A food writer has settled on a long-considered way to combine grilled cheese and tomato soup in a single bowl: broil an open-faced grilled cheese sandwich directly on top of the soup. The idea, described in a first-person cooking post, was reached after rejecting other approaches.
The writer had spent a significant portion of the past year thinking about how to merge the two foods. Early ideas included grilled cheese croutons cut into one-inch rounds, which were rejected as "overly precious," and grilled cheese bread bowls, which never worked out logistically.
The solution came after revisiting French onion soup in the spring. The writer describes that dish as the "ne plus ultra combination of cheese and soup" and says it made clear that broiling an open-faced grilled cheese on a bowl of tomato soup was the best approach.
Executing the idea required waiting for what the writer calls a slim overlap of tomato season, soup season, and a gloomy, rainy week. The post notes that it is still September and that tomatoes worth eating — or at least worth cooking down — may still be available.
The writer also reflects on a shift in attitude toward soup. After previously listing reasons for not being "Soup People," including monotony, the smell of boiled vegetables, and overuse of salt or cream, the writer says they became soup enthusiasts. Soup is now described as something that can be made in a large pot a couple of times a week and reheated for healthy meals.
Still, the post notes that day-old soup alone does not always appeal. The prospect of day-old soup with a broiled cheddar cheese lid, however, is something the writer says they cannot wait to eat.
Editorial Notes