Pepperoncini Butter Grilled Cheese
Tomato basil bisque meets grilled cheese with savory compound butter
Tomato basil bisque meets grilled cheese with a savory compound butter
I’m essentially always trying to emulate and rework my childhood favorites, and this one is inspired by the fond memories I have of the tomato bread from Panera growing up. This is very delightful tomato basil grilled cheese with a lightly spicy compound butter: definitely the star of this sandwich. The peperoncini butter can be made anywhere from an hour to several days in advance (which I’d recommend), and can be used on a litany of other things…see some ideas at the bottom of this post. My favorite bread at the moment is buttermilk loaf, which is light and fluffy, has a flaky crust, and gets griddled to perfection in no time. As always, any crusty bread like sourdough or country bread will do. For the hot sauce in the compound butter, I like to use anything made up primarily of aged red cayenne peppers and distilled vinegar. Makes two sandwiches, plus leftover tomatoes for other uses, see below.
Ingredients:
For the pepperoncini compound butter
2 sticks (1 Cup) unsalted butter, at room temp., I leave these in a small mixing bowl for about an hour in advance
2/3 cup jarred pepperoncini, drained and thinly chopped
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
1/2 Tbsp chili pepper flakes
1/2 Tbsp Crystal (or similar) hot sauce
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Roughly 1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground oregano
For the Jammy Tomatoes
4 large garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped
3/4 lb (1.5 Cups) small sweet or Sungold tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 tsp ground oregano
6 basil leaves, torn
Generous glug of olive oil, for the pan
1 tsp kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the grilled cheese
4 slices crusty bread or buttermilk loaf
4 slices sharp cheddar or harvarti
Flaky salt
Directions:
Start by making your compound butter: to a small mixing bowl, add 1 Cup unsalted butter, 2/3 cup thinly sliced jarred pepperoncini, 1 Tbsp sweet paprika, 1/2 Tbsp chili pepper flakes, 1/2 Tbsp Crystal hot sauce, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, roughly 1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper, and 1/8 tsp ground oregano, then mash with a fork and fold to combine. Cover with a lid or add into a small jar—let this sit in the fridge for at least an hour before using, then take out 30 minutes in advance to make it a little easier to use.
Add your olive oil into a large nonstick pan over medium heat, once warmed through for 2-3 mins, add the 1/2 tsp of ground oregano and stir around the pan. Leave undisturbed for another minute before adding the chopped garlic cloves. Stir around the pan, then leave undisturbed for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and turning lightly golden.
Add the sliced tomatoes into the pan along with 1 tsp kosher salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine then let sit undisturbed 6-7 mins. Add the 6 basil leaves, stir, and turn the heat to medium-high. Let the tomatoes start bubbling aggressively before turning the heat back down to medium, adding a lid to the pan and letting the tomatoes simmer for 10 minutes.
To assemble, add some olive oil to a cast iron skillet over high heat. Once very hot (4-5 mins), add two slices of bread to the pan. Press down with a spatula or grill press to make contact with the pan, then flip after 1-2 mins and very golden brown. On the newly-flipped sides of each slice of bread, add about 1 Tbsp of the compound butter, followed by a slice of cheese. After a minute, to one slice, add a scoop of the tomatoes straight from the pan, making sure to get some good garlic and basil bits. Place the non-tomatoey slice on top to create the sandwich, then remove from the pan and slice in half. Repeat for the second sandwich and top both with a pinch of flaky salt to serve. 🍅
ideas For the Compound Butter
Use to baste pan-seared chicken thighs
Use to baste a pan-seared ribeye
Cook your over-easy eggs in it
Add into or use as a base for a pasta sauce
ideas For the leftover tomatoes
Ladle on top of soft scrambled, fried eggs, or a French omelette
Mix into pasta with lots of pecorino
Use as a layer in a lasagna