INGREDIENTS

• 2 6¼- x ½-inch slices of pain au levain, preferably Poilâne if you can get it
• 1 teaspoon good French mayonnaise
• Good flaked sea salt, like Maldon
• 3 ounces sliced raclette cheese

PRODEDURE

Preheat a small nonstick skillet (or a large nonstick skillet, if doing two sandwiches at once) on medium heat.  Use a butter knife to spread the mayonnaise all over the outside of the two slices of bread, and crumble the sea salt onto the mayo-ed bread and press it gently into the bread so it sticks.  Fill the inside of the sandwich (the mayonnaise will face OUT) with the raclette.

Put the sandwich together, cheese on the inside, mayo on the outside, and place in the preheated skillet.  Place another small skillet or a round cake pan on top of the sandwich, and put a heavy can or brick inside to weight the sandwich down.  Grill for 3 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is softened.

Flip the sandwich over with a thin spatula, and raise the heat to medium-high.  Replace the weight on top of the sandwich.  Grill for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the bread is golden and crisp and the cheese is completely melted.  The cheese will start oozing out from between the bread and crisping in the pan.  You don’t want to loose this—it’s what raclette is all about.  Use a silicone spatula to scoot the cheese up next to the crust of the sandwich on all sides, then use the thin metal spatula to lift it out of the pan to a plate.  Cut in half and eat immediately, with cornichons on the side.