I can’t exactly tell you why, but every time I walk by my neighbor’s deep, sunset-orange roses, I think of a grilled cheese sandwich.
Orange cheese isn’t even my favorite in grilled cheese. Perhaps I think of a grilled cheese sandwich because the flowers are an incredibly warm color — they bring my mind to melting cheese? Who knows! What I do know is that somehow these beautiful flowers led to this ultra fantastic grilled cheese sandwich recipe!
Gruyère is one of my favorite cheeses — especially for melting. Not all cheeses melt the same, you know! Gruyère melts evenly and smoothly, spreading its sweet-nutty flavor throughout this delicious sandwich.
If I’d had any of my Spinach-Kale Pesto left, I definitely would have added that here — but the basil leaves are fantastic, too! And it’s always a good idea to have a lot of caramelized onions on hand (good thing we made a batch yesterday)!
Recipe
1 strip applewood smoked bacon
2 tablespoons caramelized onion (here's How To Make Caramelized Onions)
1 small French baguette (about 6-inches)
Olive oil
1 tablespoon of your favorite Grainy mustard
about 3 ounces thinly sliced Gruyère cheese
about 1 dozen basil leaves
- In a medium-sized sauté pan, cook the bacon until it's crisp, about 1 minute per side. Drain the bacon on a paper towel, crumble it into small pieces and mix it into the caramelized onion. Set aside.
- Preheat a stove-top grill or BBQ. Cut the baguette in half lengthwise, rub a bit of olive oil on the crust, and spread the inside of each half with the mustard.
- Place both halves of the baguette on the grill once it's hot -- crust side down. Add the sliced cheese to one side and top it with the basil leaves and an even layer of the bacon-caramelized onion mixture. Once the bread has a nice char on it, turn the heat to low, and complete the sandwich by placing the top of the baguette on the onions. Use a flat-bottomed, metal spatula to put pressure on the top -- to flatten the sandwich a bit. Once the cheese has melted, remove the sandwich from the grill. Let it sit a couple of minutes and then cut it in half. Eat!
Notes
If you don't have a stove-top grill or BBQ, this sandwich is also delicious if you make it in a sauté pan, panini maker -- or you can even use a waffle maker!
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Really wish I had this sandwich for lunch today
Thanks for stopping by Marla! Was lovely to meet you at Camp Blogaway!