Workaholics: Elevate Your Cheese Toastie with Truffle Paste

In our new cooking series Workaholics, we invite chefs, bartenders, and other personalities in the world of food and drink who are serious hustlers to share their tips and tricks for preparing quick, creative after-work meals. Every dish featured in Workaholics takes under 30 minutes to make, but without sacrificing any deliciousness. These are tried-and-tested recipes for the super-busy who also happen to have impeccable taste.

James Ramsden and Sam Herlihy can usually be found manning the floor of their cosy restaurant Pidgin in East London. Their weekly changing set menu intertwines seasonal British ingredients with high-end techniques to produce intricate dishes like charcoal meringue with blood orange and violet artichokes with kimchi distillate.

But what happens when Ramsden and Herlihy go home after a long shift and need something to eat, like, right now?

The ultimate high-brow/low-brow toastie in the form of a cheese and truffle croque with red wine "pho" dipping sauce, that's what.

"When you get home late and you're knackered, you need something to drink and this is the perfect accompaniment to whatever you're drinking," says Ramden, who's agreed to share the Pidgin-approved toastie technique with me.

He continues: "And everyone loves a cheese toastie. Unless they're mad, or dairy-intolerant, or gluten-intolerant …"

First up is the red wine sauce which Ramsden, Blue Peter-style, has prepared earlier. It's made by cooking a selection of aromatics—garlic, onion, ginger, fennel seeds, cloves, star anise, and cardamom—over a high heat before adding red wine, balsamic vinegar, and beef stock. Everything is reduced down, then whisked with butter, coriander, basil, and chili and given a quick strain before serving.

But as Ramsden admits, "you could dispense with the dipping sauce because if it's late at night, you're not going to make a reduction."

His alternative condiment if you cba?

"It's got to be mustard. But make sure it's Dijon, none of that grainy shit," he says. "Amora is the best Dijon mustard that you can get but you have to buy it in France. We've got two massive jars because … uh, I've got a friend to pick it up."

Because no one crosses the Channel for just a booze cruise anymore.

Next, it's onto the main event: the truffle and Tunworth cheese croque. Ramsden gives me the rundown on what each component brings to the Workaholics table.

First, the bread. Or, in Ramsden's words, "cheap-ass white bread." Today, that means a basic, supermarket-brand loaf.

"It's vital," explains Ramsden. "You can do it with sourdough but you lose that crunch. There's too much chewiness and too much crust. Sometimes things don't need to be refined crazily."

But one ingredient you shouldn't skimp on is the black truffle paste, which Ramsden now slathers on the bread: "Don't get cheap stuff or else it will taste like the devil's soul."

You've been warned.

Next, thick slabs of Tunworth (a smooth and creamy Camembert-style cheese made in the UK) are placed on top of the truffle-covered bread.

"We've frequently done truffled Tunworth at Pidgin as the cheese option, so doing a toastie with it was the way forward," say Ramsden. "Then on top of the cheese, you've got little nuggets of pickled walnut in there to brighten it up and give the whole thing a burst of acidity."

Another slice of bread is placed on top to make a sandwich and Ramsden gives the outside a thorough coating of mayonnaise. It's time to toast.

"You don't need to time how long the croque is in the panini press for," says Ramsden, pulling down the lever. "When it smells delicious and there's a satisfying crunch when you slice through it with a knife, then it's done."

No panini press? No problem: "You could also do it in just a frying pan with a little oil and just squidge it."

Oozy cheese, crunchy toast, sharp pickled goodness, and rich truffle. Your next after-work case of the munchies is sorted.