Grilled cheese reinvented

For Christmas, I got one of those grill machines to make grilled cheese with (and waffles, if you change the molds!) And who knows, one day I might just produce a grilled cheesus. In the meantime, since Kobe and I are vegetarians, we don't do the classic 'croque monsieur' with ham and cheese. Instead, I got creative and made:

• grilled cheese with a brie-type cheese with herbs
• grilled cheese with oud brugge and fried onions (slightly caramelized with a teaspoon of sugar... mmm!)
• grilled cheese with blue cheese and pear

All three heartily approved by a skeptical boyfriend (in advance, at least... after lunch it was a different story).

Next time I want to try to make grilled cheese with:

• brie and pepper jelly (bet some people saw this one coming)
• camembert and fig jam
• nutella and bananas (once you go experimental, might as well go all the way...)

And thén I figured I could try to make mini grilled cheeses as an appetizers next time I throw a party. Yes, I am on a culinary roll, haha! Stay tuned.

Pannacotta

This creamy Italian dessert is one of my mother's best, and my boyfriend's favorite when we have dinner at my parents'. It's creamy like a pudding, but also fresh and less rich - it won't leave you feeling bloated. The perfect dessert, in other words.

Ingredients (serves 8):

• 800ml cream
• 200g sugar
• 300ml milk
• 4 sheets of gelatin
• 2 vanilla pods
• something fruity and sweet to serve on top, like warm cherries, raspberry coulis, ...

Cut open the vanilla pods and scrape out the seeds. Boil the cream with the sugar, the vanilla seeds and the pods. Stir well. On a moderate fire, let boil for 15 minutes while stirring regularly. Take out the vanilla pods.

Soak the gelatin in cold water. Boil the milk, take it off the heat and dissolve the squeezed gelatin in it. Stir in the boiled cream.

Divide the mixture over individual bowls and let cool in the fridge for at least two hours. Serve with coulis, warm cherries, or whatever fruity topping takes your fancy. For a Brazilian twist, serve with Oxfam's guave and passion fruit jam.