Kimchi Grilled Cheese w/ Cheese Crust
Difficulty: EasyServings
1
servingsPrep time
5
minutesCooking time
15
minutesLotsa things are going on here. The kimchi (with no work on your part, unless you're fermenting your own kimchi... I'm HELL Not) adds a spicy, tangy complexity, cutting the monotony of an otherwise just plain rich and decadent grilled cheese. The extra layer of savoury and toasty cheese crisps enrobing your toast adds yet another textural contrast. More contrasting notes, More fun - just like in humans.
Ingredients
2 slices of bread
2 Tablespoons Mayo
Some Kimchi, chopped up
Cheddar Cheese (or any melty cheese of your choice), shredded
Directions
- Spread the Mayo on all 4 sides of the 2 toasts.
- Sandwich as much kimchi and shredded cheese as you desire (and can possibly stuff) in between the two slices of bread.
- Heat your pan over low heat, lay your sandwich down, and let it brown on one side. Flip and brown on the other side. Set it aside.
- In your empty pan, still over low heat, scatter some shredded cheese over the pan. Lay one side of your sandwich down right on top of the cheese, and let it cook over low heat until the cheese crisps up and browns, forming your cheese crust.
- Once it's browned and crispy, you can either repeat on the other side (notes below) to make a double cheese crust, or serve as is. Enjoy!
Notes
- Using mayo (a tip I picked up from the legendary Ruth Reichl) ensures a nutty, golden brown exterior, without burning the bread too soon versus using say, butter. Mayo has a higher smoke point than butter, and this gives you more leeway when toasting your grilled cheese and timing it such that the exterior browns just as the cheese melts...
- For the cheese crust, use really low heat to slowly drive off the moisture in the shredded cheese. After the moisture is driven off, the cheese will slowly brown and toast, and you'll end up with a lacy cheese crisp surrounding your grilled cheese.
- Double the Pleasure. If you want a double-sided cheese crust, set your sandwich aside after your first cheese crust is formed. In your now empty pan (over low heat), add in more shredded cheese, before placing your sandwich back in, cheese-less side down. Then repeat the same operation.
About Me
LACE ZHANG
When not working on recipes in her kitchen, cranking up her overused commercial (yes, you read that right) oven at home, Lace can be found reading about food, writing impassioned paragraphs about food, thinking about food till the wee hours of the night, shopping for groceries as a serious sport, or gazing longingly at bakery displays.
