Recipe: French Melt Grilled Cheese with Caramelized Onion

In our never-ending search for the ultimate comfort food, we came across this delicious grilled cheese sandwich. And it cries out to us: GIVE ME ALL THE CARBS WITH THICK, MELTING CHEESE AND CARAMELIZED ONION NOW!

Do you remember how we discussed that letting onions caramelize for a very long time is a really great idea? Especially when you then put them in such an insanely delicious French Melt: a grilled cheese sandwich with sweet, soft, deeply browned onions, with that divinely good Comté or Gruyère oozing out of it, mmmm…

How to make the French Melt

• Heat 3 tbsp of the butter in a large nonstick frying pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat.
• Once the butter has melted, add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 45 minutes until dark golden brown, stirring regularly with a (wooden) spatula.
• If they look like they are starting to burn, stir in 1 tbsp of water every now and then.
• Transfer the onions to a bowl and wipe out the pan with some paper towel.
• Return the pan to the heat and melt another 1 tbsp of butter in it.
• Place the slices of bread in the pan and gently move them around (without turning them over) until they are lightly golden brown after about 2 minutes.
• Remove the bread slices from the pan and place them toasted-side up on a cutting board.
• Divide half of the cheese over 2 toasted sides, then add all the onion rings, followed by the remaining cheese.
• Now place the 2 other slices with the toasted side on top of the cheese-and-onion slices and press down slightly. You now have 2 grilled cheese sandwiches with untoasted outsides.
• Melt another 1 tbsp of butter in the pan and place the sandwiches in it.
• Cook them for about 3 minutes on one side, gently moving the pan around a little so the butter coats the pan.
• Add the final spoonful of butter, turn the sandwiches over, and repeat.
• Serve immediately.

Source and image: Serious Eats

Also read:

• Recipe: savory madeleines with Gruyère
• Recipe: super-quick potato pancakes with cheese
• Why are grilled cheese sandwiches always cut diagonally?