Grilled cheese with two slices of bread? Y'all musta been rich. My parents divorced when I was ten years old, and I took on the responsibility of caring for my little sister and brother while my mother worked.

At first, we would eat a lot of soup from the can and macaroni and cheese from the box.

One day, I came across some cook books in a box. They were enough to spike my interest in creating new and delicious combinations of foods. (At the ripe old age of 10.)

This is one of my first creations I came up with, after grandma sent us a variety box of cheeses and sausages in the mail. I had wanted to make pizza, but had to work with what I had.

Gruyère is well suited for this since it has a rich, sweet, nutty flavor that works well with the mustard. The processed Gruyère in small, foil-wrapped wedges I originally used hardly compares to the real thing...but it worked at the time.

cheese toast

Spread bread with a thick layer of French mustard, then cover the whole surface of the bread with strips of cheese.

Place bread on a flat pan and under the broiler until the cheese softens and turns golden brown. Just before it begins to run, remove the dish and season with salt and pepper.

Cut into four pieces and serve.

Makes 1 - 4 servings.