Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Tarragon and Bourbon Caramelized Shallots

The ultimate gourmet grilled cheese sandwich, stuffed with chopped fresh tarragon, Bourbon caramelized shallots and melted, extra-sharp white cheddar cheese mixed with ground yellow mustard seeds for extra punch.

Grilled cheese is a classic for good reason. Melted cheese sandwiched between buttery and crispy fried bread simply can’t go wrong. But grilled cheese gets even better when you add a touch of gourmet!

Recipe ingredients:

Ingredient notes:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter – you need about half of the butter to caramelize the shallots and the other half to spread on the outside of the sandwiches. I always recommend unsalted butter simply because you can never know how much salt is in salted butter; the amounts differ from brand to brand.
• 3 shallots – peel the shallots and slice them more or less evenly so they caramelize evenly.
• 1 tablespoon Bourbon – arguably the most important ingredient in this recipe, Bourbon takes the caramelized shallots from pedestrian to spectacular by adding its signature oak and caramel flavors.
• 6 slices sourdough – thick slices of a dark and rustic loaf work best in this recipe.
• 6 ounces extra-sharp white cheddar cheese – I recommend to get a block of cheddar and grate it yourself, rather than buying already grated cheese, which is usually coated with corn starch to keep it from clumping.
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds – yellow mustard seed is one of the best spices for grilled cheese, in my opinion. The seeds have a sharpness that intensifies the sharp flavor of the cheddar without adding the acidity that actual mustard would add. If you start with whole seeds, you need to grind them in a mortar with a pestle into a powder. Or, you can simply buy already ground seeds.
• 30 fresh tarragon leaves – the flavor of tarragon works absolutely great with the Bourbon and the cheddar in this recipe.

Kitchen tools needed:

• cheese grater
• measuring spoon
• knife and cutting board
• non-stick frying pan or cast iron pan
• mixing bowl
• a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder are optional – if you don’t have them, just use already ground mustard seeds

How to make the sandwich:

How to caramelize shallots:

• In a pan, melt the butter.
• Add the sliced shallots to the butter and cook over medium heat until browned (this will take about 15 minutes).

Add the bourbon:

• Turn the heat off, add the Bourbon to the pan, turn the heat back on and cook for another minute, then set aside.

Prepare the bread:

• Generously spread butter onto one side of each slice of bread.

How to assemble the sandwiches:

• Turn the bread slices upside down and top the non-buttered side with tarragon.
• Mix the cheese and the mustard seeds together in a bowl and add on top of the tarragon.
• Add the shallots onto the cheese.
• Top with the remaining slices of buttered bread, keeping the buttered side on the outside.

Fry the sandwiches:

• Heat a nonstick frying pan or a cast iron pan.
• Fry each sandwich on both sides until the cheese has melted and the outsides of the bread slices are browned.

Common Questions:

More sandwich recipes you’ll love:

• Smoked Salmon Panini with Lemon Dill Mayonnaise
• Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Cranberry Grilled Sandwich

Made this recipe? It would be awesome if you could leave a rating. Either tap or click the stars in the recipe card or leave a comment below. Thanks!

Recipe Card

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Tarragon and Bourbon Caramelized Shallots

The ultimate gourmet grilled cheese sandwich stuffed with chopped fresh tarragon, Bourbon caramelized shallots and melted, extra-sharp white cheddar cheese mixed with ground yellow mustard seeds for extra punch.

Prep Time:5 mins

Cook Time:30 mins

Total Time:35 mins

Course: Lunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: caramelized shallots, gourmet grilled cheese

Servings: 3

Calories (estimated): 760kcal

Author: Nicole Branan

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons softened, unsalted butter, divided
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon Bourbon
• 6 slices firm sourdough bread
• 6 ounces extra-sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds, ground*
• 30 tarragon leaves, roughly chopped

Instructions:

• Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a pan.
• Add the shallots and cook over medium heat until brown, about 15 minutes.
• Turn the heat off, then add the Bourbon to the shallots, turn the heat back on and cook for another minute.
• Take the pan off the heat and set aside.
• Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread.
• Turn the slices upside down, sprinkle the tarragon on the non-buttered side.
• Mix the cheese and the mustard seeds together in a bowl.
• Sprinkle the cheese/mustard seed mix onto the tarragon.
• Evenly divide the shallots on top of the cheese.
• Top the sandwiches with the remaining slices of buttered bread, keeping the buttered side on the outside.
• Heat a nonstick frying pan or a cast iron pan on medium heat for 3 minutes.
• Fry each sandwich on both sides until the cheese has melted and the outsides of the bread are browned.

Notes:

*You can also start with whole seeds and grind them in a mortar with a pestle or a spice grinder.