Brown Butter Apple and Brie Grilled Cheese

10 mins Prep Time

10 mins Cook Time

Written By

Vicky Tran

This grilled cheese recipe is as decadent as they come, opting to pair the sweet and tangy brown butter apple with double creme brie (triple creme brie, while even more luxurious melts way too quickly) in place of everyday cheddar. Whether in sweets or savoury applications, the use of brown butter has always been a simple hack to subtly heighten flavour depths. The process in itself is simple enough: cook butter for long enough or at a high enough temperature to begin to caramelize the milk solids resulting in a nuttier and more aromatic finished product. There are countless articles and methods to doing this but for the purpose of this recipe, stick to a hot pan and quick hands; as soon as apples are added to the butter, it effectively slows down the browning process, so make sure you begin to smell that nutty aroma before adding in this addition. Serve alongside your favourite autumnal soup for a perfect lunch.

Ingredients

Brown Butter Apple and Brie Grilled Cheese

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cored
2 tablespoons butter, divided (room temperature)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Kosher salt, pinch
Black pepper, pinch
4 slices sourdough bread
180 grams double creme Brie cheese, sliced 1/8 of an inch

Directions

Brown Butter Apple and Brie Grilled Cheese

3 Steps

Step 1

Quarter the peeled and cored Granny Smith apple, then slice each quarter into slices approximately 2-3 millimeters thick.
Step 2

Heat a pan on medium high heat for 3-4 minutes, add in half of the butter and immediately begin swirling in the pan. The butter should sizzle and turn slightly brown almost immediately. Continue swirling the pan until all of the butter has melted and browned, removing from the pan if the butter begins to darken too quickly. This entire process will take approximately 20-30 seconds. Add in the sliced apples and cook for 1-2 minutes tossing in the pan to move the apples around. Add in the brown sugar and allow to cook for another 1-2 minutes until the apples start browning around the edges and begin to soften. Add in the apple cider vinegar as well as a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper, and remove from the heat. Allow the apples to cool entirely before assembling the sandwich.
Step 3

To assemble the sandwiches: layer 1 slice of sourdough with half of the sliced brie, then an even layer of the cooled brown butter apples. Top with the remaining sourdough bread slice. Butter both sides of the sandwich with the remaining butter and sear in a pan on medium heat until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted.