Kick Your Grilled Cheese Up a Notch by Stinking It Up

I love a good grilled cheese. At a diner, there's nothing like biting into the brown and slightly greasy crust before reaching the nirvana of melted American or cheddar cheese. Add a little bacon and a fresh tomato, and the experience is out of this world.

But at home, I like to kick my grilled cheese up a notch, with the help of some French and Swiss cheeses, or as Juju calls them, "stinky cheese." I once brought a half-eaten grilled cheese to one of my kids' gymnastics classes and sat there eating it while watching through the window. The moms around me started sniffing the air and asking each other if the sewers were backing up. I had to come clean and reveal that my lunch was the cause of their offended noses!

I like to use a combination of Morbier and Raclette, two semi-soft cow's milk cheeses that melt extremely well. They're a little pungent, but so flavorful. Full of nutty bite. Morbier comes with a layer of gray ash in the middle and of the two has the strongest flavor. Raclette is a Swiss cheese, traditionally served melted on top of potatoes with various cold cuts in Switzerland. Having raclette is one of the perks of skiing in Europe, something I haven't done since I was a kid, but remember well. Raclette is a little more mellow, more sweet and less sharp than Morbier. The two pair together really well. I've been so excited to discover that I can find these cheeses in many local supermarkets, not just fancy specialty cheese shops. My local Kroger's stocks both as well as, of course, Whole Foods.

These stinky cheese grilled cheese sandwiches need to help from bacon or tomato. The cheese packs enough flavor on its own. Throw a few chunks of each cheese between two slices of country bread, and you have the makings of a memorable lunch.