A match made in heaven.

Behold, the humble grilled cheese sandwich: buttery, crisp layers of cheap, white sandwich bread embracing an oozy, gooey layer of molten gold (perhaps a slice of American cheese, for the true classic). Pick up a perfect triangle and dunk it into a bowl of velvety, tangy tomato soup (Andy Warhol chose Campbell's Condensed Tomato as his muse for a reason). Lift to your mouth for that satisfying crunch and -- yes! -- pull away into melty threads of delight and toast crumbs on the plate. Bliss.

I think a fairly universal childhood favorite food is a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup. Grilled cheese is the inspiration for successful restaurant concepts (delectable Melt in Cleveland, OH) and food trucks (The Big Cheese in the DC area), so clearly there's a market. In college, there was literally a phone tree -- if one of us saw the grilled cheese and tomato soup combo in the dining hall, a mass text or series of phone calls would ensue, and everyone would drop what he was doing (perhaps headed to class or taking an exam) for this rare event.

Now before you scoff, let me first pause to acknowledge my Alma Mater for its fairly impressive dining hall spread: offerings included local produce, even healthful or interesting items you might not expect to see in a dining hall (quinoa, mussels), all on a seasonally changing, three-week rotation -- not bad for college fare! Our daily grill always had grilled cheese on the menu, but on Heavenly Combo day, the buffet line included platters of crisp, hot sandwiches lined up in rows, all ready to go. It was a rare event we cherished, a throw-back to our childhoods and the comforts of home on a dreary winter's 9(am)-5(am) of class, rehearsal, practice, and problem sets.

To this day I still keep a loaf of sandwich bread in my freezer and a can of tomato soup in the pantry, just in case I ever have a craving. So when my friend Allison sent a "grown up" version of the Combo, I jumped on it. This soup gets its flavor from oven-roasted tomatoes and red pepper flakes. A "crouton" of cheesy toast floats on top to serve as the grilled cheese, with an extra flavor boost from some grated parmesan in addition to classic cheddar. Serve with a glass of milk, either to temper the heat from the pepper flakes or to keep things familiar to your childhood.

~

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup
(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)


Serves 4

3 lb plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
2 T olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 t dried thyme
2 t dried oregano
1/4 t dried crushed red pepper
4 c chicken or vegetable stock
drizzle of heavy cream to finish

4 1" slices from a large loaf of bread of your choice
olive oil for drizzling
1 c coarsely grated cheddar
1/2 c grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap garlic cloves in foil. Place garlic packet and tomatoes on large baking sheet and drizzle tomatoes with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper (SK calls for a full teaspoon of Kosher salt). Roast until tomatoes are tender, about 1 hour. Cool slightly.

Unwrap garlic and squeeze (it'll literally be soft enough to squeeze out of the garlic skins) into tomatoes. Transfer garlic, tomatoes, and juices into a blender/food processor, or use an immersion blender until puréed. (I like mine fairly chunky.) Transfer tomatoes to medium pot and add herbs, spices, and stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20-30 min.

For the "grilled cheese," preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange slices of bread on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil on both sides. Add grated cheese and toast for 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese is bubbling. Finish under the broiler until the cheese is golden brown. (You can fill ovenproof bowls with soup and top with pre-toasted bread just to melt the cheese. Lacking (definitively) ovenproof bowls, I made the croutons separately and then dropped them into the soup at the last minute -- fresh out of the oven, they *sizzled* when they went into the soup.)