Steal This Recipe® Grilled Taleggio Sandwich with Apricots and Capers | The Foundry on Melrose, Los Angeles

The Foundry on Melrose, Los Angeles

We decided to go with a comfort food classic over an elaborate chocolate dessert for our Valentine’s Day Steal This Recipe®. This Grilled Cheese recipe stolen with permission from Eric Greenspan, Executive Chef and Owner of The Foundry on Melrose, Los Angeles takes the grilled cheese to new heights; with dried apricots, capers, raisin bread and Taleggio cheese… a heart shaped cookie cutter is all you need for a romantic Valentine’s Day touch!

The Foundry on Melrose is nestled amongst the vintage clothing shops and boutiques of Melrose Avenue and brings an air of classy, yet casual sophistication to an already chic neighborhood. In the restaurant’s dining room you can experience the sophistication of Chef Greenspan’s fine dining menu, which changes weekly due to the seasons, and the whimsy of the Chef. In summer it is an open-air patio, with leather banquettes, a fireplace, and an olive tree - in winter it is covered with a canopy, making it feel like a large cabana. While the service is professional and attentive, the atmosphere is casual and intimate.

In the lounge patrons are offered an entirely different experience; the vibe is electrifying, humming to the background of live music, mostly jazz, played by the hottest musicians that Los Angeles has to offer. Cocktails and wines by the glass are poured as the hipsters and neighborhood locals fill the couches and ottomans, sampling the elaborate bar snacks and the Short Rib Grilled Cheese Sandwich, the winner of the 2008 Grilled Cheese Invitational, which is quickly becoming a favorite late night snack.

About the chef: Eric Greenspan began his foray into the restaurant business as a dish washer at the Café Med, a Berkeley breakfast establishment for over 40 years. Two weeks late he had reached the head chef position, and for the next three years served as head chef and general manager of the café that generated over $1 million in revenue.
Following his graduation from the University of California, Berkeley’s prestigious Haas School of Business with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Eric attended the acclaimed Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Paris, France. He went on to train in New York with such celebrated chefs as Alain Ducasse, David Bouley, and Rocco DeSpirito, as well as apprenticing at 3 star Michelin chef Ferran Adria’s El Bulli in Rosas, Spain.

As Executive chef for almost two years at Los Angeles’ world acclaimed Patina Restaurant, Eric was named as one of Angeleno Magazine’s “Eight Hot Chefs” in 2003 and his kitchen scored a 27/30 in the 2004 Zagat Guide for food quality and was the top ranked French Restaurant in that same publication.

In the fall of 2004 Eric teamed up with Tim Goodell and Domaine Restaurants to open Meson G in the former Citrus restaurant location on Melrose Avenue and in the spring of 2007, Eric opened The Foundry on Melrose to rave reviews and resounding success. Eric has made appearances on numerous food related television and radio programs, and has been written up in such noted industry publications as the New York Times, Wine Spectator, Art Culinaire, Los Angeles Confidential, Angeleno, and Los Angeles Magazine.

In 2009, Eric was a finalist on The Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef”, was 944 Magazine’s “Most Buzzworthy Chef in America”, and was a featured guest DJ on KCRW 89.9. He has been a featured contributor on The Food Network “The Best Thing I Ever Ate” and recently defeated Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America. He is currently planning the opening of his second restaurant, a quick-serve concept called “Greenspan’s Grilled Cheese”.

The Foundry on Melrose
7465 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046-7525
323 651 0915

Grilled Taleggio Sandwich with Apricots and Capers is served at The Foundry on Melrose for $9, or $12 with beef short rib added.
This recipe makes 4 sandwiches.

Grilled Taleggio Sandwich with Apricots and Capers Ingredients:
15 dried apricots
1 tablespoon nonpareil capers
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
8 slices dark raisin bread
5 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
4 small handfuls arugula
8 ounces taleggio cheese, rind removed, at room temperature
4 pinches fleur de sel

Steal This Recipe® Step by Step Instructions:
Place the apricots in small saucepan and add water just to cover. 
Bring to full boil and immediately remove from heat. Mix in the capers, mustard and olive oil. 
Pulse in blender to chunky consistency; set aside.
Spread one side of each bread slice evenly (to the edges) with 1/2 tablespoon butter. With buttered sides down, top four slices with 2 tablespoons of apricot mixture, a handful of arugula and equal portions of cheese. Top with remaining bread slices, buttered side up.
Place a large skillet over high heat, and melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter. 
Reduce the heat to low and add sandwiches. Cook until browned and crisp on both sides, about 2 minutes a side. 
Transfer to a platter lined with paper towels, and sprinkle each with a pinch of fleur de sel. 
Cut in half and serve.