Tomato Bisque Grilled Cheese

Preheat oven to 200C (400F). Halve roma tomatoes lengthwise, cut the yellow onion into 4 thick wedges, and leave garlic cloves whole. Toss all in the stainless steel mixing bowl with 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 3 thyme sprigs until evenly coated. Spread in a single layer, cut-side down, on the rimmed aluminum baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes until tomato skins are wrinkled and slightly charred at the edges, and garlic is soft and pale golden.

Transfer all roasted vegetables and any collected caramelized pan juices to the 4-quart stainless steel soup pot set over medium heat. Add 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock, 1 tsp granulated sugar, and remaining 2 thyme sprigs. Bring to a gentle simmer (small bubbles breaking at the surface, not a rolling boil), then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 5 minutes to let flavors meld. Stir once with the black silicone ladle to prevent any bits from sticking to the pot bottom.

Turn off heat under the pot. Fish out and discard the woody thyme stems, then use the immersion blender to puree the soup until completely smooth, about 2 minutes, keeping the blender wand submerged at the bottom of the pot to avoid hot splatters. Stir in 2 tbsp unsalted butter and 1/2 cup heavy cream until fully melted and incorporated, then taste and adjust salt if needed. The finished bisque should be velvety and thick enough to evenly coat the back of a spoon, with no visible vegetable lumps.

Lay 4 slices of sourdough flat on the acacia cutting board. Divide sliced sharp white cheddar and shredded gruyère evenly between the slices, spreading cheese all the way to the bread edges to prevent bare, un-melted spots when cooked. Top with the remaining 4 bread slices to make 4 full sandwiches. Spread 1/2 tbsp softened unsalted butter on the top surface of each sandwich, coating evenly all the way to the crust edges.

Heat the 10-inch seasoned carbon steel skillet over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Place 2 sandwiches butter-side down in the skillet. Spread the remaining 1/2 tbsp softened butter per sandwich on the unbuttered top surface. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, pressing gently with the thin metal spatula, until bread is deep even golden brown and crisp, and cheese is fully melted and bubbling slightly out of the sandwich edges. Repeat with the remaining 2 sandwiches, turning heat down slightly if bread browns faster than 3 minutes to avoid burnt crusts.

Transfer all cooked grilled cheese sandwiches back to the acacia cutting board. Let rest for 1 minute to let melted cheese set slightly (this prevents cheese from gushing out when sliced), then cut each sandwich diagonally into two equal triangular halves with the chef knife. Lightly sprinkle the crisp crusts with a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt from the wood salt cellar.

Set the wide matte cream ceramic shallow bowl on the counter. Use the black silicone ladle to pour 1.5 cups of warm tomato bisque into the bowl, filling it two-thirds full. Drizzle a tiny 1/4 tsp swirl of heavy cream on top of the bisque, garnish with a pinch of fresh thyme leaves and one light crack of black pepper. Perch one triangular grilled cheese half on the right rim of the bowl, cut side angled inward to show the melted cheese interior. Serve immediately while hot.