Simple Pleasures :: The Grilled Cheese Sandwich ::

[caleb]

Tomatoes are good. Hot sauce can be lovely. Also smoked bacon.

When does a grilled cheese become a panini?

Alongside tomato soup doctored with herbs and Sriracha, I'm a fan of the following method:

Heat cast iron pan to medium-low.
Melt a knob of butter.
Sweat and then brown half a sweet onion in that butter.
Take ham, corned beef, roast beef, or similar slices and warm in the pan. Flip.
Stack browned onions on the meat. Cover meat and onions in your choice of cheese.
Add one piece of bread to the pan, buttered on both sides. Once it's slightly browned, flip it and cover the up-side in cheese.
With a spatula, pick up the meat, onions, and cheese. Put on the bread (that's now sitting in the pan with cheese on top of it). At this point the meat and onions should have bread and cheese underneath them, with cheese on top of them.
Put a second slice of bread on top of the works, buttered on both sides. Let it all sit in the pan for a few minutes. Then, flop the works over.
Let the other side toast for a few minutes.
Take it off the pan, and let it cool for at least five minutes before cutting it.

The basic goal here is to cook the sandwich from the inside out, so that it's melted goodness all the way through, with nicely toasted bread on the outside.

[Chris Chesebro]

Now I have plans for Sunday. Thanks.