The blizzard over this past weekend seems to indicate that the cold weather has settled in for the season. When that happens, I break out the comfort food recipes. One of our favorite foods to enjoy when it is chilly is a grilled cheese & tomato soup combo. Having recently posted a very good Fire-Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup recipe along with previous postings of Fresh Tomato Soup and Middle Eastern Tomato Soup and having a great new Rosemary Bread recipe, it was time to work on the grilled cheese half of the classic duo. Turning two of the basic elements of French Onion soup into a sandwich is today’s offering.

The most distinguishing characteristic of French Onion soup is the caramelized onions. But the melty cheese is equally important, especially to all the cheese lovers in our house! Classically, Gruyère is the cheese of choice for the soup. Named for the town in Switzerland where it was originally made, Gruyere is a firm cheese, pale yellow in color, with a rich, creamy, and slightly salty and nutty taste. It is made from whole cow’s milk and cured for at least five months. It is a smooth-melting cheese that works well in recipes needing a gooey cheese, like today’s sandwich.

In the past, I have paired gruyere with Swiss chard in Swiss Chard & Gruyere Grilled Cheese and with mushrooms and spinach for Mushroom, Spinach & Gruyere Quiche. We also love it here, combined with the flavor of the caramelized onions. The onions take time to caramelize, but this grilled cheese sandwich is worth the wait!

French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 2 medium (about 20 ounces) yellow or white onions
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 8 slices bread
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1.5 ounces (about 1 cup) Gruyere, shredded
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened

Directions:

Slice the onions in half then cut the halves vertically into thin slices.

Slice the onions lengthwise.

Add the olive oil to a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring gently, until the onions start to soften. Season them with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

Caramelize the onions.

Continue to cook the onions, stirring every few minutes. Add a splash of stock to the onions as needed if they start to stick. Cook them until they are a deep golden brown, approximately one hour. Set the onions aside.

We used the rosemary bread recipe from a previous post.

Gruyere is a smooth melting cheese.

Butter four slices of bread and place them in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Top each of the slices with 1/4 cup caramelized onions and 1/4 cup cheese. Sprinkle each sandwich with 1/8 teaspoon of thyme.

Place some caramelized onions on the bread slices.

Add the cheese.

Heat the sandwiches over medium-low heat until the bread is toasted, the onions are heated through, and the cheese begins to melt. Top the sandwiches with another slice of buttered bread, buttered side up, on the outside of the sandwich.

Top the bread and flip the sandwiches.

Flip each sandwich over and heat it until the cheese is melted and the second slice of bread is toasted. Serve immediately.

Caramelized onions & melty cheese make for wonderful sandwiches!

Caramelized onions & melty cheese – mmmm!  ~Linda

French Onion Grilled Cheese (adapted from cookinglight.com) Total Time Required: 1 hour, 15 minutes  Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 medium (about 20 ounces) yellow or white onions
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 8 slices bread
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1.5 ounces (about 1 cup) Gruyere, shredded
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened

Directions:

Slice the onions in half then cut the halves vertically into thin slices.

Add the olive oil to a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring gently, until the onions start to soften. Season them with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

Continue to cook the onions, stirring every few minutes. Add a splash of stock to the onions as needed if they start to stick. Cook them until they are a deep golden brown, approximately one hour. Set the onions aside.

Butter four slices of bread and place them in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Top each of the slices with 1/4 cup caramelized onions and 1/4 cup cheese. Sprinkle each sandwich with 1/8 teaspoon of thyme.

Heat the sandwiches over medium-low heat until the bread is toasted, the onions are heated through, and the cheese begins to melt. Top the sandwiches with another slice of buttered bread, buttered side up, on the outside of the sandwich.

Flip each sandwich over and heat it until the cheese is melted and the second slice of bread is toasted. Serve immediately.