Change Up Your Grilled Cheese Game — Make It Marilyn Monroe Style

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Marilyn Monroe is probably one of the most iconic women in Hollywood's history — from singing "Happy Birthday" to John F. Kennedy to standing on a subway grate in a white dress, the blonde bombshell made quite the mark on Hollywood. Monroe is believed to have frequented Canter's Deli in Los Angeles — an infamous Jewish deli known for its sandwiches and other classic items. But what did she order?

Marc Canter, the current owner of Canter's Deli, told Tasting Table in an exclusive email that Monroe "did sometimes request the grilled cheese sandwich — but changed the bread to rye and asked for Swiss cheese, and added grilled tomatoes to it." Canter's has since paid homage to Monroe by adding her modified sandwich order to its menu, dubbing it The Marilyn. You can make your very own Marilyn-style grilled cheese at home, and it's quite delicious.

The combination of rye bread and Swiss cheese is a classic one, utilized most notably in a Reuben zhuzhed up with corned beef and sauerkraut (we've got a recipe for a homemade one here). This combo works for a reason. Rye bread is quite dense, with a slightly sour, bitter flavor. Jewish delis often add caraway seeds, which bring a sharp, slightly sweet bite to the bread. Swiss cheese, which melts very easily, is more nutty and mellow in flavor. The combination of the two is a match made in heaven, making for a wonderfully unique iteration of a grilled cheese sandwich. This combo benefits from some acidity to break up the richness, hence the sauerkraut in a Reuben, or in Marilyn's case, the grilled tomatoes. Grilled tomatoes are both sweet and sour (due to the caramelization on the grill). When you put all three together, it makes for an upgraded grilled cheese that appeals to the taste buds.

To make The Marilyn, the tomatoes come first. The recipe specifically calls for grilled tomatoes, so you want a bit of a char on them. If you have a grill, great, but if you'd like to stick to stovetop, you can easily use a grill pan, like this one on Amazon. Brush the tomatoes with oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper before grilling to get a delicious flavor for your sandwich.

Once your tomatoes are ready, building the sandwich from there is a breeze. Shredding Swiss cheese is a good place to start, so everything can melt evenly. Layer the grilled tomato slices between the cheese on the sandwich — during cooking, the cheese will melt and make sure everything sticks together. Butter in the pan will impart a bit more fatty flavor, making for a delicious grilled cheese sandwich, but you can also swap it with mayo for a more tangy flavor.

Make sure you build your sandwich right so the fillings don't fall out, and slice diagonally for a great crust-to-bread ratio. That's The Marilyn from home. After trying this iteration, your grilled cheese game might just be up a notch, and your family and friends can thank you. We can't bet that the homemade version is better than the iconic Canter's Deli version, but maybe it will come close for you. Either way, try it out.

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