Grilled Cheese
A grilled cheese sandwich is famously a quick and easy lunch, but it makes for an even better late-night snack. I’ve experimented with countless bread and cheese combinations, but the soft texture of melted Gruyère and Taleggio combined with sharp mustard and pickles, finished with a crispy cheese veil takes this sandwich to another level. I like to prepare it ahead of time and leave it in my refrigerator so it’s ready to go after a long night. Use a well-seasoned cast-iron pan or a nonstick pan.
Ingrediënten
Makes 1 sandwich
- Butter softened
- 2 ¾-inch-thick slices country bread (sourdough preferred, or Manresa Bread’s levain, if you can get it)
- Dijon mustard
- 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese plus 1 cup more if making cheese veil
- 2 small dill pickles thinly sliced
- 1 ounce Taleggio Robiola, or a similar soft, creamy cheese, cut to the size of 2 pats of butter
Instructies
- Liberally butter one side of each slice of bread.
- This will be the outside.
- Flip the bread over and spread a thin layer of Dijon on one half (or both, if you’re a mustard person).
- On the other half, layer 1 cup of the Gruyère, the pickles, and the Taleggio.
- Push the two halves together with the butter sides facing out to make a sandwich.
- Wrap the entire sandwich in plastic wrap and put in your refrigerator with something heavy on top (I use a heavy plate) for 30 minutes, or up to 12 hours, to compress.
- When you’re ready to serve, place the sandwich in a medium pan on medium heat.
- Place a heavy lid smaller than the pan directly on top of the sandwich.
- This will put pressure on the sandwich and the gathering steam will melt the cheese.
- Once the bottom of the sandwich has browned, 5 to 7 minutes, use a wide spatula to flip it and place the lid back on top.
- When the second side is cooked to golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes more, remove from the pan and set aside.
- From here, you can either eat the sandwich or make the cheese veil.
- The veil, passed down to me by my business partner Avery Ruzicka, is optional, but well worth the extra time.
- Turn the heat to low and spread the remaining 1 cup of Gruyère directly onto the pan, just wide enough to cover the surface of the sandwich.
- The cheese will bubble up, melt, and start to turn brown like a pancake.
- When the cheese has begun to brown in the middle, set the sandwich in the center.
- Use a spatula to scrape the cheese up along the sides of the bread.
- Loosen the sandwich from the bottom of the pan, then flip it onto a plate so the cheese veil is on top.
- Slice the sandwich in half and serve.
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