Grilled Cheese Sandwich - Part 2 of 2 - Gruyère, Pancetta & Pear

This is the second in a two part series about the grilled cheese sandwich. Click here if you want to read about the classic grilled cheese sandwich.

As I mentioned, today's grilled cheese adds some pizazz to the classic sandwich. I came up with this combination after trying to find something to pair with the tomato bisque that wasn't processed American cheese. I did some quick recipe searching and came across this little melt from Simply Recipes.

I improvised a bit based on what I had and while at first it might sound like a weird combination, it turned out to be a great mix of salty and sweet. Just ask Ashley, the grilled cheese expert and top critic.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich - Part 1 of 2

This is the first of a two part series about the grilled cheese sandwich.

This series is actually inspired as an accompaniment to my recent tomato bisque. What else goes better on a cold, brisk November morning (unless you are in the Bay Area in 2010, I mean really, 85 degrees in mid-November?) than a steaming bowl of tomato soup paired with a fresh grilled cheese sandwich.

Part 1 will just go over the classic ol' American comfort food, while Part 2 will broaden your horizons of what can be considered a "grilled cheese sandwich." In addition, this will be a great lead-in to the upcoming round table by the Men of Real Men Bake and their recent Foodie Adventure at the Street Fixe: The "Wiches."