Copy Nancy Silverton's Technique For Making A Next-Level Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Nancy Silverton is a powerhouse. The co-owner of Los Angeles-based Mozza Restaurant Group, Silverton has earned a number of awards and recognitions, including the James Beard Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2026 Time 100 list. The celebrity chef and author is even the creator of the crème fraîche brioche tart that made Julia Child cry on camera. While a chef of her caliber is no stranger to a multi-course fine-dining experience, she firmly believes that a perfect grilled cheese sandwich can be just as satisfying. 

In an episode of the Masterclass "G.O.A.T." series, she shared her foolproof technique for the ultimate grilled cheese. Calling it "a sandwich to dream about," Silverton's version is a classic combination of flavors and textures: four cheeses, thinly sliced onions and leeks, and — the pièce de résistance — whole-grain mustard and pickled mustard seeds. With a few handy tips and tricks, you can master this grilled cheese at home.

It all starts with what Nancy Silverton does best: the bread. La Brea, the bakery she opened with her then-husband in the late '80s, helped shape the artisan bread movement, especially in terms of the hearty sourdough Silverton suggests using as the best base for grilled cheese. Sourdough's tangy flavor and chewy texture balances the denseness of high-fat ingredients like cheese and butter. 

As for the star of the show, she opts for a multi-cheese blend, with each variety playing a specific role. Aged Gruyère cheese provides a generous cheese pull. Three cheddar cheeses give different levels of sharpness and depth — a melty medium one from Wisconsin; an aged sharp English; and an aged medium New York. The blend provides sharpness, nuttiness, depth, and meltability. Substitutions can easily be made, including Comté or fontina for the Gruyère, and colby or Havarti for the New York aged cheddar.

To cut through the cheese — and for added texture — Silverton incorporates thin slices of yellow onion and leeks to the grated cheese. Not a fan of an onion or leek's sharp flavor? Soak them in an ice bath for 10 to 20 minutes to mellow their bite by reducing some of the sulfur compounds.

Whole grain mustard and pickled mustard seeds round out the mix, taking this sandwich to G.O.A.T. level. Pickled mustard seeds can easily be made at home by simmering mustard seeds in a mixture of vinegar, salt, and sugar, and letting them marinate. If you can't find pickled mustard seeds at your local grocery store or online, you can substitute with ground mustard. Use half of the amount of ground mustard as the pickled mustard seeds calls for, plus an equal amount of vinegar. 

In lieu of brushing the bread with softened butter, Silverton uses ghee. Ghee is clarified butter, which is butter melted and heated until the water steams off and the milk proteins separate for removal, leaving behind pure butterfat with a high smoke point. This allows the bread to develop a crispy, buttery exterior without burning as easily.

A cast-iron pan is the preferred cooking vessel for its excellent heat retention. For an even crisp and a golden brown color, Silverton recommends building your grilled cheese open-faced to start melting the cheese, and letting the sliced cheese hang over the edges, allowing it to caramelize when it hits the pan directly. Once the cheese begins to melt, she adds a few tablespoons of water with a squeeze bottle before covering with a stainless-steel bowl. The resulting steam helps melt the cheese while the bread continues to get crispy. Another handy kitchen tool she recommends — and is commonly found at specialty cooking stores — is the almighty sandwich weight, which presses the bread firmly for maximum contact and crispiness.