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Do you know one thing that people really love for lunch? Soup and a sandwich! Another thing people absolutely adore: French Onion Soup! Here’s a tasty creation to satisfy their hunger using a blend of delicious French cheeses and fresh, hearth baked bread. It’s what I call “The Very Cheesy Grilled French Onion Soup Sandwich”.
Don’t worry, the name is far more complicated than the recipe.
The Main Ingredients are 3 succulent French cheeses, of course!
- Fleur D’Aunis: a semi soft cow’s milk cognac and flour D’Sel water washed rind cheese from the Loire Valley. Hearty, delicate, fruity and meaty!
-
French Raclette: also known as “Fromage a Raclette”, brine washed semi firm raw cow’s milk cheese from the Savoie region. Creamy, savory and pungent.
-
French Comte Gruyere: sometimes called “Gruyere du Comte”, a firm, raw cow’s milk cheese from the French Alps. Caramel sweet with an essence of nuttiness.
Quantity: 6 to 8 ounces of each cheese.
Other ingredients:
-
Wild Flour Bakery Shallot Foccacia Bread or Foccacia bread of your choice.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 red or yellow onion or 4 thick slices for caramelizing (optional)
Simple instructions for creation:
- Slice Foccacia in half through the width of the bread. (A serrated knife works best.)
- Use a cheese plane or very sharp knife to cut cheeses into thin slices.
- Place cheeses uniformly on the bottom piece of Foccacia.
- In a pan, saute onions in olive oil until brown. Sprinkle in some oregano or dried Italian herbs to add savoriness.
- Add sauteed onions on top of cheese slices.
- Flip top of Foccacia (shallot/onion side face down) and press firmly onto the cheese covered piece.
- Brush top and bottom of bread with extra virgin olive oil. Cook on a heated panini or Foreman grill until cheeses are nice and gooey. (You can also use a sauté pan and do it the flip way!)
- When finished cut into four oozy pieces!
- Should serve two hungry grilled cheese lovers!
- Tastes like the juicy onion crouton found on the top of French Onion Soup!
If you want to enhance the flavor and make it cheesier top with freshly grated
Reggiano Parmigiano.
Bon Appetit!
By Bill Bowles, Cheese Specialist at Di Bruno Bros. Ardmore Farmers Market