The cheese dream is an

open-faced An open sandwich, also known as an open-face/open-faced sandwich, bread baser, bread platter or tartine, consists of a slice of bread or toast with one or more food items on top. History During the start of the middle ages, thin slabs of coa ...

version of the American grilled cheese sandwich made with bread and cheese; it is cooked with either

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

, margarine, or

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condimen ...

. Other ingredients such as bacon,

avocado The avocado (''Persea americana'') is a medium-sized, evergreen tree in the laurel family ( Lauraceae). It is native to the Americas and was first domesticated by Mesoamerican tribes more than 5,000 years ago. Then as now it was prized for ...

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

, or sliced

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

can be optionally added to the open-faced sandwich as well. It can be cooked in a pan or skillet on the stove top, under a

broiler A broiler is any chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') that is bred and raised specifically for meat production. Most commercial broilers reach slaughter weight between four and six weeks of age, although slower growing breeds reach slaught ...

or using a pan in the oven. In its simplest form, it consists of a slice of bread, topped with

American cheese Modern American cheese is a type of processed cheese developed in the 1910s made from cheddar, Colby, or similar cheeses. It is mild with a creamy and salty flavor, has a medium-firm consistency, and has a low melting point. It is typically ye ...

, and broiled until the cheese puffs up and browns. Variants include the addition of ingredients such as bacon, sliced

, and

History

Made with basic ingredients (bread, butter and cheese) and heated, cheese dreams are said to have originated as "the cheese dream" during the Great Depression, as "an inexpensive company supper dish"Jan Uebelher
There's no secret to great grilled cheese
March 26, 2004 ''Journal Sentinel'' (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) and an inexpensive option for feeding friends and family at Sunday supper. Additions of sliced

tomatoes The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term "ham ...

and bacon could be used, and they were often accompanied by

olives The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' 'M ...

and pickles. A 1932 ''San Jose News'' story, "Cheese Dream New Favorite Sandwich," suggested sprinkling the cheese "very sparingly" with a bit of

mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, seeds of the mustard p ...

, cayenne "and a little minced red sweet pepper"; the sandwich was browned on both sides and served with "very hot, rich tomato sauce." The sandwiches may predate the Depression, however, as a 1918 ''Good Housekeeping'' issue mentions Cheese Dreams as a luncheon dish, "our teahouse friend." Cheese dreams were advertised in 1957 as a 55 cent luncheonette lenten special in Daytona Beach,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

's ''Sunday News Journal''. In 1960, the ''Milwaukee Journal'' recommended preparing Cheese Dreams in the oven with scrambled eggs and ham.

Recent interest

Popular in the 1950s as a

comfort food Comfort food is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone, and may be characterized by its high caloric nature, high carbohydrate level, or simple preparation. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual, or it may app ...

, the grilled cheese sandwich has made a comeback in various incarnations in the 1990s and 2000s. It was estimated in 2001 that Americans consume around 2.2 billion grilled cheese sandwiches yearly and chefs have experimented with different types of bread and cheese in updates of the classic, old-fashioned cheese dream.

Pumpernickel Pumpernickel (; ) is a typically heavy, slightly sweet rye bread traditionally made with sourdough starter and coarsely ground rye. It is sometimes made with a combination of rye flour and whole rye grains ("rye berries"). At one time it wa ...

, sourdough, dark brown and rye bread have been used, topped with

Swiss cheese Swiss cheese may refer to: Cheese * List of Swiss cheeses (from Switzerland) * Swiss-type cheeses or Alpine cheeses, a class of cooked pressed cheeses now made in many countries * Swiss cheese (North America), any of several related varieties o ...

, Gouda and

havarti Havarti () or cream havarti ( da, flødehavarti) is a semisoft Danish cow's milk cheese. It can be sliced, grilled, or melted. History Havarti was previously called "Danish Tilsiter" after the German cheese type tilsiter. Danish productio ...

respectively. Other options include apples with

mozzarella Mozzarella (, ; nap, muzzarella ) is a southern Italian cheese traditionally made from Italian buffalo's milk by the pasta filata method. Fresh mozzarella is generally white but when seasoned it turns to a light yellow depending on the anim ...

, peaches with edam and pear with

gorgonzola Gorgonzola (; ) is a veined blue cheese, originally from Italy, made from unskimmed cow's milk. It can be buttery or firm, crumbly and quite salty, with a "bite" from its blue veining. History Historically, gorgonzola has been produced for ...

brie Brie (; ) is a soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie, the French region from which it originated (roughly corresponding to the modern ''département'' of Seine-et-Marne). It is pale in color with a slight grayish tinge under a rind of white mo ...

; Italian herbs, sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella; or turkey and ham, with which "a variation on a Monte Cristo" can also be created.Marty Meitu
Dreaming up variations of grilled cheese
Oct 10, 2001 ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' p. 29 (Scripps News Service) Scott Fletcher of the

Grafton Village Cheese Company Grafton Village Cheese Company is a cheesemaker in the town of Grafton in the U.S. state of Vermont. The company produces hand-crafted aged cheddar cheese. History The company is the successor to the 1892 Grafton Cooperative Cheese Company, ...

makes cheese dreams with rustic country bread, sharp Cheddar cheese, white pepper, eggs, milk, unsalted butter and maple syrup.

References

{{Sandwiches Cheese sandwiches American sandwiches

History

Recent interest

See also

References