Save Room for Cake is a recurring feature celebrating chef birthdays through—what else—their delicious food! This is the first installment of Save Room for Cake.
For Chef Mario Batali‘s 52nd birthday, I decided to test out a simple, savory recipe from his collection. With extra-crispy crust and a gooey mozzarella center, Chef Batali’s Mozzarella in Carozza puts my too-busy-to-make-dinner grilled cheese sandwiches to shame!
Following along with the recipe (seen below), I sliced mozzarella, whisked eggs and heated a pan to sizzling perfection. I dipped each sandwich into the egg mixture, making sure to just coat the bread without soaking it through. Once the first two sandwiches were browned on each side, I set them in the oven so their gooey middles (umm…yum!) stayed warm.
This awesome recipe yielded four seriously gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. Because of the egg batter coating, they were delightfully crispy and flavorful. When I bit into my sandwich, mozzarella just oozed out. Success! Combine with hearty tomato soup for the perfect weeknight fall meal.
This restaurateur and Food Network host does fancy grilled cheese right, and I’m happy to have discovered this comfort food just in time for the cooler months!
Batali’s Mozzarella in Carozza
Makes 4 Servings
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds fresh buffalo mozzarella, cut into 4 (3 by 4-inch) slices
- 8 slices American-style sandwich bread, crusts removed
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon plus 3 tablespoons sweet butter
Method:
Divide the 4 pieces of mozzarella on 4 slices of bread. Cover with the 4 remaining slices of bread to form sandwiches. Cut the bread away to leave a 1/4-inch border around the perimeter of the cheese and set aside.
In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and add the milk, thyme leaves and salt and mix until well blended. Dip the sandwiches into the egg mixture one by one to coat, and set aside.
In a 12 to 14-inch non-stick saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil until smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and cook until the sizzling subsides. Place 2 sandwiches in the pan and cook until golden brown on the first side. Flip each sandwich and cook on the other side. Remove sandwiches and set aside. Repeat the process with the remaining oil, butter and sandwiches. Serve immediately.
Photographs credited to Steven Freeman, Brad Glazier and Chelsea Sproul.
