A perennial favorite: soft melted cheese and pressed, buttery toast.

　　

Ingredients

1 Sandwich

　　2 slices Cheddar, American, or Swiss cheese

　　2 slices white bread

　　2 tablespoons butter

　　

Step 1

Put the cheese between the slices of bread. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a skillet or grill and when melted add the sandwich. Gently press down with a spatula once or twice during the grilling. When one side is golden, add the remaining tablespoon of butter, turn the sandwich over, and brown.

　　

Grilled Cheese with Bacon.

Step 2

Fry 3 slices bacon until cooked but not crisp. Pat dry of excess fat, add on top of the cheese, and grill as directed.

　　

Grilled Cheese with Ham.

Step 3

Put 2 thin slices ham on the cheese and grill as directed. Serve with sweet pickle.

　　

Onion-Cheese Sandwich.

Step 4

Follow the recipe for Grilled Cheese Sandwich, but lightly coat 1 slice of bread with Dijon mustard. Sauté 3 to 4 slices onion in butter and put on top of the cheese. Cover and grill.

　　

Tomato-Cheese Sandwich.

Step 5

Follow the recipe for Grilled Cheese Sandwich, but add two thin slices tomato to the sandwich before grilling.

　　Excerpted by permission of Knopf from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook: Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of America's Great Classic Cookbook, copyright © 1996 by Marion Cunningham. All rights reserved. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.