My preferred method if i've the time is cheese on toast with tomatos under the electric oven grill or the Breville toaster comes out once a year as i don't like cleaning it after use.When overseas a croque monsieur everytime for me....just yum.
me too after reading your post! I had a favourite pub in Frimley Green back then, but I see it's gone now. You would turn left off the A30 coming from Windlesham, down the A325 and it was a short distance down on the right. Forgotten the name, might have been The Royal Oak. I also liked the Old Wheatsheaf for it's many ales but not much character.
After writing that , I just had to have one ( what a surprise ! ) . I went for the Classic method - on a tray under the grill , low enough and for long enough for the cheese to get good and hot , and with frequent turning till toasted . A lot of faff ? .... perhaps , but sometimes perfection is simply the lowest standard that's acceptable .... Mature Gouda with cumin ( a hangover from xmas ) and some pickled mini-gherkins and onions on the side .... .... so delicious that I almost wept . To complete the picture , the accompanying beverage was McEwan's Champion ..... a fruity winter warmer .
Err ... yes , but no , but yes ..... " Both In One " from Aldi .... half-and-half white / brown flour .... at 49 pence for a large loaf it's a bit of a gift ...... a blessing even ! Much as I like brown bread , it's not my top choice for a toasted sandwich ..... the result always makes me think of MDF . My home-made bread is also useless for toasties ..... I don't have large loaf tins .
Croque monsieur .... there's quite a bit of debate on that , and when I want guidance on French food , I always go to Raymond Blanc first ..... but I just can't agree with him on this subject . The main point of argument is using some bechamel sauce , or to put it another way ... .... plain cheese on toast .... versus Welsh Rarebit ? I lived in France for a few years , and I was VERY serious in the quest for the perfect " Croque " .....
All this talk of toasties made me look for my Breville-esque machine. I finally found it up in the loft with a few other wonderful things that must have been cleared up & packed away by an ex... Anyhow, Cheddar cheese, sliced ham with jalapenos added afterwards (boiling hot veg in sandwiches are not good) hit the spot perfectly. The sandwich maker is staying in the kitchen for a while methinks!
Many years ago, I hosted a colleague from New Mexico who went on an almost endless search for the ‘hot’ food that suited his taste. Turned out curry was not his type of heat. Anyway, he showed me a really simple wheeze with pickled jalapenos, just as if you were chopping up herbs, mince a jar jalapenos and you can spread it like small chunk Branston. Andy
@Jez900ie @Android853sp Yes indeedy ..... jalapeños have the perfect balance of flavour and hotness for me .... habaneros are good too , but IMO they tend to shout a bit too loud in a toastie
Made me smile! - i've got a hand-me-down "George Foreman" in the loft also and must rescue and use next time i'm over there.
Tuna, Mature Cheddar and Jalapenos (or splash Tabasco around the Tuna and Cheese before cooking) I think I know what Lunch is going to be.
