Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Tarragon and Bourbon Caramelized Shallots

This is the ultimate gourmet grilled cheese sandwich. It’s stuffed with chopped fresh tarragon, Bourbon caramelized shallots and melted, extra-sharp white cheddar cheese. The cheese is 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:

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Full Recipe

Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Tarragon and Bourbon Caramelized Shallots

Nicole B.

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.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Course Lunch

Cuisine American

Servings 3

Calories 760 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 760kcal

Keyword caramelized shallots, gourmet grilled cheese

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