Jon Favreau taught me how to make grilled cheese. (Roy Choi if we’re being technical.) We were in Idyllwild on a hike (a “nature walk” if we’re being technical) throwing around dinner ideas, and grilled cheese came up. As luck would have it Aaron and Erika had brought up to the cabin their New Year’s Eve party leftovers, which included a wheel of brie and cubes upon cubes of smoked gouda and sharp cheddar. A dinner menu was born. That night we watched this clip from ‘Chef’ (really the most memorable scene in the movie) a handful of times and then got to work.
As I gather from the clip, grilled cheese success comes down to whether or not a slice through the sandwich produces that crackling crunch, and also how much oozy cheese you get on that first bite. The only musts here seem to be butter (or mayonnaise!), slathered generously on both sides of the bread, and after that, vigilance and a medium-low heat. Expert butter slathering by Nancy and plating artistry courtesy of Eli and Anton.