Tapenade is a spread made with olives. The salty, tangy flavor pairs really well with drunken goat cheese and makes a grilled cheese sandwich taste a little more interesting. Although all types of tapenade are similar, there are slight variations with each recipe. For this sandwich, choose the tapenade recipe below that sounds the best to you.
- Black Olive Tapenade with Walnuts
- Olive Tapenade Without Nuts
- Sun-Dried Tomato and Olive Tapenade
- Olive Tapenade with Roasted Red Peppers
- Zesty Tapenade with Capers
- Moroccan Tapenade with Harissa
- Rosemary Tapenade
Tips for Making the Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Keep the heat low so the bread becomes brown and crispy but doesn't burn before the cheese melts
- Pressing down on the sandwich as it cooks helps the bread brown
- Adding a lid to the skillet for a few minutes at the end can help the cheese melt
- The bread slices shouldn't be much more than 1/2" thick
- Don't be stingy with the amount of butter or olive oil used to coat the bread
- Grated cheese melts faster than cheese slices
Yield: 4 sandwiches
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound Drunken Goat cheese, thinly sliced or grated
- Olive tapenade of your choice (see recipes above)
- slices of bread
- olive oil or butter to spread on bread
Preparation:
Set out two slices of bread. Butter one side of each slice or drizzle generously with olive oil, then flip the bread over so it is laying butter/oil side down. Spread a thin layer of tapenade on the inside of the bread then add desired amount of Drunken Goat cheese.
Place the second slice of bread on top (buttered/oiled side up) to make a sandwich. Repeat until you've made your desired amount of sandwiches - there should be enough cheese to make at least 4 sandwiches.
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the sandwich to the pan and cook 3-5 minutes until the side touching the pan is nicely browned. Flip the sandwich and turn the heat down to medium low. Continue to cook until the cheese is melted and the bread is nicely toasted. If necessary, you can add a lid to the pan to help the cheese melt.
Types of Olives for Tapenade
Kalamata olives are a very popular choice for tapenade, both for the briny, bold flavor and because they are readily available in most stores (and are easier to find pitted than other olive types.) However, you can really make tapenade out of any type of olives that you like. Some olive varieties to look for when making tapenade are manzanilla, picholine and cerignola.