An American Classic!
How many people can resist the simple, yet elegant taste of a Grilled Cheese sandwich?
How many people can remember eating a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup?
How about a grilled cheese sandwich and a mound of ‘munch a bunch a’ Fritos corn chips?
If you are not from America and have not tried the simplest of Americana style of food, then you are in for a treat like no other! This very inexpensive sandwich can hit the spot on a cold afternoon when you pair the meal with a cup or bowl of steaming hot soup. I remember this is one of the first things I learned how to prepare myself, of course, because of the simplicity of the number of ingredients and the method and length of cooking. Now as an adult, it is the quickest way to calm a grumbly stomach of an adolescent in need of food…right now! It usually takes no more than 5 minutes to prep, cook, and clean up; the trick is to prep while preheating, and cleaning while cooking…leaving only a hot pan to quickly clean and shelve. So let’s get to it!
INGREDIENTS:
4 pieces of potato bread
2 slices of American cheese
1 tablespoon of margarine or butter
1/4 teaspoon of salt
DIRECTIONS:
While pre-heating a 10 inch non-stick skillet to medium heat, take the 4 pieces of potato bread and spread margarine on one side each (make sure to match up the pairs of bread so you don’t make crooked sandwiches). Place 2 pieces of the bread, margarine side down into the skillet; then place a slice of American cheese on each side of bread. When the center of the cheese starts to melt, place the remaining bread (margarine side up) on top of each piece of cheese and bread. Wait for about 30 seconds and then flip each sandwich. At this point, you have less than a minute to quickly clean up the counter around you and prepare to plate the sandwich. After about 45 to 50 seconds, lift one end of a sandwich and check to see if the bread is toasted…it should be…otherwise, let cook for 15 to 20 more seconds. If you cook this sandwich more than 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, the cheese will disintegrate and melt into the bread creating a very unsatisfying experience. Now, remove the sandwiches from the skillet and place on a heat resistant cutting board, dust each sandwich with a pinch of salt, and let rest for about 30 seconds…this lets the cheese start to reform creating a nice, warm gooey center. Once rested, cut the sandwiches on the diagonal and place the pieces criss-crossing each other on a plate. A nice garnish would be to place corn chips or french fries in between the sandwich pieces in the forward center of the plate. Let’s eat!
Tags: american classic sandwich, cheese sandwich, grilled cheese sandwich, how to make a grilled cheese sandwich, quick lunch recipes
07/05/2009 at 10:12 PM |
[...] about cheese, especially Alton’s passion for it, and ties in with my post about the simple grilled cheese sandwiches I make for my sons all of the [...]