Green Fern - Melts: over 50 delicious toasted & grilled sandwich recipes

Welcome to the book of Melts: seriously tasty toasted (grilled) sandwiches; from classic cheese to pulled pork to breakfast hash ragu. Whether you are short on time or need a fantastic fill-me-up, here is a great selection of delicious melts to seduce your taste buds. Factors such as the wrong cheese to bread ratio, and using poor-quality ingredients and unsuitable grilling methods can all produce sub-par toasties. Here are a few vital elements to help you build the best toastie or melt: Your toastie has to be golden brown and crunchy. A soggy or burnt melt will have you shuffling it around the plate, and perhaps giving it to the dog. Salty butter spread over the outside of your sandwich combined with direct heat helps develop a magical golden crust.

To add another dimension consider using a flavoured butter, with fresh herbs or garlic (see ). Its very important for your ingredients to have a savoury, salty lick as you want to be salivating and coming back for more after the first bite. When faced with a rich filling dont be shy to add a bit of acidity. Pickled vegetables are an important feature in a toastie; they cut through rich cheeses like theres no tomorrow. Check out the for some good examples. Bread.

There is a definite need to hit the right mix of bread and filling. If the bread is too soft you may not get the right crust or chew. If the bread is too hard it might feel like biting down on a seriously fat crouton. As for freshness, one-day-old bread is the best. It will never be too soft and will crisp up like you want it to. Dont feel that you need to go and buy a toasted sandwich maker.

Most recipes here give you more than one option of how to make your melt. Some breads taste better under the grill, others browned in a toaster or pan-fried until crispy. Here are the possible cooking options that are given in each recipe: TOASTED SANDWICH MAKER These machines cut and seal your sandwich while toasting them before giving you the green light. These are great to use when your filling is slightly runny baked beans dont usually behave themselves, but they do in one of these. PANINI PRESS These caf-style toasters are brilliant for most melts. FRYING PAN (SKILLET) No machine needed, just a heavy-based frying pan or griddle pan. FRYING PAN (SKILLET) No machine needed, just a heavy-based frying pan or griddle pan.

Sometimes it helps to use a spatula to press down on the sandwich to get a crispy finish. Using a pan also allows you to keep an eye on your melt during the crisping up stage, as and when you want to. WAFFLE IRON A nifty utencil used to make waffles, which also works as a perfect sandwich toaster. GRILL (BROILER) The ideal way to make a toasted open-faced sandwich like the sticky sweet recipe. TOASTER Simply toast your bread and top with whatever you fancy! As well as the best bread and toasting options for each melt, the recipes also include approximate preparation and cooking times, so you can easily see which toasties can be made quickly and which take a bit more TLC. A final note on ovens: where an oven is used in a recipe, the temperature given is for a fan-assisted oven.

If you do not have a fan oven then increase the temperature by 20C (70F).

Bread is the all-important foundation to a good toasted (grilled) sandwich. To help you pick the perfect slice, here is a selection of choices with a handy description of what works and why. The White Bloomer This is the favourite: a lovely white, spongy, doughy bread. Classically used for the simple cheese toastie, especially when its a day old. Make sure not to slice it too thick as youll have more bread than filling, but thick enough to envelop the cheese.

The bloomer does not pack a punch in terms of flavour, but this is good as you want it to merely be a subtle vehicle to hold that lovely gooey cheese. Poppy and sesame seed covered bloomers enhance your melt, so dont avoid them. It doesnt half make a good golden crust too! The Sourdough The textural confidence in a sourdough is ideal for a heavy load-bearing toastie. It can support strong flavours, especially if its made from rye flour, and creates a superb crunch. The occasional holes in the bread are a bonus when you have a cheese filling; the cheese melts through the holes and crisps up, giving your melt that yummy, crispy, deep cheesy flavour. On the other hand, very holey bread could also cause you a few issues.

The Ciabatta Crisps up beautifully on the outside and stays light and fluffy on the inside. This bread is a great support for very melty, drippy cheeses as the ciabatta cups around the filling and prevents any potential cheese leaks! Its also good for non-cheese melts, as its dual texture keeps you coming back for more.

The Multigrain, Granary and Multiseed Packed with fibre and full of flavour when toasted, these breads cushion creamy ingredients really well. Not recommended for carb fillings as the sandwich becomes too heavy. Lighter, creamier fillings, perhaps with herbs or pesto, are a good complement to these great breads. The Wae Made in the traditional way with batter, or with potato or cauliflower.

The waffle is an excellent hot, crispy alternative to regular bread. It takes a bit more effort but is definitely worth the time. Great for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so no excuses give it a go! The Brioche A very soft bread with a sweet edge. Brioche takes less time to toast than other varieties of bread, so lighter fillings are necessary. A perfect pairing for sweet things, making it a great vessel for fruit like bananas, and delicious with sweet spreads like chocolate. Its best cooked in a frying pan (skillet) so you can keep an eye on it.

TOASTING To griddle or not to griddle. To deep fry, shallow fry or use a toastie machine. What is the best method, you ask? This can be dependent on ingredients and bread choice; their size, shape, melt potential, whether soft or hard, and cooked slow or quick. All these factors should be taken into consideration. Most of the toasties you see in this book were made using a griddle or a heavy-based frying pan. If you want to use your toasted sandwich maker, many of the recipes can be adapted for this.