Recipe 3: Hostel Grilled Cheese

JOURNAL ENTRY: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 13, 2001

"Well this is it, on Friday I bid adieu to beautiful Sydney! Can you believe that I have already been away from home for four months?! It has gone by so fast. I have had an amazing time so far and I am so excited for the trip ahead.

We are heading to New Zealand on Monday for two weeks, and we begin in Auckland. We are doing a two week tour using Kiwi Experience. It is a bus service that allows you to get on and off at different stops along the way. The bus takes you to places that the city busses would never bring you like national parks, geysers, and mud baths. It sounds like an amazing trip and I can't wait for it to begin.

After New Zealand, we are returning to Australia for another 8 months! First stop will be Adelaide and then we will be trekking all the way up the center to Ayer's Rock and Darwin. I have to save my money for all this so it looks like grilled cheese will be on the menu for the next little while...lol!"

RECIPE 3: HOSTEL GRILLED CHEESE

(serves 1)

Grilled Cheese

photo: Ryan Szulc www.ryanszulc.ca

Food Stylist: Noah Witenoff - the Hostel Chef www.nustyling.com

What you need:

• 1 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 2 slices of bread of your choice
• 2 pieces of bacon or 1 piece of Canadian bacon (peameal)
• 1 slice cheddar - buy this in a brick or pre-sliced at the deli counter
• 1 tablespoon of fig jam or fresh figs

What you need to do:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees or gas mark 4.
• Cook the bacon in a pan, lay on paper towel and set aside.
• Heat the oil and butter in a large pan on med-low heat.
  
• Brown the bread on each side and set aside.
• Rinse your pan and lightly grease it with a paper towel that has a small amount of olive oil on it.
• On a plate, build your sandwich: bread, figs or fig jam, bacon, cheese, bread.
• Put your pan in the oven, and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Other grilled cheese ideas:

• Try swiss cheese, sautéed onions with a bit of honey, and some fresh thyme
• Try goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, sauteéd red onions.

This is one of those recipes that you can do whatever you feel. Have a great idea for a grilled cheese? Leave me your comments and let's have a discussion about it. Looking forward to trying some of your ideas!

The Hostel Chef