Serves: 1 - Time:
If I knew the world was going to end in a week I would probably eat one of these magnificent toasties every day until the curtain came down. As we probably have a while to go before the end of days I must limit myself to a toastie as a special treat. It may seem like a bit of a cheek to give a recipe for a toastie but, rather like Monica’s Moist Maker, there is an art to a good sandwich. Firstly, don’t analyse the amount of cheese –trust me, it is worth using up a month’s worth of dairy allowance in one hit. The cheese I have specified is also vitally important (ok it’s not, but it will mean the difference between a bog standard toastie and this Best In Show). At a push you could swap the Cheddar for an aged Gouda or Comté but for me, the Reblochon is the key. It melts beautifully but doesn’t go stringy as it starts to cool. You also need a sturdy bread to stand up to the filling and pressing. My preference is for a rye mix sourdough –don’t attempt a toastie with pappy white sliced. You’ll lose the texture that you need.
Ingredients
- 2 slices wheat and rye sourdough bread
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 95g reblochon cheese, cut into thin slices
- 1 slice good quality ham
- 2 tablespoons kimchi
- 50g extra mature cheddar, grated
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Method
- Spread both sides of each slice of bread with a tablespoon of mayonnaise. Lay the reblochon slices over one slice. Cover with the ham.
- Spread the kimchi over the ham and scatter over 2/3 of the grated cheddar. Put the second slice of sourdough on top.
- Heat the oil in a heavy-based (preferably cast iron skillet) frying pan, over a low heat-low and slow is the key here. Lay the sandwich in the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Put a piece of non-stick parchment on the sandwich and weigh it down with another heavy pan. Cook for another 1 ½ -2 minutes. Check the underside to make sure it is not too coloured. Carefully turn the toastie over and put the parchment on top. Weigh down with the pan and cook for another 1 minute. Scatter the remaining cheese into the pan and cook for about one more minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and golden. Serve immediately.
