Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Not grilled cheese

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Eastside Road, —
NORMALLY THIS WOULD BE a fast day — it's Tuesday — but we've been working more than usual, so we cheated a bit. Ah, I said to Cook, grilled cheese. Well, no, she said, not grilled.

They were more toasted, in fact, in the black iron skillet, with no butter. Delicious Comté cheese. When I was a kid we rarely ate cheese, and when we did it was Velveeta, or some other processed orange cheese in a long rectangular box — stick-to-your-teeth cheese, either for grilled sandwiches or, more often, macaroni and cheese. It wasn't really very good, and my fondness for cheese, which is pretty selective, was slow to set in.

Among my favorites, the high-pasture types: Comté, Beaufort, Gruyère… they all have such a fine affinity with wheat, or come to think of it potatoes. They warm beautifully; their texture is solid, serious, and interesting; the flavor, rennetty, is focussed and long-finished. I do love those cheeses.

With the sandwich, green Zebra tomatoes, as you see, perfectly salted. A little fruit for dessert.
Cheap Rosé, Epicuro, unmemorable
Restaurants visited in 2015 are listed at Eatingday's Restaurants

1 comment:

louann said...

I just can't resist saying this: no matter how much I have access to the best of the best in food, cheese, wine, etc....velveeta remains in my life. I grew up on it too. An early snack after school: soda crackers with small squares of velveeta melted on top. It was in many a casserole. Out here in California, I maintained my liking for velveeta in secret - using it for a variety of vegetable sauces at events. I would be asked what was in the sauce - so good - I would say a James Beard sauce. Ha. Even now, and especially on bad days, velveeta is likely to appear on vegetables, in a casserole, or in a sandwich. Some things never change.