Mr. Peaches and I are constantly at battle over one thing.
There’s just NEVER ENOUGH CHEESE.
Like on our pizza, in our sandwiches, or our chili, in his personal cheese and cracker plates, what have you.
He’s never satisfied, he always wants MORE.
He thinks I’m so stingy with it, which is so not true at all.
So to make him happy I made these grilled cheese sandwiches stuffed with caramelized onions, the next best thing ever.
While they take a bit of time to prepare the end result is so drool-worthy.
Serve them on their own or with a bowl of hot soup on a cold day.
And hopefully everyone in your house will be satisfied!
xoxo,
peaches & cake
French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Recipe from Jeff Mauro, featured on the Today Show
Makes 4 sandwiches
Time: About 1 hour 15 minutes
For caramelized onions:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 large yellow onions, sliced into ¼-inch slices
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼ cup dry sherry (or substitute red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
For sandwich:
- 8 slices Gruyere cheese
- 8 slices sourdough bread
- Butter, softened
For the caramelized onions:
Heat the butter and olive oil in a large stainless steel sauté pan or pot over medium-high heat. Add in the onions and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, then uncover the pan and continue cooking for 30 to 45 minutes or until very soft and caramelized, stirring occasionally.
Once the onions are fully caramelized, add the sherry and thyme and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Increase heat to medium high and cook until the liquid is reduced. Season again with pepper. Turn off the heat and set aside.
For the sandwich build:
Preheat a panini press or griddle to medium-high heat. Build the sandwiches by placing one slice of Gruyere on the bottom of a piece of bread, some caramelized onions in the middle and another slice of Gruyere on top. Top with another slice of bread. Butter both sides of the sandwiches. Repeat to make 3 more sandwiches.
Place sandwiches on a panini press or griddle (If using a griddle, cover the sandwiches with a metal bowl). Cook for about 6-8 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sandwiches are crisp and have grill-marks (flip sandwiches once if using a griddle pan).
Tip: If you want to slice the sandwiches in half, let them sit and cool before slicing. If you try to slice them too soon, the bread will slip around and the onions will fall out.
