Three Cheese Melts to Die For
Classic cheese melt
Few things are more comforting than a cheese melt. Especially in the winter months, it’s the ultimate satisfying snack. The best part? There are limitless ways to experiment with this classic. Whether you use one slice of bread or two is up to you, but pay careful attention to the cheese, it's not a melt without a melting cheese. In these gooey wonders, you'll find both semi-hard cheeses and a soft ripened cheese. The other thing these sandwiches have in common is a contrasting, surprising and tangy ingredients such as kimchi, pickled jalapeños or cranberry sauce.
Kimchi Melt
This flavorful snack highlights how much our grocery “staples” have changed in the past generation. Even a decade ago, I might not have been able to assume that Westerners of all backgrounds would have access to kimchi; today I’d be shocked if I couldn’t find at least one brand in most supermarkets. (If you’re not already stashing a jar of cabbage kimchi in the back of your fridge, you’re missing out.) In fact, if you need to buy anything for this meal, it might be the sliced white bread, which is no longer the staple it used to be.
“I particularly love a kimchi melt because it hits all the flavor and texture notes you could possibly want,” Freedman says. “The kimchi is tangy, savory, bright, and just a bit spicy, while the cheese is rich and comforting,”
Kimchi Melt, as featured in Snacking Dinners by Georgia Freedman
INGREDIENTS
Kimchi melt photo credit Amy Sherman
1 slice white sandwich bread
⅓ cup (60 g) cabbage kimchi
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
⅓ cup (30 g) grated medium cheddar
1 small handful classic potato chips
Toasted sesame seeds
PREPARATION
Lightly toast the bread. Chop the kimchi and mix it with the mayonnaise and sesame oil in a small bowl. Spread the kimchi mixture onto the toast and top it with half of the cheese, reserving the rest. Cook in a toaster oven or under a broiler until the cheese has just melted (the timing will depend on your oven). Remove the toast from the heat, arrange the potato chips on top, over the melted cheese, and cover them with the remaining cheese. Return the topped toast to the toaster oven or broiler and cook until the cheese has thoroughly melted and the edges of the chips are browned. Sprinkle the toast with a couple big pinches of sesame seeds.
Bulk Up the Plate: This toast goes well with a simple salad of cucumber, carrot, celery, or cabbage dressed in a few drops each of soy sauce and sesame oil, and/or a Bartavelle or Salt & Spice jammy egg.
Excerpted with permission from Snacking Dinner by Georgia Freedman. Published by Hardie Grant Publishing, April 2025, RRP $30.00 Hardcover.
Tuna Melt with Charred Jalapeño Pickles, Chives, and Provolone
The tartine melt rather than the traditional double slice of bread tuna melt is part of what makes this recipe special, in Erickson’s opinion. She also loves the frico that comes from the strong Italian provolone. “The pickled charred jalapenos really punch up the sandwich with spice, a touch of smokiness and acidity,” she says. “Other pickled peppers would be super delicious as well.”
Sometimes you barely want to cook but you are still hungry for something delicious. That’s when a tuna melt can come to the rescue. One day a couple of years ago, Seattle was saddled with a “heat dome” and the temperatures rose well about 100°F (38°C), blasting through previous record highs. My friends were hanging out at their houseboat. We needed a little dinner, but I couldn’t bear the idea of much cooking. So, I put together a few tuna melts—it took about ten minutes—and we ate them with our feet dangling in the lake and a pile of cold cherries to accompany them. Inspired by that hot day, I made an extra-snappy version of the classic toasted sandwich: spicy charred jalapeño pickles and peppery provolone lend extra punch. The melts would be extra-delicious to eat on a hot summer day with your feet dangling in the lake (or just a kiddie pool).
Tuna melt with charred jalapeño pickles, chives and provolone, as featured in Sunlight and Breadcrumbs by Renee Erickson
Serves 4
Tuna Melt
INGREDIENTS
4 hearty slices sourdough bread
2 charred and pickled jalapeños (see page 33), seeds removed, diced (about 2 ounces/60 g)
1⁄2 cup (10 g) chopped chives
2 heaping tablespoons salted capers, soaked in fresh water for at least 15 minutes, drained, and chopped
1⁄2 white onion (about 6 ounces/ 160 g), minced
1 fresh serrano chile, minced
1⁄2 cup (120 ml) mayonnaise
1 (9-ounce/250 g) can good-quality tuna in oil (I use St. Jude’s, but also love Arroyabe and Ortiz)
7 ounces (200 g) provolone cheese, shredded (ideally a sharp Italian brand)
PREPARATION
Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and turn on the broiler.
Lightly toast the bread and set it aside.
In a medium bowl, mix the jalapeño chiles, chives, capers, onion, serrano chile, mayonnaise, and tuna. Divide the tuna evenly among the toast slices. Cover each with shredded cheese and place on a sheet pan. Place under the broiler. Keep a close eye on the toasts as they broil: The goal is tuna that has warmed up and cheese that is super melty and browned; broilers vary greatly, but about 4 minutes.
Serve warm, and don’t forget to eat all the crispy cheese from the pan too.
Reprinted from Sunlight & Breadcrumbs: Making Food with Creativity & Curiosity by Renee Erickson with Sara Dickerman. Photographs © 2024 by Renee Erickson. Published by Abrams.
Thanksgiving Leftovers Grilled Cheese
“The best part about Thanksgiving is the sandwich you make with the leftover turkey,” says Kubrick. She suggests enjoying this cheese melt with a bright red wine, malty amber ale, or mug of hot black tea.
Turkey and brie melt featured on the Cheese Sex Death blog, by Erika Kubrick
Thanksgiving Leftovers Grilled Cheese
INGREDIENTS
2 slices seeded sourdough bread
1 teaspoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon cranberry sauce
1 ounce leftover turkey
11/2 tablespoons gravy
2 ounces (55 g) Brie, at room temperature
11/2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
PREPARATION
Preheat a medium frying pan over medium-low.
Spread a thin layer of mayo on one side of each slice of bread. On one slice of the bread, spread the cranberry sauce on the non-mayo side. Place it mayo-side down in the frying pan.
Layer the turkey on top of the cranberry sauce, drizzle with the gravy, and add the Brie. Season with freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
On the second slice of bread, spread the non-mayo side with the mustard, and close the sandwich with the mayo-side facing up. Set a timer for 5 minutes.
When the timer goes off, use your spatula to firmly press down on the sandwich to help glue all the components together. Then flip and cook until golden brown and toasted on the other side, and the cheese has melted, about 4 minutes more.
Remove from the pan and let cool for 1 to 2 minutes. Slice in half and serve.
Reprinted with permission from @cheesesexdeath by Erika Kubrick.