chutney and cheese pairings to try
In classic Ina Garten "store-bought is fine" fashion, she scoops pre-made chutney from a glass jar for this particular application. And, although you can make the preserves at home to your exact specifications, there are also enough commercially available options that you could have a different Ina-approved chutney grilled cheese every day of the month before ever making the same sandwich twice. But, as with most recipes, success demands balance.
Sweetness and heat always win together, so you could pair that same mango chutney with something like pepper jack cheese for a pleasant effect. Or, you can swap the elements, marrying a mild Swiss cheese with a jalapeño chutney. A Gruyère's relative nuttiness would also play nicely with a perky tamarind or cherry variety. And a tomato chutney, of course, will sing anywhere you'd have otherwise added the whole sliced fruit, saving you the effort of having to drag out the cutting board or remove any pesky seeds.
