Caramel Apple Grilled Cheese & Crémant de Bourgogne
Sticky, gooey, sweet n' salty comfort food you didn’t know you needed! Plus an affordable Champagne alternative for all you bubble lovers out there.
The crisp chill of fall is upon us, and this gal couldn’t be happier! Summer is great, but there’s just something about being able to walk outside and not sweat buckets or worry about heat stroke that brings a smile to my face.
The list of things I love about fall is a long one, but comforting fall foods are definitely at the top of my list. And when I think about fall foods, I immediately think of apples. Apple cider, apple picking, apple pie… So of course I decided to make this super sticky, sweet and salty salted caramel apple grilled cheese. This baby blurs the lines between dinner and dessert and is exactly what you need to comfort your soul on a chilly fall day!
What to pair?
You could go a few different ways with this pairing, but I chose one that might be a bit controversial. I paired this with Crémant de Bourgogne. A fantastic high value Champagne alternative from the Burgundy wine region in France that has flavours of fresh and baked apples and freshly baked bread to match the flavours of the grilled cheese, AND it has the refreshing bubbles and acidity to wash away all that sticky gooey deliciousness between bites!
I purposely broke a major food and wine pairing “rule” with this one, which is why I prefer to call them guidelines! The guideline in question is that you should pair sweet food with a wine that’s equally sweet (if not sweeter) than the food. This is because sweetness (or sugar) in food makes a wine taste more acidic (sour), bitter, and in general just increases the less appealing qualities of the wine. But if the wine equally as sweet as the food, both work together in harmony.
While this guideline is important, I believe it can be challenged when we have a combination of sweet and salty. That’s because salt has the opposite effect. It enhances the positive qualities of a wine, tempering the acidity, highlighting the sweetness, and enhancing the flavours. In other words, salt makes wine better. So while the sweet caramel sauce doesn’t exactly do the wine any favours, the salty cheese comes in to save the day, and the pairing!
If you’re not into sparkling wine, you could also try this with an off-dry Riesling. It’ll have that sweetness to play with the caramel sauce, those beautiful apple flavors, and that vibrant palate cleansing acidity! If you’re not into wine in general, try this with apple cider! I feel like I don’t even have to explain this one. :)
Salted Caramel Apple Grilled Cheese
Ingredients
2 thick slices sourdough bread
1/4 cup salted butter, softened
1/4 cup salted caramel sauce (I followed this recipe) + more for dipping if desired!
100g cup Fontina (approx. 5-7 slices per grilled cheese)
1/4 of a Honey Crisp apple, sliced into thin wedges
100g Aged White Cheddar (approx. 5-7 slices per grilled cheese)
Directions
Butter both sides of both slices of bread. Spread a thick layer of caramel sauce on the inside of each slice.
Layer slices of Fontina followed by thinly sliced apple wedges. Drizzle with more caramel sauce and then top with cheddar slices. Press both sides together.
Heat pan over medium-high heat. Grill on one side for 3-5 minutes. Flip, cover, and grill for another 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is crispy and golden.
ENJOY and cheers!!
xx Steph