The Elegant Simplicity of Grilled Cheese

Let's say you are not a skilled baker. Let's say you are a step below amateur. Even the most novice of cooks can still create delicious dishes. How about an elegant grilled cheese. It is all in the ingredients. Grab some nice sourdough bread, unsalted butter, a glove of garlic, a couple spinach leaves, a few sun dried tomatoes, some gruyere cheese and some white cheddar.

For 1 sandwich:

2 - slices of Sourdough bread (or your preferred type of bread)

1 - garlic clove (smashed)

1 - pat of butter (about 1 tablespoon)

1 - small handful of spinach leaves (the will wilt as they cook)

1 - 1 or two sundried tomatoes (chopped)

1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese

1/4 cup grated White Cheddar cheese

Shred the cheeses, top with the sun dried tomatoes, spinach and sandwich between two slices of sourdough bread. The gruyere has a decadent nutty flavor while the white cheddar gives a sharp bite that is a brilliant contrast. After assembling the sandwich, smash a glove of garlic and in a pan (I prefer a cast iron skillet) add butter on medium heat followed by the smashed garlic clove to infuse the flavor into the butter, after about a minute remove the garlic so as not to burn it (burnt garlic tastes bitter which you want to avoid) and add the sandwich. Cook the first side until golden brown and flip, add another pat of butter and cook until the remaining side is golden brown and the cheese is melted (about 1-2 minutes per side). The aroma will be intoxicating and the taste will never have you doubting the comfort of grilled cheese again. Cut in half and enjoy!