Thursday, October 11, 2012

He Had Me at the Tuna Melt

I remember my first tuna melt. I was dating someone from calculus class (he didn't  know he was cute btw...in that bookish sort of way) and he knew how to cook. Or, at least by college standards he knew how to cook.  :)  I will never forget how he showed up at my apartment door with our textbook under one arm and a grocery bag in the other.  My kitchen table was spread with papers, penciled from top to bottom with logarithmic differentiation.  We were going to study for our midterm exam.  "There are advantages of logarithmic functions..." he began, and I listened intently and watched, in awe, as he didn't miss a beat, turning the oven to broil, mixing tuna with some mayo, spreading the tuna mix onto white bread, topping with American cheese slices... And, I realized how hungry I was, not to mention how lucky I was to have such a good-looking study partner.   

So, the tuna melt. It sometimes masquerades as a proper sandwich, with crusty baquettes or ciabatta slices.  Or you can find it openfaced on toasted and buttered white bread and covered with a mild cheddar cheese, all melted and bubbly.  Either way, the tuna salad usually has a little bit of onion, a little bit of celery, a tiny bit of diced pickles (gherkins if you're being fancy, bread&butter if not), and sometimes even diced hard-boiled eggs.  I've seen it in a hollowed-out tomato (YUM), grilled on eggplant or zucchini slices (YUM as well), or made into a tuna patty and fried straight on by a fry cook. 

Tonight, as I got home from work late, and as I prepared to watch the VP debate, tuna crossed my mind again... Found a new recipe at the beginning of this month on Allrecipes.com, posted by Pillsbury.  Oh.My.Goodness...have never thought of using crescent rolls to make a tuna melt.  But did just that, wrapping the triangles around my tuna salad and shredded colby jack.  Fifteen minutes later, I had my buttery wrapped sandwiches, baked perfectly and beautifully.  Added slices of tomatoes to the side, slightly salted and peppered, with a little bit of my favorite olive oil.  A little tastier than my college meal years ago, and even better seasoned with such a lovely memory.

Tuna Melts by Pillsbury (and Allrecipes)

2 comments:

Lillian (My Recipe Journey) said...

Hi! I'm from the AR Allstars! I just stopped in to check out your blog! I love it! Great job! I'm your newest follower! =)

Diana said...

Hi Lillian!!! Thanks for the comment!