Perfect Grilled Cheese with Apples and Caramelized Onions

 The base of this grilled cheese is from our friends at Cowgirl Creamery and their recipe in The Cowgirl Creamery Cooks.  It really makes the perfect grilled cheese and I usually double the cheese mixture below to always have it on hand in the frig.  The 2 grated cheeses melt but the fresh cheese does not and holds everything together.  Also critical is buttering the bread to the very edges and grilling over the lowest heat on both side.  The version below expands on the basic grill by adding carmelized onions, and sliced apples.  Pears and oriental pears can be substituted. Bacon or pancetta are optional.  I love using 3 goat cheeses. That usually includes 2 of our aged cheeses—Julianna and the stinky Mont St. Francis—or my Cypress Grove favorite, Midnight Moon, a goat cheese gouda.

This recipe makes 4 halved, sandwiches.

 

Cheese Mixture

  • 4 oz. (about ½ cup) Capriole Fresh Goat Cheese

  • 4 oz. (about ½ cup packed) grated Julianna or Old Kentucky Tomme

  • 4 oz. (about ½ cup packed) grated Mont St. Francis, Gouda, or Cheddar

Grilled Cheese2.jpg

 Filling

  • 4 Tbsp. salted butter

  • 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced

  • ½ cup apple cider (or 2 Tbsp, each water, cider vinegar, and sugar)

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage

  • 1 crisp apple (Gala, Honeycrisp, Fuji etc.)  thinly sliced

 

8 slices sourdough bread

8 pieces of bacon or pancetta, fried until crisp (optional)

6 oz. butter, softened or melted

 

Mix together the 3 cheeses and set aside in a small bowl.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium low heat in a large skillet (non-stick or sprayed with Pam). Add the onions and cook 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly until soft and golden. Add apple cider, season with salt and pepper and continue cooking another 5 minutes until the cider has mostly evaporated. Add the sage and cook another minute. Remove from the heat and set aside in a small bowl.

 When I originally made this sandwich I did not saute the apples, but it did make the sandwich difficult to cut, so tried again with them lightly sautéed and softened.  Either way works, but to saute add 1-2 Tbsp. butter to  a large skillet set over medium heat add apple slice, and saute for 1-2 minutes so that apples are slightly soft but firm.  Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Brush the outside of each slice of bread with butter to the very edges of the bread.  On the inside of half of the slices of bread, evenly layer the cheeses, onion, apples, and if you choose, bacon. Add the top piece of bread, butter side facing up.

 Place the sandwiches, 1-2 at a time, in the skillet and cook over very low heat until golden on each side, about 5 minutes per side. During the last minute of cooking Repeat with the remaining 2 sandwiches. Serve at once.