Jay’s Nights Out At Home – A Cheese Toastie! Eh?

I suspect this is the first time that Scripture has ever been quoted in this blog. Despite that, even in this godless age, I'm sure you're all familiar with Matthew 7:7, Ask and it will be given to you.  Or perhaps the complementary Scottish saying, if ye dinnae ask, ye dinnae get. These are the texts for today's sermon blog.

You may recall that we recently reviewed the terrific Nights Out at Home by Jay Rayner. I also wrote of my very positive experience trying one of his recipes. (Something that doesn't always happen if you use a Jamie Oliver work, but that's another story.) Sadly, I continued, I can't give you more, as I don't have permission to reproduce any of it. Not, I hasten to add, because anyone had said no. I just hadn't been gallus enough to pop the question.

Since then, a good few of you have said it's in your letter to Santa. Thus emboldened, I timidly asked Jay if I could use a couple. Not only was the answer in the affirmative, he passed me on to the very lovely Annie Lucas, his Campaigns Officer at Penguin Books. And what did she do? Well, in addition to saying I could share FOUR with you, she also sent me Word versions of the recipes AND numerous images. I've passed on my thanks. I expect you all to join me. No, not by email, but by buying the book.

To save me repeating the general premise, start with the review from a couple of weeks ago. Otherwise I might find myself writing something along the lines of let me explain the concept, in which case I would have to slam my ears in the oven door, or worse. In essence, Jay isn't promising you a slap up dinner on every page, simply relating his attempts to recreate dishes which have impressed.

In this case it's a £13 cheese toastie, created by Michel Roux at The Wigmore, which is a pub attached to the Langham Hotel. Now before you start to scream, the thing is about a foot (a third of a metre) long and contains nearly three quarters of a pound (320g) of cheese. (In moments of high excitement I find myself reverting to the Imperial measure of my youth.)

At the Wigmore they use specially baked extra long loaves: Jay compensates by making two sandwiches, the bread cut from the middle of a decent sized sourdough. Here is his recipe.

Ingredients (makes two sandwiches - no not that size)

160g Raclette cheese (substitute with Emmental, Appenzeller, Fontina or Gruyère); 80g Montgomery Cheddar (it does not have to be Montgomery, unless you are keen to match the Wigmore kitchen product for product; use any strong mature Cheddar); 80g Ogleshield cheese (substitute with Taleggio or Fontina); 20g finely chopped red onion; 30g finely chopped cornichon; Dijon mustard; 4 slices of sourdough bread; salted butter (the Wigmore uses clarified butter, but I rather like the caramelization you get from the dairy solids; you could always use vegetable oil).

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Grate the cheese, and mix thoroughly in a bowl with the finely chopped red onion and cornichon.

Spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard on one internal side of each sandwich.

Layer generously with the grated cheese mix, and press down with the second slice of bread. Hilariously, I now appear to be explaining how to use two pieces of bread to make a sandwich.

Heat a non-stick or, better still, a well-seasoned cast iron frying pan over a medium heat and add a good knob of the butter. As it melts swirl it around to cover the base of the frying pan. Add the first sandwich and cook over a medium heat for about 4 minutes. Press it down forcefully into the butter with a spatula every now and then. (The Wigmore uses a sandwich press.)

After 4 minutes, carefully turn it over on to the other side. The cheese will have started to melt, bonding it all together. Add another knob of butter, and lift the toastie it has now become so you can swirl the newly molten butter in underneath. Cook for another 4 minutes, again pressing it down occasionally.

Put on a plate or board and leave to cool for a couple of minutes, as you start to cook the second. At the Wigmore they cut it into 4cm wide slices, which does make it easier to eat.

Jay reviewed The Wigmore in 2021. In three years the price of the toastie has gone up by only 50p. To put that in perspective, I had a cheese and onion toastie in a hotel in Dundee last month which cost eight quid. Perfectly decent, but of normal size, not a patch on today's monster. I must stop now. It's lunch time. For some odd reason I am extremely hungry.

PS  After leaving the screen last time I made myself a cheese toastie vaguely a la Jay. I had only mousetrap and something leftover and hard. Despite that, it was already 50% better than any croque monsieur I have ever made. Can't wait to try the real McCoy.

 

 

 

 

Jay Rayner

Nights Out At Home

Penguin Random House       £22       pp361