Gaby Dalkin, whose third cookbook — “What’s Gaby Cooking? Eat What You Want: 125 Recipes for Real Life” (Abrams, $30) — hit bookstore shelves last month, jazzes up a classic with this recipe.
“My dad specializes in epic grilled cheese sandwiches,” she says in the head note to her Bacon, Cheddar and Tomato Grilled Cheese recipe. “Depending on what’s in the kitchen, it could be just good ol’ Colby Jack cheese, or if the fridge is stocked and he’s feelin’ jazzy, it’s bacon and Cheddar.”
This version marries the best of a BLT and a grilled cheese sammy — with a little zippy, jammy action courtesy of a garlic-tomato confit. Here’s how it’s done:
Bacon, Cheddar, and Tomato Grilled Cheese
Serves 2
Ingredients
4 slices bread
6 ounces thinly sliced sharp Cheddar cheese
4 slices applewood smoked bacon, cooked and torn into pieces
6 tablespoons Garlic Tomato Confit (see below), plus more for serving
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
Directions
Place 2 slices of bread on a clean flat surface. Place a fourth of the Cheddar on 1 piece of bread followed by half the bacon and half the tomato confit. Add another fourth of Cheddar on top. Top with the remaining slice of bread, and press down gently. Repeat the process for the other sandwich.
In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the sandwiches and cook until the bottoms turn golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, if they brown too quickly.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pan, flip the sandwiches, press down with the flat side of a spatula, and cook until the cheese has fully melted and the bottoms turn golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. If you need to melt the cheese a bit more, cover the skillet with a lid and turn off the heat.
Slice the sandwiches in half and serve immediately with extra tomato confit on the side.
Garlic Tomato Confit
Makes about 1½ cups
Ingredients
1 pound cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup good-quality olive oil
8 gloves garlic, peeled
Kosher salt, freshly cracked pepper
Directions
In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, combine the tomatoes and olive oil. Add the garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Once the oil starts to heat up and the tomatoes start to blister, reduce the heat to medium-low and let the tomatoes simmer for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour, stirring every 10 minutes. The tomatoes should be falling apart. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the confit to cool for at least 20 minutes.
Reprinted from Eat What You Want: 125 Recipes for Real Life. Copyright © 2020 by Gaby Dalkin. Photography by Matt Armendariz. Published by Abrams.