As you Craftappers know, I like to cook with beer.Whenever and wherever I feel it’s going to work, I’ll swap out water in a recipe for some kind of beer or ale. More times than not the swap does more than just ‘work’, but adds flavor layers that wouldn’t otherwise be there.
So I’m always seeking out like minded spirits and Jackie Dodd is one of them. Her head is constantly spinning with ideas to bring food and beer together – as Jackie says, and I’ll paraphrase here, “It’s like I have a craft beer app running in my head.” Take a minute or sixty and explore her appropriately named website:
www.thebeeroness.com
As the colder months set in, there are few things more comforting than a grilled cheese sandwich. Personally, mine needs a side cup of piping hot tomato soup for dunking! Jackie’s recipe here adds beer caramelized onions to the sandwich, which are perfect with cheese and crusty bread. But I’ll suggest that you double or triple the onion batch. After all, you’ve got the crockpot out already, and the onions will find a place elsewhere in your eating in the days ahead. Maybe a burger topping or chopped and in an omelette. You’ll figure something out after you wolf down that grilled cheese sammy!
Slow Cooker Beer Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
make 6 sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 large, sweet white onions, like a Walla Walla, Maui or Vidalia
- 1 T. unsalted butter
- 3 T. brown sugar
- 1/2 cup beer (use a darker, malty beer like a stout, porter or Belgian Ale)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 large French baguette, sliced long on the bias (you’ll need 12 slices for six sandwiches)
- 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, sliced
- 4 oz. goat cheese
- butter for cooking
Directions
Thinly slice the onions and add them and all the onion ingredients to the crock pot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until soft and browned, stirring occasionally if you can. Any unused onions can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or so.
Butter one side of each of the bread slices. Add a few slices of cheddar cheese to the non-buttered side, top with about two tablespoons of onion, about one or two teaspoons of goat cheese, and a few more slices of cheddar. Top with another slice of bread, butter side out, and cook in a pan over medium heat until golden brown and the cheese is melty. Let sit for a minute, then slice and serve right away. With beer and ample napkins!