Grilled Cheese with Onion Jam
These grilled cheese with onion jam, made with sharp Cheddar and a sweet and tangy red onion jam, still have all of the nostalgic comfort of traditional grilled cheese but feel a lot more special.
Ingredients
For the onion jam
- 2 smallish red onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Generous pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons wine vinegar (red, white, or sherry)
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
For the grilled cheese sandwiches
- 4 slices white bread
- Unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 5 to 5 1/2 ounces sharp Cheddar, thinly sliced
Instructions
Make the onion jam
- In a skillet or large saucepan over medium heat, combine the onions and oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden brown, about 20 minutes. You're probably going to want to turn down the heat at some point and start to stir the onions almost constantly so as to not let them burn.
- Add the salt, brown sugar, wine vinegar, and balsamic vinegar to the onions and simmer until the mixture is sticky but still somewhat liquidy, 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more sugar for sweetness or vinegar for tartness as desired.
Make the grilled cheese sandwiches
- Butter 1 side of each slice of bread.
- Place 2 slices of bread, butter side down, in a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Generously spread some onion jam on each slice bread and then arrange the cheese on the jam in an even layer. Cover each open-faced sandwich with another slice of bread, butter side up.
- Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, pressing gently with a spatula every once in a while, until the bread turns a deep golden color.
- Carefully flip the sandwiches with the spatula and cook on the second side for 2 to 3 minutes, or until deep golden brown. (If you're using a grill pan and you're keen to create a criss-cross pattern as shown in the photo above, rotate the sandwich 90° and cook for another minute or so, then flip the sandwiches over again, making sure they're rotated 90°, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.)
- Transfer the sandwiches to a plate and cut in half. Let cool for a few minutes before serving. (Any leftover onion jam can be kept in a resealable container in the refrigerator for up to several days.) Originally published March 5, 2015.
Nutrition
Serving: 1portion | Calories: 651kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 741mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 16g