...Two Ad Hoc recipes in one week! What am I crazy? No, not really, as this was a pretty simple recipe. I mean, how hard can you really make grilled cheese? This one did require making your own brioche but making bread isn't really that hard, just time consuming.
I must admit I didn't use the Ad Hoc brioche recipe, instead I went with the one in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
. I'm afraid I put a little too much dough in the pan so it got huge while baking & I had a hard time getting it to cook through.
It was still pretty darn tasty, in that heavy, eggy, buttery, rich brioche way. (& I have lots left over to make the Ad Hoc Banana Brea Pudding!)
From there all you need is some good gruyere, about 1 1/2 oz per sandwich, & unsalted butter. Slice the bread & cheese thinly, the book calls for the bread to be 1/4 inch but I had a hard time slicing that thin & not having it fall apart.
Melt a tablespoon or two of the butter in a skillet over medium heat until it just starts to brown. Assemble the sandwiches & put them in the skillet. Brown on one side & then flip to brown the other. Put the sandwiches on a baking sheet & spread a teaspoon more butter on the top of each. Bake in a 350 F oven until the cheese is melted. Cut off the crusts & enjoy a rich buttery treat.
I served it with a tomato soup that I threw together pretty quickly with what I had in the pantry. I used the tomatoes I canned last summer & it had a much fresher taste than store-bought soup.
Simple Tomato Soup
2 cans tomatoes (I used whole because that is what I have but you can use diced or crushed, whatever)
1/4 t garlic powder
1/2 t dried minced onion
1 t dried basil
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 t sugar
1/4 c heavy cream
salt & pepper
Put the tomatoes including juices in a medium saucepan. Crush with a spoon. Stir in the garlic, onion, basil, vinegar & sugar. Bring to a simmer & let cook for about 15 minutes. Purée either in a blender or with an immersion blender. Return to the pot & stir in the cream. Add salt & pepper to taste. Heat without boiling & serve.
2 small servings
So a question for you all. The book says they serve this grilled cheese sandwich at the Ad Hoc restaurant. If you went to one of Thomas Keller's restaurants would you order a grilled cheese sandwich?
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© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski
© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski
cheese on cheese on cheese. my stars. now i must have this cookbook.
ReplyDeleteCheese me! This is awesome. A grilled cheese on brioche? This has sent me over the edge. I need both of these books, stat!
ReplyDeleteOne of my all-time favorite meals! It looks so warm and inviting. Can't wait to see the bread pudding!
ReplyDeleteHaha! No way would I order grilled cheese at his restaurant! But it does look delicious. Going to try the soup recipe, tomato soup is great the whole year through!
ReplyDeleteGrilled cheese on brioche - my kind of sandwich, haha, wow, looks amazing. I would order grilled cheese at Ad Hoc - as long as it was among several other things!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely have to try making my own brioche. The grilled cheese has to be incredible. I may not get around to that by tomorrow, but tomato soup may make an appearance for my lunch. So simple and it looks great!
ReplyDeletePopped in to say hi! This looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteis it bad that my favorite thing about your ad hoc meal didn't even come from ad hoc? that brioche looks amazing! :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know that I would order grilled cheese anywhere, but certainly not there!
ReplyDeleteNothing beats a good grilled cheese sandwich. Add in soup, and it's a perfect meal!
ReplyDeleteNo, I wouldn't order it in the restaurant, but your version does look delicious!
ReplyDeleteI still havent made tomato soup before... Yours looks beautiful!
ReplyDeleteCheese on brioche? Luxurious and comforting!
ReplyDeleteAhhh....grilled cheese and tomato soup THE perfect combination!
ReplyDeleteOh, yum. These look perfect and delicious!
ReplyDeleteI love Ad Hoc at Home. Yet I do wish he would publish a small format companion book with just the recipes--a useful size for the kitchen. Ad Hoc at Home is certainly a magnificent volume in every way. But it's worth a mention that it's the size and weight of a large "coffee table" book and heavy,too!
ReplyDeleteGrilled cheese on brioche? Wow! There really is nothing better than a bowl of soup and some grilled cheese.
ReplyDeleteThis is preceisely what we had for dinner last night. Of course it wasnt as nice as yours but still pretty tastey. I am always happy when I use my canned goods. Makes me feel so accomplished. (see my puffed chest).
ReplyDeleteYou know I dont think I would order the grilled cheese if I was there. I always order things I would not or could not make at home.
Oddly, I haven't purchased the cookbook yet, so thanks - the balsamic in the tomato soup was exactly what I was missing.
ReplyDeleteI have been lucky enough to eat at all of Keller's places several times and will say that, yes, even the grilled cheese is worth ordering.
New to the site and have been looking through some of your older posts. Ad Hoc actually has 1 set menu each day, so you don't technically order. What they are serving is what you get. On our one visit, the entire meal was incredible.
ReplyDelete