Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Tomato

I can't believe I got over halfway through the month before it sunk in that April is National Grilled Cheese month!

Thank goodness I still have time to redeem myself. So let's go...

Grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches will forever have a memory association for me of being at a Grateful Dead  show right after I finished high school.  Like literally everyone came directly there right after graduation.  We spent the entire weekend there in that big ol' community campout area and it was one wild weekend (if you ever went to one then you know...).

I remember during the day, walking around the campsites and cool people would be selling grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches made on camp stoves and sell for like $1. You could get cheap banana pancakes in the mornings and grilled cheese and tomato in the afternoon. They tasted so good after a night of extreme festivities.

Such fun memories from that weekend!

Anyway, I have some fool-proof methods for you, if you want to make the perfect grilled cheese and tomato sandwich and they are this:

1. The most important one is dealing with the tomatoes: you need to get rid of some of the moisture in the tomatoes, nobody likes a soggy grilled cheese sandwich. This is what I do. I slice the tomato about 1/4 inch thick and season both sides with kosher salt. Then I lay the tomato on a triple layer of paper towel, and cover them with another triple layer of paper towel. I then put a lightweight baking sheet on top of the tomatoes to further press them. I let them sit at least 10 min. Then the tomatoes are well seasoned and ready to use!

2. The cheese: I am a firm believer that shredded cheese makes for the best grilled cheese. More specifically, medium cheddar shredded on the large holes of a box grater. (No pre-grated cheese from a sack please.) Shredded as opposed to sliced makes for a more evenly melted and creamy grilled cheese sandwich every time.

3. Softened, salted butter. I use unsalted butter for everything but toast, rolls and grilled cheese. Important in  this gal's opinion.

4. Lastly, don't rush it. Slow and steady wins the race. The longer you let it cook, the crispier it will be on the outside and creamier it will be on the inside.

If you follow these methods I promise you will be enjoying a seriously delicious grilled cheese sandwich.

Classic Grilled Cheese and Tomato Sandwich

~makes 1 sandwich~

Ingredients:

2 slices of whole wheat bread (or whatever bread you like)

2-4 (1/4 inch thick) slices of tomato

kosher salt

1/2 c. (approximate) shredded medium cheddar cheese

1 T. salted butter, softened

Instructions:

1. Sprinkle both sides of the tomato with salt (just as much as you would like them seasoned). Place tomato slices on a triple-thick layer of paper towel. Cover with another triple-thick layer of paper towel. Place a lightweight baking sheet on the tomatoes and let the tomatoes drain for at least 10 minutes.

2. Heat a nonstick skillet (10 inch or 12 inch) over medium low heat while preparing the sandwich

3. On one slice of bread layer half the cheese, the salted tomato slices, then the other half of the cheese. Place the second slice of bread on top. Spread the top bread slice with half the butter. 

4. Place the sandwich in the hot skillet, buttered side down and spread the remaining butter over the other side of the sandwich. Cook over medium to medium-low heat about 10 minutes per side, until the sandwich is toasty brown and the cheese is ooey gooey.

5. Remove the sandwich from the pan and let sit for 3-5 minutes to let the cheese set a little (so it doesn't ooze out everywhere when you cut it). Cut however you like, or don't.

Macaroni & Cheese with Cheesy Buttered Breadcrumb Topping

I love macaroni & cheese (who doesn't ?). But a long time ago I abandoned my attempts at making it at home.  Always disappointed in the the results of my efforts, I'd put all this time into making what promised to be everything I could ever want in this most delicious of casseroles, only to end up with a big ol' pan of overcooked noodles and grainy, stodgy cheese sauce. And forget about it making for good leftovers, because, by the next day all the liquid would absorb into the noodles and I'd be left with blown out 'macaroni and grease'. No thank you. After awhile I would only attempt home style mac & cheese while dining out, thinking "hey, there's got to be somebody out there that makes the good stuff." Sadly I have yet to find that place.

So eventually I gave up all together and started relying exclusively on the blue box. At least I could count on consistent results, and at least because it wasn't so rich I would be able to eat that more than once a year. And truth be told, I sorta have a soft place in my heart for the blue box, my favorite of all the prepackaged, processed foods. Unfortunately though for the good folks at Kraft, my New Year's resolution this year is to cut out prepackaged, processed foods. So I was back to my old quest of finding a recipe for macaroni & cheese that wouldn't be so egregiously calorie-rich that I would have to skip breakfast and lunch just to feel okay about eating it for dinner.

Over the past few years I have been seeing recipes that use a base of canned, evaporated milk. And it completely solves the curdled, grainy cheese sauce problem. Big Plus! Other big plus's, leftovers reheat beautifully (creamy not greasy), and the noodles and sauce are prepared in the same pan. I wouldn't exactly call this version of macaroni & cheese low-cal but it is definitely more a more sensible version. And hey, this is macaroni & cheese we're talking about after all, it isn't supposed to be diet food.

 Macaroni & Cheese with Cheesy Buttered Breadcrumb Topping

~serves 4~

Ingredients:

Breadcrumb Topping:

2 T. unsalted butter 

1 1/2 c. soft, fresh breadcrumbs (about 2 slices of bread)

1/8 t. salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

2T. grated parmesan cheese

Macaroni & Cheese:

8 oz. macaroni 

1 (12 oz.) can reduced-fat evaporated milk

3/4 c. 2% milk

1/2 t. dijon mustard

pinch of celery salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

salt & pepper

2 t. cornstarch

8 oz. reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 c.)

Directions:

1. To make the breadcrumb topping: Melt the butter in a medium skillet over low heat. Add the breadcrumbs, salt and cayenne. Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring often until golden brown, 7-10 min. Transfer the toasted breadcrumbs to a plate and let cool for 3 min. Stir in the parmesan cheese, set aside.

2. To make the macaroni & cheese: Bring 2 1/2 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the macaroni and 2 t.salt. Cook, stirring often until pasta is tender. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 c. of the pasta cooking water. Leave the macaroni in the colander while preparing the sauce.   

3. Combine the evaporated milk, 1/2 c. 2% milk, dijon mustard, 1/4 t. salt, cayenne and celery salt in the saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk together the cornstarch and remaining 1/4 c. 2% milk, then add to the simmering sauce. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until sauce is slightly thickened.

4. Remove pan from heat and stir in the cheddar cheese until melted and smooth. Stir in the cooked macaroni. Let the macaroni sit until the sauce is thickened, 3-5 minutes. Season to taste with salt & pepper. You can loosen the consistancy of the mac & cheese if it becomes too thick by adding in some of the reserved pasta cooking water. Serve, sprinkling the cheesy, buttered breadcrumbs on each serving.

Recipe source: modified  from The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook