Gourmet Grilled Cheese

For my gourmet grilled cheese, I started by making onion jam. I sliced 2 large onions and put them in a large saucepan over high heat with olive oil. Stirring infrequently, the onions cooked for about 10 minutes until they turned golden brown. I then added the balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar and sugar. The jam simmered for about 25 minutes until thickened to a syrup-like consistency. I incorporated thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper for added flavour. Then the jam was placed to the side to cool while I made the rest of the sandwich. 

Next, I took two pieces of light sourdough bread out of the freezer to thaw. Once thawed, I sliced cheddar cheese and placed it on the bread, covering the edges. I then cut cherry tomatoes from the garden, added two pieces of smoked turkey and placed 3 leaves of spinach on the bread. Next, I spread the onion jam on one side of the sandwich and put a light covering of dijon mustard. Finally, I put the completed sandwich in the panini maker for about 5 minutes, then placed it on a plate to be served. 

 Onion jam ingredients:                  Sandwich ingredients:                         

  – 2 large onions                              – 2 pieces of sourdough bread

  – 30mL olive oil                             – 3 slices of cheddar cheese

  – 78mL balsamic vinegar               – 4 cherry tomatoes

  – 47mL white wine vinegar            – Smoked turkey

  – 100g sugar                                    – Spinach

  – Thyme                                          – Onion jam      

  – Rosemary                                     – Dijon mustard

  – Salt

  – Pepper

This recipe was partially experimental. I was persuaded by my mother to make onion jam and I searched the internet for a recipe (https://www.attainable-sustainable.net/caramelized-onion-jam-recipe/). The recipe was relatively easy to make; however, the jam took time to complete. I added too much balsamic vinegar to the recipe, making the taste slightly too overpowering and causing the onions to simmer longer than needed.  As a side note I also should have put sunglasses on to avoid my eyes from burning from the vapours of the onions. Overall, the taste of the gourmet grilled cheese was good. The smoked turkey added a nice flavour and the fresh tomatoes and spinach were very refreshing. Next time, I will modify the onion jam recipe so that it is not as strong, making it possible to taste the spicy note of the dijon mustard.  

Photos taken by me