Everyone eats turkey on Thanksgiving, why? In my humble opinion, it’s a weird choice. Sure, it’s a native bird of North America and an incredibly “convenient” option…except for the turkey, but there are so many other options to choose from these days: roast beef, lamb, chicken, grilled cheese sandwiches. Yes, grilled cheese sandwiches. Because Thanksgiving is a day we are to give thanks. It is a day we are to be grateful. And while we are generally grateful for family and friends, personally, I am grateful for bread and cheese – because they are perfect foods.
In our overly deconstructed food world, everyone and their daughter is on some sort of limited meal plan: Paleo, Gluten free, Dairy Free, Mayo Clinic, Mediterranean, Volumetrics, Anti-Inflammatory, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig…the list of both well known and obscure eating plans goes on and on. And on and on. And on and on. And they all have one thing in common. They hate bread and cheese.
Can a food plan be called racist? Exclusionary? Rude?
Because both carbs and dairy are the first two categories to be thrown under the bus and kicked to the curb. Poor things. I feel that it is my responsibility to stand up for them. Become the champion for the rights of carbs and dairy. Bread alone and cheese alone are fine, quasi interesting and mildly satisfying. But, combining them into a grilled sensation…there is nothing quite like it.
The key to the perfect grilled cheese sandwich is patience. Pick a bread, any bread…though sourdough has the ideal consistency. Butter it on both sides and let the first side grill for a minute in the frying pan (yes, the double butter grill is a secret ingredient we grilled cheese chefs use to make sure the bread is perfectly grilled through and through). Then flip the bread. If you like mustard, spreading a thin layer of dijon on the exposed bread will give the sandwich another layer of flavor and a punch of spice. Next, layer on the cheese… this is an extremely personal choice; however, if you can’t decide, use a few. I’m a big fan of hard cheddar and spicy jack. Next, put a second pot on top the first frying pan to seal in the heat and to let the cheese melt. In the meantime, grill some onions and have them ready to pepper on top of the melted cheese. Once the cheese has started to melt, put the two sides together and put the pan back on top. You are now cooking your grilled cheese sandwich from both the inside out and the outside in. This is the delicate part as the bottom piece of bread can burn fairly easily…so keep an eye on it. Then, take it out, plate it and eat it.
What is a better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than with the food you grew up on, the food that comforted you and the food that is guaranteed to taste better than an overcooked dry turkey.
Live a little. It’s okay to break tradition.