FROM THE FOUNDING TABLE TO YOUR KITCHEN
POTUSPLATETHE PRESIDENTIAL TABLEHISTORY IS SERVED.
Presidents/Franklin D. Roosevelt

AT THE TABLE WITH FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

Golden grilled cheese

Lower heat gives the cheese time to melt before the bread gets too dark.

Lunch15 minServes 2
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Golden grilled cheese — a little vintage colour
A little vintage colour · Serving illustration

THE STORY ON YOUR PLATE

Simple food, even when a king came to lunch

More about Franklin D. Roosevelt →

The thirty-second president led the United States through the Depression and much of World War II.

Family or White House tradition

Housekeeper Henrietta Nesbitt remembered grilled cheese among Roosevelt’s preferred simple foods. Slow browning gives this home version a crisp outside and a fully melted centre.

The president & the table

Housekeeper Henrietta Nesbitt remembered Roosevelt enjoying straightforward American food, including scrambled eggs, grilled cheese, fish chowder and hot dogs. The hot dog also has a particularly public chapter: Franklin and Eleanor served it at their Hyde Park picnic for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on 11 June 1939.

Behind this story

FDR Presidential Library, Henrietta Nesbitt recollections; “The Royal Visit,” June 1939.

APRON ON. HISTORY CAN WAIT.

Make it at home.

Our home adaptation · Serves 2 · Not yet kitchen-tested

What you’ll need

Let’s make it

  1. Butter one side of every bread slice. Put two slices butter-side down in a cold nonstick skillet.

  2. Divide cheese between them and cover with the remaining bread, butter-side up.

  3. Cook over medium-low heat for 3–5 minutes per side, until the bread is golden and the cheese melts. Cover the pan briefly if needed.

  4. Rest for 1 minute before cutting.

About this home version

A modern home recipe with practical ingredients and measured quantities.

Metric and US measures are approximate equivalents. For baking, use weights when you can.

STAY FOR ANOTHER COURSE

More from this table.