This is the ultimate fancy grilled cheese sandwich! Buttery and crispy sourdough bread is stuffed with chopped tarragon, Bourbon caramelized shallots and melted, extra-sharp white cheddar cheese. And to make it even more fancy, the cheese is mixed with dry mustard for extra punch! This recipe is a delicious new take on the classic comfort food.
Recipe ingredients and notes:
This recipe is made with the classic grilled cheese ingredients (bread, butter, cheese), plus tarragon, Bourbon, shallots and dry mustard.
- The bread slices I used here were about 7 inches long. If you use slices much smaller than that, you may want to make 3 sandwiches instead of 2.
- I don't recommend substituting mayonnaise for butter in this recipe. The signature tanginess of mayonnaise often works well with grilled cheese, but here it clashes with the flavor of the Bourbon shallots.
- Dry mustard (mustard powder) is a fantastic spice for grilled cheese. The sharpness of dry mustard intensifies the flavor of cheddar without adding the acidity that prepared (wet) mustard would add.
How to make it:
See full ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card below!
Step 1. Peel, then thinly slice the shallots crosswise.
Step 2. Melt butter in a nonstick pan or a cast iron pan.
Step 3. Add the sliced shallots to the butter and cook uncovered over medium heat until browned (about 13 minutes). Turn the heat off, then add the Bourbon to the pan. Turn the heat back on and cook until all liquid is evaporated, then set aside.
Step 4. Mix cheese and dry mustard together in a bowl.
Step 5. Spread butter onto one side of each of the 4 slices of bread.
Step 6. Turn 2 of the bread slices over and top the unbuttered sides with tarragon.
Step 7. Add the cheese mix on top of the tarragon.
Step 8. Add the shallots onto the cheese.
Step 9. Top with the remaining slices of buttered bread, keeping the buttered side on the outside.
To fry the sandwiches, heat an empty nonstick pan or a cast iron skillet until hot. Fry each sandwich on both sides. (Fry on the first side until the cheese melts and the bread starts to brown. Flip and fry on the other side until golden brown and crispy.)
How to serve it:
Serve the grilled cheese sandwiches by themselves or with a pickle on the side. (I recommend these cinnamon clove-flavored homemade refrigerator sweet pickles!)
More delicious sandwich recipes:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how you liked it in the comments below! Thank you!
Full Printable Recipe
Fancy Grilled Cheese with Bourbon Caramelized Shallots
Equipment:
- cheese grater
- measuring spoons
- knife and cutting board
- nonstick frying pan or cast iron pan
- mixing bowl
Ingredients:
- 3 medium-sized shallots (about 1 ¼ ounce each)
- 4 tablespoons softened, unsalted butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon Bourbon
- 4 large slices rustic sourdough bread*
- 6 ounces extra-sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 ½ tablespoons dry mustard (also called mustard powder)
- 30 roughly chopped tarragon leaves (you need about 1 large sprig of fresh tarragon for that)
Instructions:
- Peel the shallots, then thinly slice them crosswise. Set aside.
- Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a pan.
- Add the shallots and cook uncovered over medium heat until brown, about 13 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.
- Mix the cheese and the dry mustard together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Spread butter onto one side of each slice of bread.
- Turn 2 of the slices over and sprinkle with the chopped tarragon.
- Sprinkle the cheese/dry mustard mix onto the tarragon.
- Evenly divide the shallots on top of the cheese.
- Top the sandwiches with the remaining 2 slices of buttered bread, keeping the buttered side on the outside.
- Heat an empty nonstick or cast iron pan large enough to fit one sandwich on medium heat for 3 minutes.
- Fry each sandwich until the cheese has melted and the bread is browned (3 to 4 minutes per side).
Marla Celeri
OMG!!!!!!!!!! So good!!!!!!!!!!! Next level, no, top level easy gourmet grilled cheese!
Nicole B.
I am so thrilled to hear that, Marla! You made my day! :) Thank you so much for coming back and leaving such awesome feedback, I really appreciate that!
Andree-Anne @ Singly Scrumptious
Mmmm those spices sound really interesting, I never think of putting spices in my grilled cheese. I'll have to give this a try. thanks for sharing.
Nicole B.
You're welcome and thanks so much for coming by, Andree-Anne! The mustard powder adds just a little more punch to the cheese, I really liked it.