Edam and Tomato Toastie Recipe
Why this works
Edam melts gently. It softens into a smooth layer rather than turning oily, so the bread stays crisp and the middle stays creamy. Its flavour is smooth, mild and family-friendly, which means it carries tomato without fighting it. Tomato brings acidity and a bit of moisture. Edam brings salt and body. Together they make a toastie that tastes complete with nothing else in it.
There is another reason. This is a cheese you can use on a Tuesday. Dutch Edam Cheese is made in the Netherlands, and it comes to us as whole wheels that we cut and pack here in Auckland. That is the point of doing it that way. A wheel cut close to when you buy it is cheese you can cook with, not cheese you save.
Ingredients
Serves 4. Prep 10 minutes. Cook 15 minutes.
200 g Dutch Edam Cheese 210g, grated or thinly sliced
8 slices sandwich bread
2 medium tomatoes, sliced 5 mm thick
60 g butter, softened
2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
1/2 teaspoon flaky salt
Black pepper, to taste
The retail pack is 210 g, so one pack covers this with a little left over for the cook. Slice the tomatoes first and lay them on a paper towel while you get everything else ready. That draws off the water that would otherwise steam the bread from the inside.
Method
Slice the tomatoes 5 mm thick, lay them flat on a paper towel, and season with the flaky salt. Leave them for 10 minutes while you prepare the rest.
Grate or thinly slice the Edam. Grated melts faster and more evenly; sliced gives you a thicker pull. Either works.
Butter one side of each slice of bread, right to the edges. The buttered side faces out and does the browning.
Turn four slices butter-side down on your board. Spread a thin layer of mustard on the dry side of each.
Divide half the cheese between the four slices. Spread it out so it reaches the corners.
Pat the tomato slices dry and lay them over the cheese in a single layer. Do not overlap them much or the middle will go wet.
Grind over black pepper, then add the rest of the cheese on top of the tomato. Cheese on both sides seals the tomato in and stops it soaking the bread.
Close each toastie with a second slice, butter-side up. Press down lightly.
Heat a heavy pan over medium-low. Low and slow is what you want. Too hot and the bread darkens before the middle has melted.
Cook two toasties at a time, about 4 minutes on the first side. Press gently with a spatula once or twice.
Flip and cook another 3 to 4 minutes, until the cheese is running at the edges and the bread is deep golden.
Lift onto a board and wait 2 minutes before cutting. The cheese sets slightly and stays in the sandwich rather than sliding out.
Notes and substitutions
Take the cheese out of the fridge 20 minutes before you start. Cold cheese needs a hotter pan to melt, and a hotter pan burns the bread. There is more on getting cheese to the right temperature in How to Store & Handle Artisan Cheese.
If your tomatoes are watery, roast the slices for 10 minutes first and let them cool. Sourdough works if you slice it thin. A sandwich press is fine, though you get less control over the browning.
Note for anyone cooking for a crowd: this contains milk.