The Cheese Dream is an American sandwich made with bread, eggs, cheddar cheese, and butter, with the option of adding other ingredients. It became popular during the Great Depression and gave birth to the grilled cheese sandwich. Variations include adding ham, tomatoes, and herbs.
A cheese dream is an American sandwich consisting of bread, eggs, cheddar cheese and butter, with the option of adding other ingredients such as vegetables, fruit and milk. Similar to a grilled cheese sandwich, it’s made by heating bread and dairy products in a skillet on the stove. The rest of the ingredients are placed on top of a single slice of bread to create an open sandwich.
American publications mentioned the cheese dream as early as 1918, but this sandwich wasn’t commonly made until bread and cheese became more affordable. Sliced bread and melted cheese became widely available at inexpensive prices in the 1920s and made these cheese sandwiches an American favorite, documented as being served to the US Navy during World War II. The Great Depression of 1929 popularized the dream of cheese in the United States as a cheap meal and comfort food. It was served in large quantities on semi-formal occasions such as Sunday dinners and meals with visitors. Variations were created that included adding ham and scrambled eggs or spicy tomato sauce.
The Cheese Dream gave birth to the grilled cheese sandwich in the 1960s, when a second slice of bread was placed on top of the ingredients. This was seen as the cheapest way to make cheese a heartier dream. The grilled cheese sandwich and its dream cheese variant faded in popularity, but made a comeback in 1990. As of 2001, approximately two billion of these cheese sandwiches were consumed by Americans each year.
Cheese dreams have different recipes based on the added ingredients, but keep the same basic formula for its initial preparation. A cheese dream can be made by taking a piece of bread and spreading cheddar cheese on it. A mixture is made from eggs and milk, with the slice of bread dipped in the mixture. Butter is melted in a pan to serve as a cooking lubricant and to add flavor.
Once the butter has melted, the bread is placed in the pan and fried over medium heat until it is a golden brown color. The cook may choose to add syrup if the sandwich is meant for a snack or dessert. The most common variations are adding sliced tomatoes, mustard, tomato sauce and herbs.
A variation of the Monte Cristo sandwich can be created by adding ham and turkey on top. Other culinary experiments with the cheese dream have included using Gouda and Swiss cheese atop rye, brown bread, and whole-wheat bread. Chefs have also used more exotic toppings, such as pear or apple slices with brie or mozzarella respectively for a tart taste, or mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes with herbs for a more Italian taste.
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