Rainy Day Grilled Cheese w/ Tomato Bisque
by cheesemonger Evy, inspired by NYT Cooking’s “Tomato Bisque with Fresh Goat Cheese”
Tuesdays at the cheese warehouse is family lunch; one of our mongers brings in a meal to share with our delivery crew and ideally, it’s heavily cheese inclusive. This particular meal involves multiple cheese vehicles, and invites you to follow your taste buds.
INGREDIENTS
for soup (makes 4 servings):
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, grated
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
1 medium onion, diced
1 can whole tomatoes (28oz)
Salt, to taste
Pinch red pepper flakes
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 tub TCP fresh chèvre, (or around 5oz)
for sammich:
sourdough (or your favorite sliced bread)
mayonnaise
TCP Parmesan
TCP Basil Jack (or dill or smoked gouda or….)
INSTRUCTIONS
Cook the soup:
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat till shimmery. Saute ginger and garlic until fragrant, then add onion and cook for 5-6 minutes or until soft and translucent.
2. Dump in tomatoes and their juices, salt, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and 1.5 cups water. Turn heat down to medium low, and cook for 40 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, and use an immersion blender* to puree the soup till smooth. Put the pot back on the stove and stir in the chèvre, till fully combined. Taste and check the salt levels, adding more as needed. Serve warm with more chèvre, or parmesan on top.
*if using a regular blender, cool soup completely before blending, and reheat when adding the chèvre.
Assemble the sammich:
1. Grate a large pile of basil jack and a tiny pile of parmesan. When it comes to ratios and amounts, our professional opinion is that you should follow your heart. Slather one side of each piece of bread in a mix of mayo and garlic herb spread. Stuff your perfect amount of cheese between the two slices of bread, mayo-mixture side out.
2. Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat, then add the prepared sammich. Cook till golden brown on one side, then flip and put a lid on the pan, reducing the heat to medium low. Continue cooking till the other side is golden and cheese is sufficiently melty.
3. Remove from heat, slice, and serve with warm tomato bisque.
