The Missionary Grilled Cheese Sandwich: The TRUE Chef's Category
"I'm making a smoked cheddar sandwich on whole wheat bread. What category would I compete in?"
This is a question as old as the Invitational itself, my friends. If you're wondering which category you should enter when it comes to the Nationals (omg! April 19th!), make sure you pick the right category before you register... in fact, you may want to pick it before you start training!
So, take the example sandwich above (the one people ask me all the time)... This would be a Kama Sutra sandwich. Why? Because the cheddar is smoked and the bread is not white. I know! You whine! You complain! But remember, just like in the position it was named for, the Missionary Grilled Cheese category requires standard ingredients. The only way to win is culinary expertise!
This category requires only three ingredients: Cheddar (plain, not flavored) or American (like Kraft Singles), butter (or margarine, but not mayonnaise), and white bread (not potato white, but real white bread). Any old grilled cheese hack can whip out masterful ingredients and make a pretty good sandwich (maybe not prize-winning, but still good), but it takes the perfect preparation, browning, and presentation to win the Missionary category.
Here are some tips:
1. Grating is great! I've found that grating your cheddar for your sandwich helps even melting, even in the center!
2. Butter and fry both sides I always butter both sides of the toast, let it set in the pan to get crispy and brown, and then flip, putting the cheese between the newly-fried, crispy fronts. Then grill the outside as usual. This makes the sandwich extra textured (and extra fatty, which is always a plus for Grilled Cheese)
3. Let it leak I like a little crispy, leaked cheese around the edges of my sandwiches. I dated someone who thought this was an abomination (needless to say, that relationship didn't last long). Give it a try and see if it works for you! (If it doesn't, we've got no chance together, buddy)
4. Remember Mom Mom used to cut them in cute little triangles, remember? Presentation counts! Consider a traditional 45 degree cut, not a 90 degree one. The 90 degree is more modern, but I think most people still favor the 45.
5. Even browning: difficult, but worth it This one takes practice... try to get a nice even brown on your white bread. It should be golden, not dirty.
You can't register for Nationals yet (I know, I know... the anticipation is killing us too!), but you CAN get started training for your perfect sandwich!
This is a question as old as the Invitational itself, my friends. If you're wondering which category you should enter when it comes to the Nationals (omg! April 19th!), make sure you pick the right category before you register... in fact, you may want to pick it before you start training!
So, take the example sandwich above (the one people ask me all the time)... This would be a Kama Sutra sandwich. Why? Because the cheddar is smoked and the bread is not white. I know! You whine! You complain! But remember, just like in the position it was named for, the Missionary Grilled Cheese category requires standard ingredients. The only way to win is culinary expertise!
This category requires only three ingredients: Cheddar (plain, not flavored) or American (like Kraft Singles), butter (or margarine, but not mayonnaise), and white bread (not potato white, but real white bread). Any old grilled cheese hack can whip out masterful ingredients and make a pretty good sandwich (maybe not prize-winning, but still good), but it takes the perfect preparation, browning, and presentation to win the Missionary category.
Here are some tips:
1. Grating is great! I've found that grating your cheddar for your sandwich helps even melting, even in the center!
2. Butter and fry both sides I always butter both sides of the toast, let it set in the pan to get crispy and brown, and then flip, putting the cheese between the newly-fried, crispy fronts. Then grill the outside as usual. This makes the sandwich extra textured (and extra fatty, which is always a plus for Grilled Cheese)
3. Let it leak I like a little crispy, leaked cheese around the edges of my sandwiches. I dated someone who thought this was an abomination (needless to say, that relationship didn't last long). Give it a try and see if it works for you! (If it doesn't, we've got no chance together, buddy)
4. Remember Mom Mom used to cut them in cute little triangles, remember? Presentation counts! Consider a traditional 45 degree cut, not a 90 degree one. The 90 degree is more modern, but I think most people still favor the 45.
5. Even browning: difficult, but worth it This one takes practice... try to get a nice even brown on your white bread. It should be golden, not dirty.
You can't register for Nationals yet (I know, I know... the anticipation is killing us too!), but you CAN get started training for your perfect sandwich!
Labels: cheese fetish, competitive cooking, food, grilled cheese
posted by Danielle! @ 7:08 AM
2 Comments:
At March 18, 2008 9:15 AM ,
Mark Fitzsimmons said...
Wish I could edit my comments rather than post again. I didn't realize you were already banning 12 grain bread and swiss (which is so common in G.C.!), bleu, brie, parm, etc from missionary category. If this is your policy it seems to me you absolutely NEED 'spoons'...
does the existing rule structure disallow that 'wonder' type wheat bread which isn't really whole wheat, it's just unbleached flour?
This is almost as arbitrary as the american/cheddar restriction, though I do love the analogy between missionary and "figures" in skating. You need to put the tykes through their paces if they want to compete in the big leagues.
LuMi is right though, be knife-edge clear on the boundaries... can I add my balsamic vinegar reduction trick to a sammich and still qualify for spoons, or is that going too far?
At March 25, 2008 6:05 PM ,
Melt The Vote said...
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