Smashed Brioche Grilled Cheese

This concept comes courtesy of Brandon Humphries at Ocmulgee Brewpub: https://ocmulgeebrewpub.com/ #notanad

For a basic sandwich, put one or two slices of cheddar cheese and a slice of Swiss in a brioche hamburger bun. Melt some butter in a pan on medium or medium-low heat, place the sandwich in, and then press it down with a weight — I use a brick wrapped in aluminum foil. Cook the first side for about three minutes, or until it's golden brown and the cheese is melting. Flip and cook the other side under the brick for about two minutes. Both sides should be golden brown and the cheese should be melted through. If you want oozy cheese, slice the sandwich in the pan when it still has a minute or two to go. If you don't care, slice it on a board when it's done.

My variations:

1) Dab the inside of both halves of the bun with balsamic vinegar, put a slice of cheese on each side and a few spinach leaves in the middle. Cook as before. Sandwich and salad in one bite!

2) Smear mustard on the inside of one half, put three dill pickle slices on the other half, lay Swiss on both sides, and lay two folded slices of Serrano ham in the middle. Cook as before. Cubano!

3) Beat one egg in a bowl with pepper and a pinch of salt. Melt some butter in a pan, and pour in the egg, mixing it with a spatula until an even curd forms across half the pan. Tip the pan to let egg run into any gaps. When the half-omelet is half-cooked, fold it over on itself to make a quarter-omelet and remove while it's still very runny. Layer the egg on a bun with cheddar and cook as before, but don't press the brick into the sandwich with any extra force or it will squeeze out the runny egg. Good morning!

MY COOKING PHILOSOPHY:
I don't like weighing or measuring things if I don't have to, and I don't like to be constantly checking a recipe as I cook. I don't care that volume is a bad way of measuring things — it's usually easier. I like for a recipe to get me in the ballpark, and then I like to eyeball and improvise the rest. If you're like me, my goal with these videos is to give you a sense of how the food should look and feel as you're cooking it, rather than give you a refined formula to reproduce.