Think grilled cheese, and you probably have a picture of a pool of golden-orange cheese spilling from two browned slices of bread. For many of us, it’s the iconic sandwich of childhood, or so Tory Miller recalls.
“When I was younger, one of my great aunts made whole-grain toast with cheese spread. It was sharp, flavorful and melty,” says Mr. Miller, executive chef and co-owner of L’Etoile Restaurant and Cafe Soleil in Madison, Wis.
Mr. Miller is updating the simple fare he recalls.
No longer satisfied with the simple combination of cheese and bread, chefs such as Mr. Miller are creating luscious dishes of cheese, tomatoes, caramelized onions and ham, piled onto artisan breads.
What does it take to turn a simple sandwich into a gastronomic masterpiece?
The cheese is the first consideration, say the experts, who are looking for a combination of flavor and melting qualities.
Mobay, an artisan combination of goat cheese and sheep’s cheese with a thin line of edible ash, is a good option, according to Sid Cook, master cheese maker at Carr Valley Cheese Co. in LaValle, Wis.
He’s also a fan of Gouda, fontina and Benedictine, which is made from a blend of goat, sheep and cow milk, but his current favorite is a product called bread cheese, which cooks can turn into an inside-out grilled cheese sandwich, with bread on the inside, packed with two slices of cheese.
“The cheese is grillable but keeps its form,” Mr. Cook says.
As essential as the cheese is, the bread also is important, according to Mr. Miller.
A great grilled cheese sandwich is “the warming comfort of the melted cheese and the buttery, crispy edges of the bread. That’s what makes it.
“It’s mostly the cheese, but it’s also the bread,” Mr. Miller says.
The ideal bread is loose, not densely textured, to allow the cheese to melt into it.
“My favorite is ciabatta, which has a nice snap and an airy inside,” Mr. Miller says.
To the purist, bread and cheese are enough.
However, Mr. Cook and Mr. Miller have been known to add grilled peppers, onions, tomatoes and shaved ham.
Here is a sandwich that takes its cues from the Wisconsin grilled cheese mavens. Feel free to improvise.
Grilled cheese with onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small thinly sliced red onion
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 ounces thinly sliced gouda or fontina cheese or combination of the two
2 7- to 8-inch-long, ½-inch-thick slices rustic sourdough bread
Heat oil in large skillet. Add onion and cook over medium-high heat for 7 to 8 minutes or until onion slices are lightly browned and slightly crisp. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Remove onion and keep warm.
Add butter to skillet and melt over medium heat. Arrange cheese on one bread slice.
Top with onion. Close sandwich with second bread slice. Press down with your hands so sandwich is compact.
Ease sandwich into skillet. Brown on one side for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat or until bottom side turns golden. Gently turn over with spatula and brown second side. If cheese hasn’t melted, turn heat down to low and cook about 2 more minutes per side.
Remove from skillet. Cut sandwich diagonally in half. Makes 1 hefty or 2 modest servings.
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