Grilled cheese with dark beer, bacon and onion jam
Recipe ANNA Magazine, Photography Jerry Grajewski
Everything you want in a grilled cheese and more! The sweetness of caramelized onion with the smokiness of bacon and the malty-ness of beer complement the flavour of aged cheddar perfectly. One of our testers wanted the recipe upon first bite!
Ingredients
12 slices aged white cheddar cheese, thickly cut
12 slices bread, thickly cut
Butter, at room temperature, for grilling
Dark beer, bacon and onion jam
4 slices bacon, cut in thin strips
3 onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup dark beer
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Preparation
For dark beer, bacon and onion jam, in large sauté pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, approximately 10 minutes. Remove the crisped bacon, leaving the fat in the pan. Add sliced onions and cook until caramelized, 15-20 minutes. Add the rosemary, beer, brown sugar, vinegar and crisped bacon, and reduce until most of the liquid has evaporated and mixture is consistency of jam. Can be made up to two days in advance.
To assemble sandwiches, place one slice cheese on each of 6 slices bread. Layer 2 full tablespoons of the onion jam on each slice of cheese, top with another slice of cheese and another slice of bread. Butter the sandwich on the outside, and press in sandwich press or fry in pan over medium heat until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown.