Toastie with the mostie
This Jamie Oliver-inspired party trick always turns heads
Dgalaxy of cheese with experts Ellie and Sam Studd, as they share their wealth of knowledge and all the practical info you need to up your cheese game.
Get ready to fall (even more) in love with cheese and arm yourself with all the knowledge you need to select, store, serve, taste and cook with cheese like a true pro.
TRIPLE X STUDD SIBLING TOASTIE
This toastie always turns heads when it comes out on a plate. We originally saw the cheese crown party trick performed by Jamie Oliver and, after we tried it, we just couldn’t go back to a normal toastie. Don’t worry too much about how your crown looks; the flip action can take a little while to master, but you will get better the more you make it. We do not use the steaming method mentioned opposite for this panfried toastie, due to the Parmigiano crown.
Ingredients
40 g unsalted butter, softened 4 slices of dense sourdough or rye bread
2 tsp Dijon mustard
120g cheddar, grated 2 Polish dill pickles, finely sliced lengthways pinch of ground white pepper 40g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
Method
Butter both sides of the bread and then only one side with the mustard.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium–low heat. Place two slices of bread, butter-side down, in the pan. Divide the cheddar between the bread slices, then top with the sliced pickles and a pinch of white pepper. Sandwich with the remaining bread slices, butter-side up.
Fry the sandwiches, with a weight on top (a plate weighted down with two cans will do), for 3–5 minutes each side or until
golden, rotating the sandwiches in the pan as you cook them to ensure they are evenly toasted.
Using a spatula, carefully remove the toasties from the pan and set aside.
Add half the Parmigiano Reggiano to the centre of the pan and cook until melted. Place one of the sandwiches on top of the melted cheese and cook for 1–2 minutes, until the Parmigiano Reggiano is golden.
Use the spatula to firmly scoop under the cheese and toastie.
Hold it in air for around 30 seconds, so the cheese has a chance to firm up in long spikes, creating a cheese crown (see image on the next page). Repeat with the remaining sandwich.
Eat immediately.