Why Giada De Laurentiis Adds Lemon To Her Grilled Cheese

Longtime followers of Giada De Laurentiis know that the chef and TV personality adds her signature touch of lemon to many of her recipes — including a humble grilled cheese sandwich. Although a lemon grilled cheese may sound at first a bit far-fetched, De Laurentiis said, "It tastes so much better and even lighter when you give it a little punch of citrus." 

De Laurentiis's lemon grilled cheese has a tiered structure: She takes fresh, thin slices of lemon cut into fourths with the peel included, and coats them in a bit of sugar. She then layers the lemons between thick, fresh mozzarella cheese and places both between two slices of sourdough bread that's been buttered on the outside and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese (just make sure the Parmesan cheese you're buying is the real deal). De Laurentiis then cooks the sandwich in a pan, where the fresh mozzarella becomes ultra gooey and the bread turns golden brown with a crispy, cheesy crust. 

The inspiration for this sandwich comes from the island of Capri in the Bay of Naples, Italy, where there's no shortage of fresh lemons, and pairing the fruit with melty mozzarella is nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, this pairing is genius because the acidity from the lemon creates a beautiful balance amongst the fatty, rich, and salty flavors of the butter and cheeses. This is similar to what happens when tomato soup is served with a classic American-style grilled cheese or lime juice is squeezed into guacamole, or even with fruits and complementary cheeses on a charcuterie board.

I can't help but think how next level this sandwich would taste with the addition of fresh, sweet chopped basil leaves, or better yet, a generous spread of basil pesto to the inside layer of the bread! This would add a whole other layer of bright, salty, garlic-y notes while still being light enough in flavor to preserve the lemon's tartness. To add an extra kick of protein to lemon grilled cheese (with or without basil pesto), either pancetta or prosciutto (there's a difference) are the quintessential Italian meats to use, as they share the same delicate yet umami-rich flavor profiles as the other ingredients.

If you can't get behind adding lemon to a grilled cheese, but still want to create similar sweet and salty flavors, mozzarella cheese also pairs well with fruits like peaches, nectarines, plums, or figs. In these cases, it's optional but still highly recommended to add the butter and Parmesan crust to the bread.