French Onion Grilled Toastie
This is the toastie that is going to change your life. Is there anything better than a really good grilled cheese toastie? It's the classic comfort food we all know and love. But this one is better. It's got all the flavours I love in a comforting bowl of French Onion Soup, but in the form of a grilled toastie with gooey, melted brie. It is decadent, that's for sure.
The caramelised onions are layered with creamy slices of brie between two slices of salty buttered sourdough (from our favourite bakery Rick's in Noosaville) and pinched together with a garnishing of pickles. The hero is the caramelised onions, of course. But I am totally in love with the crispiness of the sandwich, which is coated in salted butter before being pan-fried in our skillet until the cheese is oozing over the edges and the sourdough is golden and crisp. It's the most perfect grilled cheese toastie...all year round. Read on for the recipe.
Ingredients
8 medium sized brown onions, peeled and sliced
5 Tbsp salted butter
Sea salt and cracked pepper, for seasoning
4 slices of sourdough bread, sliced thickly
1 wheel of brie
Pickles, for garnishing
Method
Melt 3 tbsp butter in a pan or skillet on medium to high heat. Once the butter is melted, place all of your onions in the pan and toss around in the butter. Cover and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Stir once or twice. If you don't have a lid for your pan or skillet, use aluminium foil.
Remove the cover and set the heat down to low to medium. To caramelise the onions, gradually stir the onions until they turn a golden brown. This will take up to 25 to 35 minutes. If the onions start to dry or stick to the pan, add a small splash of water, scraping any brown bits off the bottom of your pan. We had to do this a few times. Don't walk away from the pan as your onions could start to burn and ruin the caramelised flavour; this is a labour of love and the reward is totally worth the effort.
Take your pan off the heat. Set the onions aside in a bowl, and season with salt and pepper.
Lay out the slices of sourdough and butter them on one side.
Put your pan back on medium heat, and melt a tbsp of butter. Place two slices of sourdough into the pan butter side down. Using tongs, place caramelised onion onto each slice of bread and layer two slices of brie on top of the onions. Top with the remaining slices of bread, butter side up. Cook until the bottoms turn golden brown, approximately 2 to 5 minutes. This can happen quickly so take a peek underneath, and make sure the bread isn't burning. If this does happen reduce the heat, if needed, and go straight to the next step.
Add the remaining tbsp of butter to the pan, and flip the sandwich over (we used tongs and a spatula to do this).
Press the toastie down using your hand or a spatula. Cook until the cheese is melted and the bottom of the sandwich has also turned golden brown.
Remove from the heat, slice with a knife and enjoy straight away!
If you make my French Onion Grilled Toastie, or any other recipes on here, remember to tag me onInstagram @smorkitchen #smorkitchen. I love seeing what you cook!
