party grilled cheese

when entertaining for the Kentucky derby this year, i tried a few new recipes that have already become favorites of my guests.  instead of serving a traditional open faced sandwich, upgrade to something special that will wow your party friends.

here i used bakery ciabatta bread sliced into smaller squares, and topped them with a variety of choices on a baking sheet.  the sandwiches were baked in a 350 degree oven until the cheese layer melted.  i watched the sandwiches and rotated the pan half way through the cooking time.  the sandwiches baked around 15 minutes.

the sandwiches were first topped with a layer of cheese.  for these i used emmentaler Swiss and Gruyere as the base.  then, some of the toppings were:  tomatoes and bacon, bacon, red onion and chives from the garden, bacon and dill pickle slices, cheese and green pear slices.