TOASTIE MENU The Gourmet Grill

The Gourmet Grill

It’s time to take those toasted sandwiches to the next level. The perfect storm of inflation, supply chain chaos, dining restrictions and all that time spent in lockdown experimenting with home cooking means that Kiwi consumers are even more discerning when it comes to choosing where to eat out.

This means establishments need to be aware of the experience they create, rather than just what they serve, as consumers will be looking for a point of difference, ‘Grammable’ foods and locations

BREAKFAST/BRUNCH:

The Perfect Croque Monsieur

The Croque Monsieur is a classic of French Cuisine, the name coming from the French words croque (“bite”) and monsieur (“mister”). It’s a simple sandwich, but when perfected, the croque monsieur will have customers coming back again and again for its melty magic. Try making yours with soft sourdough, gruyère cheese, smoked ham, and creamy mustard mayo. and things they cannot try at home.

Toasted sandwiches are a great menu item for these tumultuous times, their ingredients can be easily altered to suit seasonal produce, they are easy for even untrained staff to put together, and when done well, they can be a menu star.

Check out these gourmet toasted sandwich menu inspirations.

LUNCH:

Kimchi Double-Cheese

Add a spicy, sour tang to a cheese toastie with kimchi. Kimchi and other fermented foodstuffs are going off right now, a trend spurred by the outbreak of COVID-19 and consumers wanting the health benefits associated with fermented foods. Use a combination of cheeses, one with a slightly stronger flavour and one that is more mellow but brings the soft stringyness you want in a toastie. Try an aged cheddar and a mozzarella combination – in the end, you really want the kimchi to be the star of this sandwich.

DINNER:

Vegan Cauliflower Curry

The plant-based trend is here to stay, and customers are keen to try new things to compliment their growing flexitarian and reductarian diets. The key ingredient is a kind-of curry-hummus that creates that creamy, “cheesy” mouthfeel, with the grilled cauliflower adding the corresponding crunch. Something to note: if you’re not making your own curry paste, check that the curry paste you are using is vegan. Many use fish stock and other additives that are not vegan. An organic, yellow curry paste works best for this recipe.

DESSERT: Delicious Donuts and Classic Combos

From a pop-up tent in the U.S state of Cincinnati, some grilled-cheese magic was created that quickly spread throughout the country. Co-founder of Tom & Chee, Jenny Rachford noted that she wanted to pick one thing and do it really well, she found it. The buzz about Tom & Chee’s unique spin on ingredients (can you say Grilled Cheese Donut?) led to appearances on hit television shows, including a few successful appearances on ABC’s Shark Tank. Today, the brand has restaurants throughout America. Who said toasted sandwiches had to made from traditional bread? Taking inspiration from Tom & Chee, a donut makes for a unique bread base – from there you can go completely dessert style with ice cream and fruit syrups or mix up the filling for that sweet/savoury combination by using a mild cheddar.

If you want your dessert toastie to still have that classic quality, try a more traditional bread base and go all out dessert with the fillings: banana and Nutella, cranberry and cream cheese, or dark chocolate and peanut butter as a vegan option.