I always thought that any grilled sandwich with at least a 2:1 ratio of cheese to meat/veggies/etc. could be correctly defined as a grilled cheese. Currently 44 percent of voters on Serious Eats disagree. To this majority, grilled cheese is nothing more than bread, cheese and heat. Are they right?

Think of Campanile’s Grilled Cheese Night, and how it might offend this group of purists with it’s weekly nightmare of “grilled cheese” dishes like burrata with capers, both versions of Croque and Ahi tuna. None of these fit the literal meaning of grilled cheese as defined by this group. (I picture the purists huddled in a picketing pack outside of the restaurant, holding signs depicting sandwiches with big red Xs drawn through them.)

If we continue accepting only literal meanings, then many playful spins on certain culinary words wouldn’t quite work. Any reference of the word “steak” that doesn’t apply to actual meat would be wrong (one example that comes to mind is Marcel’s watermelon steak with tomatoes on season 2 of “Top Chef”). I’d also argue that the only true grilled cheese is just the cheese itself, like a grilled Halloumi or queso fundido. Being rigid in definitions takes the fun out of creating new dishes, doesn’t it?

Serious Eats reader Pavlov sums it up best with his comment: “A grilled cheese is whatever I say it is!”

That’s perfect. A grilled cheese is defined by whatever you say it is. It can be classic or have all the bells and whistles of a Campanile grilled cheese.

So today, my definition of grilled cheese has marinated onions, Dijon mustard and skirt steak — a personal homage to my favorite offering on Campanile’s menu. If you’re inclined, you can serve it with watermelon steaks for a truly non-literal meal.

(Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe.)

GRILLED CHEESE WITH SKIRT STEAK AND MARINATED ONIONS
Yield: 4 servings

• Marinated onions:
• 2 medium yellow onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

For sandwich:

• 1 pound skirt steak
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 slices French bread
• 4 slices medium cheddar cheese
• Whole grain Dijon mustard
• 4 teaspoons butter

1. To make marinated onions: Place onions, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper into a large bowl and toss to coat. Refrigerate for a half hour. Turn onions and marinate for another 30 minutes.

2. Drain onions from marinade. In a sauté pan or pot over medium heat, cook onions until shriveled and golden brown, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes. (These will cook down like you won’t believe. Also, the onions will have enough oil on them to cook without sticking, so there’s no need to add any more.) Set aside. Onions can be made a day or two ahead.

3. Heat 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil in the same sauté pan you used for the onions. Season skirt steak and cook for 3 minutes on each side for medium rare. Remove from pan and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing meat on a bias.

4. Butter French bread slices, using 1/2 teaspoon for each slice. Layer onions, cheese and steak slices. Spread mustard over inside of one slice of bread. Grill sandwiches about one minute on each side until browned. Serve hot!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 at 8:03 am and is filed under Appetizers, In the kitchen, Main dishes, Meat. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.