Flora Shedden's Comte and Sumac Pickled Onion Toastie

A toastie with a bechamel in it? We were sceptics at first too.

But the recipe is by Flora Shedden of the gorgeous ARAN bakery in Dunkeld and when we tell you it is life changing, we mean it.

Here is what happens. Comté and cheddar on sourdough, dijon underneath, a spoon of herby béchamel to keep it all honest, and a good handful of Sumac Pickled Onions in the middle where they belong.

Mayo on the outside, not butter. Into a hot oven until the edges go dark and the onions have gone soft and sharp against 350g of cheese.

The pickled onions are doing the work here. Sumac, a bit of sour, a bit of crunch left in them. Without them this is a very nice cheese sandwich. With them it is a reason to be indoors.

Makes four. Béchamel keeps three days in the fridge, so make it once and have a toastie all week. Nobody will check.

1. To make the béchamel, heat the butter and flour together in a medium sized saucepan over a medium heat.
2. Once melted, gradually add the milk, whisking between each addition to ensure a smooth sauce and prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
3. Once all the milk has been added and the sauce is bubbling remove from the heat.
4. Whisk in the seasoning, nutmeg, cheese and finely chopped herbs.
5. Set aside to cool then store in the fridge for up to three days.
6. Preheat the oven to 200C.
7. When ready to assemble your toastie, coarsely grate the cheese.
8. Slice your sourdough and place a large frying pan over a medium heat.
9. Spread a little mayo on all the bread slices.
10. Add a tsp of Dijon to half of them then spread roughly 50g of the chilled béchamel on top.
11. Divide the grated cheese between the four toasties then finish with the pickled onions, also divided between the four toasties.
12. Place the remaining slices on top then spread a little more mayo on the outside of the toastie.
13. Add two (unless you can fit more in) toasties to the hot pan mayo side down and cook for 1-2 minutes or until golden.
14. Spread a little more mayo over the top of the toastie and flip to cook the other side for another minute or so.
15. Remove the toasties and place them on a baking tray. Repeat with the remaining two, then place all the toasties in the oven for 4-5 minutes or until cooked through.
16. Leave the toasties to sit for five minutes then cut them in half and serve.
17. Ideally with some GRG pickles of course!