Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

Making toast on the stovetop has always been a challenge for me. More often than not, I’d extricate a charred remain of what was meant to be honey toast, or I’d underheat the bread, resulting in a stubbornly un-melted chunk o’ butter sitting atop each slice.

Well, here’s the low-down on all that.

get some heat momentum
Meaning? Heat your pan up (with the lid on) enough so that when you stick your bread in it will absorb a bunch of heat from both the surrounding air and from the pan’s base itself. Keep the lid on when cooking as much as possible to maintain higher heat. However, make sure you lower that dial to medium or medium-low once your toast is in the pan.

watch out!
You don’t want to burn your toast, so keep an eye on things.

flip n’ butter
I usually butter my toast a minute or so after placing it on the pan. Make sure to butter the side that was JUST touching your pan’s base for ultimate melt-age. You could also butter both sides, if you’re feeling particularly Deen-y.

So, toast is do-able. Then there are these:

    Blue Cheese-Mushroom Sandwiches with Cilantro-Garlic Aioli

I used to hate blue cheese. And mushrooms. And cilantro. My misguided past has been set aside, because all three harmonize beautifully on this sandwich inspired by la cuisine francaise.
You’ll need
a few slices of bread
two large mushrooms (3″ in diameter or larger)
crumbles of blue cheese
a bit of olive oil, if so desired

for the aioli I use:
garlic
cilantro
a bit of broth or other liquid if desired (I find this helps add volume, spreadability, and easier blending experiences)
mayonnaise
salt/pepper

Just pop the toast on a large shallow pan, after heating as described above. Make a bit of space (if your pan is big enough, or in another pan) and drop the whole mushroom (minus the stem) onto the pan with a bit of olive oil.
When everything’s heated and browning, crumble some blue cheese onto the slices.

Meanwhile, pulse all aioli ingredients into a blender until smooth. Use 1T of mayo per sandwich, and as much or as little of the other ingredients as you wish.

Now, COMPILE! Serve with fresh greens and tomato slices if desired.

About these ads