Recipe: Sergio Herman’s ultimate grilled cheese sandwich

In his new cookbook Colorful Cooking, Sergio Herman shares his love of cooking, family and travel. With recipes full of bold flavors and colors, he inspires you to head into the kitchen with simple ingredients and a touch of daring. No rules, just pure cooking pleasure!

Sergio: “Is it raining outside and are you having a lazy Sunday? Then make these crispy croques in the frying pan. The combination of fennel sausage and Taleggio is a knockout. It’s sure to put a smile on your face.“

Fennel sausage mince

• Remove the casings from the sausages, put the sausage meat in a bowl and loosen it with a fork so that it becomes a sort of mince.
• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the shallot, garlic and sausage meat until everything is cooked through. Season with XO sauce, salt and pepper.

Frying the croques

• Spread ½ tablespoon of fine mustard on each slice of sourdough bread. Top 4 slices of bread with 2 tablespoons of fennel sausage mince, 2 slices of Taleggio, 3 slices of mozzarella, 2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan and 1 tablespoon of pickles each. Place the remaining slices of sourdough bread on top and press down very gently.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, place 1 croque in it and fry the croque on both sides until golden brown. Sprinkle 1 side of the golden-brown croque with 2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan, then turn the croque over so that the cheese side is in the pan. Fry the cheese crust until golden brown and crisp. Fry 3 more crispy croques in the same way.

Plating

Place the crispy croques on plates. Put the basil mayonnaise in a piping bag and pipe thin lines over each croque. Finish with the chives and crispy chili oil to taste.