Grilled Cheese for a Bad Day with Scallion Mayonnaise

Preparation

Prep cheese and bread

Finely grate cheese on a grater and place into a bowl. (If you live in Seattle, I love using just a block of Beecher's Flagship). Cut bread into 1 inch slices.

Make spread

In a pan on medium heat, pan fry diced scallions in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 1 minute until sizzling and fragrant. Once cooked, place scallions into a mixing bowl and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, kosher salt, and honey and mix. Pour everything into a blender and blend until smooth (you can also use an emulsion blender). Set aside into a container until sandwich assembly.

Make sandwiches

On a large pan on low-medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add 2 slices of bread onto the pan, then place a generous sprinkle of finely grated cheese on one piece of bread. Cook for 6 minutes until the cheese has melted and the bottoms have crisped and browned.

Turn the heat off and spread a spoonful of the scallion mayonnaise on the other piece of bread without cheese. Add a few slices of apple on the mayo side (leave some gaps between slices so the bread can stick to each other), then flip one slice onto the other to close the sandwich. Press down with your spatula for 10 seconds or so to let the two sides get to know each other and combine. Cut in half and serve warm! Repeat with remaining slices of bread, cheese, and spread until you've eaten desired amount of grilled cheese. This grilled cheese also pairs well with a good dip into creamy tomato carrot and ginger soup.