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April is National Grilled Cheese Month, and every year, Queso Diego celebrates it with a Grilled Cheese Extravaganza, which will be our meeting on Tuesday, April 16 at AleSmith at 6:30pm!  It is one of my favorite meetings every year, where we bring equipment and ingredients, and make & share the most amazing Grilled Cheese creations you’ve ever tried!  A couple things to highlight… the exact location inside AleSmith is being finalized and will be announced in the next day or so.  If you have equipment to bring for this meeting (folding table, grill, etc.), please, please bring it.  Cooking equipment must be non-electric.  If you don’t, there are always people willing to share.  Everyone should definitely bring a lawn chair.  Pro tip: For you grilled cheese concoction, it’s recommended to prep anything you can prep the night before (shredding, cutting, chopping, slicing, marinating, pre-cooking, etc.)… Now, read on for details about the Grilled Cheese Extravaganza!

Grilled Cheese EXTRAVAGANZA!

If you were at the March Meeting, we previewed this, and that information/presentation is on our website (www.quesodiego.org) under Meeting Notes.  Here’s the link: https://quesodiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/QD-Grilled-Cheese-Extravaganza.pdf

The Grilled Cheese Extravaganza (our April Meeting) is on Tuesday, April 16 at 6:30pm at AleSmith (exact location inside of AleSmith will be announced soon).  We will NOT have our traditional potluck at this meeting.  If you’re not planning on making grilled cheese, you can consider bringing something that might go well with Grilled Cheese.  Remember that we can bring homemade alcohol (non-commercial) only, or better yet, enjoy an AleSmith beer (Queso Diego gets a 10% discount).

In broad strokes, plan on bringing the equipment and ingredients to make 2-3 Grilled Cheeses, and cut into 6-8 or so bite-sized pieces to share.  You’re welcome to work with others on this.  Perhaps make a sandwich, wander around to taste other samples, and come back and make another sandwich.  Cooks can rotate; not everyone may have all the equipment, and some people are always willing to share.  If you do have the equipment, please bring it.

Choose your Grilled Cheese recipe/concoction.  If you’ve never been to this before, you will be absolutely amazed at the creativity in the creations.  We’re not purists (except Larry), so your interpretation of a Grilled Cheese sandwich is your interpretation and is welcome!  Make sure your cheese will melt (avoid high moisture, low/no fat and too acidic cheeses).  Cheeses that won’t melt include Halloumi, Feta, Cotija, Ricotta, Queso Fresco…

Equipment to bring:

• Folding table
• Camping stove with Propane (or chafing dish)… as long as it’s non-electric
• Lighter
• LAWN CHAIR

Cooking stuff to bring:

• Pan (with lid) or griddle
• Spatula
• Sharp knife/Bread Knife/Pizza cutter to cut into bite-sized samples
• Paper towels
• Couple paper plates are helpful
• Cutting board
• Any plasticware or utensils you might need to prepare, move or cut with
• And your Ingredients!

Meeting Schedule:

• 6:30: Arrive, check in at the check-in table, grab a label and stand to label what you’re making
• Set up your “workstation” (table, grill, etc.), get organized and label what you’re making.  BUT DON’T START COOKING YET.
• 7:00: We’ll have a very short meeting with announcements, followed by a shotgun start, LET THE COOKING COMMENCE!
• Cook a sandwich, cut up into bite-sized pieces, wander around and sample, and repeat!  (I will be gathering some samples to take up front to AleSmith’s staff).

Pro Tips:

• I can’t stress this one enough: Prep/cook/chop/cut/shred/mix/marinate in advance.  Do anything you can in advance.  I will already have my bread cut, and cheese shredded the night before.
• When you leave your home to come to the meeting, don’t worry about putting cheese in a cooler, you’re want your cheese at room temp
• Non-stick pans work well
• Butter (or mayo) the outsides of your bread, not the insides!
• Cook at a low-med or medium heat, so you don’t burn bread while waiting for the cheese to melt (a lid to your pan helps trap the heat and melt the cheese)
• You may remove the rind if using something like a Brie

Resources:

You can check out these resources to get the creative juices flowing:

• Queso Diego Grilled Cheese
• http://www.grilledcheeseacademy.com/recipe
• 15 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Guaranteed to Make You Melt
• The Most Delicious Grilled Cheese Sandwiches on the Planet
• 22 Grilled Cheese Sandwiches That Look So Good You’ll Start to Sweat
• Grilled Cheese Academy Recipe Galleria
• Serious Eats – The Art of the Perfect Grilled Cheeses

Dear Queso Diegans,

Just a reminder that one of our most popular meetings of the year is coming up next Tuesday 4/19 – the Grilled Cheese meeting! Also a note about an upcoming event that might be of interest.

We will meet as usual at Alesmith Brewery, 9990 Alesmith Ct. off of Miramar Road. 6:30 p.m. Other than a few announcements we will jump right in to grilling sandwiches.

We ask that you bring ingredients and prep/cooking supplies to cook 2-4+ sandwiches. Cooks will be rotating, so that once you’ve finished grilling, please allow someone else to use your cooking space.

Cook 2-4 sandwiches and cut into 6+ pieces each, depending on the size/structure – You won’t be slaving over the stove all night, so don’t be afraid to jump in! The smaller you can cut them, the more people will be able to sample.

Please prep beforehand as much as possible (chopping, mixing, marinating) and bring extra – caramelized onions, roasted peppers, sliced cheeses, meats, sliced fruits/veggies, spices, etc.

Propane / butane cooking apparatus are required, as we do not have electrical outlets available. We need as many propane/butane stoves/grills as possible. We will have some tables for serving and other snacks, but you should plan on trying to bring your own table for prep. If you have a portable table, please bring it – we need as many surfaces as we can!

If you don’t plan to cook, please bring food to share or ingredients for the cooks to use. Non-members and Guests are allowed. We ask that non-members and guests consider joining. It’s only $20/year.

As a reminder, please bring a chair and we are welcome to bring homemade alcoholic beverages, nothing commercial per Alesmith’s license.

Also, the Liquid City cheese event is happening on Sunday, May 1. Queso Diegans are invited to the Industry Night at Alesmith on Saturday night, April 30. Please see Curt’s previous email for more information.