Sitting at home, about to watch a movie, on a cold February evening and wondering what you should have to eat that's comforting, not too heavy, but TOTALLY satisfying?
I've got your answer....A GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH!
In my opinion, it is the number one comfort food, it's simple and well its possibilities are just as endless as variations of cheese. On this blog, you will find tons of different variations!
I'll treat you to one my favorites here, don't forget to check back tomorrow, I am sure there will be another variation or some ramblings on other ideas with cheese.
Lets start with one my favorite savory grilled cheeses:
I recommend using a nice crusty bread, like the Pane Rustica from Gourmet Garage or the Ciabatta from Grandaisy Bakery are excellent for this sandwich. A nice sourdough is great too. The main requirement is that it is really crusty bread!
Once you've got the bread, I bet you are expecting me to say butter both sides of the bread, well DON'T. I think, it makes the sandwich too heavy and definitely masks the nuances of the cheese. So go ahead, cut two nice sizable slices of bread and put them to the side.
Now it's time to start working on the filling, if you're like me, a dish of sauteed mushrooms, of course done just right, is heaven. I recommend using about 1/6th of a shallot and a clove of garlic seeing as you aren't aiming to make tons of mushrooms, just enough to fill your sandwich. Upon chopping the aromatics, toss them in a pan with some olive oil, black pepper, salt, marjoram, oregano, and a pinch of rosemary and thyme. Let this cook down for about five minutes over low heat. Then toss in the shittake mushrooms you've sliced very thinly. You can utilize any sort of mushroom here, but I personally think shittakes work best. Toss in a little white cooking wine and let the mushrooms cook over low heat for another few minutes. Just as they are starting to absorb some of the juices, throw in a few little drops of balsamic vinegar and a small teaspoon of Maille mustard. I like the original Maille, but if you are a fan of the Honey or any other type, this is supposed to be your liking, go ahead or of course, if you don't like mustard, well then definitely hold off!
Leave the mushrooms over very low heat for another few minutes, now they should be reduced down to a much smaller pile than you started with.
Now it's time to slice your cheese -- I personally love Comte for this sandwich. You could also go with a Tarentais, or a Tete de Moine, or say even a really nice Hoch Ybrig..but back to Comte, it's easily available and a good beginner cheese.
In case you aren't familiar with Comte, let me give you the basics:
1. It's made from raw cow milk.
2. It's made in the mountains in the Jura region of France.
3. It comes in wheels with a weight of upwards of ninety pounds!
Ok, so go ahead and slice about three to four somewhat thin slices, ideally the length of your bread.
Now you have your mushrooms ready, your bread sliced, your cheese cut, there are just two ingredients left before you get to this bad boy up and enjoy! Grab four to five nice looking leaves of arugula lettuce and some white truffle oil.
Lets assemble our sandwich now!
Place one piece of bread on your cutting board, start with placing the cheese on top of the bread, then the arugula and lastly the mushrooms. Then drizzle a few drops of truffle oil over this, not too much guys, you don't want to have a sandwich that tastes only of truffle oil. Then place the other piece of bread over the top and press down.
Now it's time to cook this bad boy - I like to use a George Foreman or a panini press. But if you don't have either one of those, stick this into the oven at 300 degrees until the bread is golden brown and you can see the cheese melting.
It's time to pull this out and enjoy.
But wait, did you want to know what to drink with this sandwich?
I recommend a nice red wine, nothing too heavy, something like the A to Z Oregon Pinot Noir would be nice or for a cheaper route, Les Heretiques VdP de L'Herault, is a great buy and an easy drinking wine. You can buy this baby for $8.97 a bottle at Astor Wines in Downtown Manhattan.
If you don't like red wine, you could easily pair this sandwich with your favorite drink as well!
Pour a glass of that or one of the wines I recommended and enjoy the sandwich!
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