Vegetarian
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[Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

About the author: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the Chief Creative Officer of Serious Eats where he likes to explore the science of home cooking in his weekly column The Food Lab. You can follow him at @thefoodlab on Twitter, or at The Food Lab on Facebook.

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About This Recipe

Yield: Makes 1 sandwich
Active time: 12 minutes
Total time: 12 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 slices French or Italian bread
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 ounce mozzarella cheese, sliced or grated
  • 2 slices ripe tomato
  • 6 basil leaves
  • Kosher salt

Procedures

  1. Heat one teaspoon butter and one teaspoon olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat until foaming subsides. Add both bread slices and cook, swirling occasionally, until pale golden brown on bottom side, about 2 minutes.

  2. Transfer to a cutting board toasted-side-up. half of cheese on top of one slice of bread. Top with tomato, basil, and remaining cheese. Close sandwich, with both toasted sides facing inwards.

  3. Heat one more teaspoon each of butter and oil in the skillet and reduce heat to medium low. Add sandwich and cook, swirling occasionally, until deep, even golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove sandwich using a flexible metal spatula. Add the remaining butter and oil. Return sandwich to skillet cooked-side up. Season with salt. Cook, swirling occasionally, until second side is deep, even golden brown and cheese is thoroughly melted, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.