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| Laying the foundation... |
Triple decker sandwiches have always held me in a certain sense of awe. I have a very clear memory of my father making a triple-decker peanut butter and jam sandwich at the cottage we used to rent as kids. It looked so luxurious, so EXCESSIVE... and far too big for my 5-year-old mouth.
Fast-forward about 20 years, after considerable mandibular growth and freedom from the confines of parental sandwich rules. A couple of weekends ago, my new neighbour/work buddy Deb and I enjoyed the exquisite culinary offerings of
Baked Expectations in Osborne Village. Fan. Freakin'. Tastic. I had suggested that we split a sandwich or wrap for an entree, then each order a dessert. Deb suggested the (you guessed it, you smart person you...) triple decker grilled cheese.
This thing was like no grilled cheese I'd ever had before. Three slices of whole grain bread, two kinds of cheese, grilled mushrooms and onions, and some fresh lettuce and tomatoes (there was possibly one other vegetable, but I forget what it was). DELISH. I even ate the mushrooms; it was that good. Another fantastic point: fresh-cut shoestring fries, and a pickle spear. Mmmm.
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| Just an FYI- there's sautéed garlic and onions under that cheddar. Oh, yes. |
So, while catching up on some much-needed leisure reading and rest on Sunday, I thought I might try to create an homage to my experience at Baked. Not recreate, you understand. I don't think I'm capable of such deliciousness. Regardless, I gave it a good shot. I used three slices of cheddar and onion ciabatta that Deb had brought to accompany our pre-Manitoba Moose hockey game
meal. I toasted these under the broiler on one side, then flipped them over and added swiss cheese to one slice, and sautéed onions and garlic covered in cheddar cheese to the other. The last slice just got toasted, with a bit of margarine. I think you can see what I added to the last slice above, prior to assembly.
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| Very yummy lunch... trip to the deli not required! |
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| Hubs was convinced that the baby spinach and tomatoes didn't belong. I respectfully disagree. |
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| You KNOW those pickles are necessary. They're like a sandwich food group all on their own. My favourites: Vlassic kosher baby garlic dills. Mmm. |
While I most certainly have recreated (improved upon?) my father's triple decker sandwich efforts (peanut butter, raspberry jelly, honey, AND bananas... take that, papa!!), I think this particular sammy is a bit more refined; perhaps less childish. Good grief, I'm even making grown-up sandwiches now... is this what happens when you graduate and start a career??
Thinking she'll pick up bananas and white Wonderbread on her next shopping trip to relive simpler times,
-Honeybee
you know... this is the second time this week that i've seen a samich (yes, samich) like this referred to as "grilled cheese". I always think of a samich with cheese and other things grilled as a panini and a grilled cheese samich with just grilled cheese (ok, and maybe a tomato). i think i need to reconsider ;).
ReplyDeletelooks great, no matter what it's called!
You make a good point, Heather. Being half Italian, I think of anything made in a panini roll as a panini :P Probably narrow-minded of me! My hubs would agree with you 100%... perhaps making a concession for the garlic and onions (add hot sauce, and you've got his version of the culinary holy trinity!) Whatever it is, it was definitely a tasty sammich (I'm a fan of that phrase as well!)
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