Don’t Worry, Brie Happy
Story by:
Sherry Dryja
The American grilled cheese sandwich is quintessential comfort food. All you need is a couple of pieces of buttered bread, some shredded cheddar, and a hot skillet to melt the blues of a hard day. Add some tomato soup on the side and the world suddenly looks level again.
Maybe that’s why my mother, a retired elementary school principal, made a face and leaned away from me when I offered her some of the brie I intended for an updated version of the old classic. “You know I don’t like to experiment,” she said.
Both she and my mother-in-law, Lucy, were in my kitchen to help test recipes, but I was asking them to take a couple of steps outside their comfort zones. These were women who had raised their families on comfort-food classics. My mother’s fried chicken and gravy, for example, is legendary and Lucy, who came to the States from Poland after World War II, taught me how to make sausage with “cheap hamburger” and liquid smoke. They had no reason to try brie on grilled cheese, much less add apples and caramel walnuts to the mix. What they had done for years worked.
Thankfully, both mothers, fathers, and spouse, too, for that matter, were good sports. Even though they initially thought the brie by itself “didn’t taste like anything,” when I topped it with apples and caramel walnuts, and grilled it until it melted over buttered homemade bread, the entire table sang in unison their delight and surprise.
And just like that, a grilled cheese sandwich made with cheddar was just another flavor among many worth trying. The earthy brie completes the apple and walnut trio, each balancing the other in sweetness, tartness, and earthiness. Seasoned cheese lovers know this combination to be a classic on its own. Add toasted bread and you’ve got yourself a classic within a classic.
The table was unanimous in its verdict that Uinta Brewing’s Tinder Rauchbier was the best pairing for my Grilled Brie Sandwich with Apples and Caramel Walnuts. The sweet caramel notes up front marry nicely on the palate with the caramel walnuts and there’s a brightness in this smoky brew that is perfect with the apples and brie. For something a little maltier, try a doppelbock such as Indian Wells Brewing Company’s Lobotomy Bock.
Grilled Brie Sandwich with Apples and Caramel Walnuts
For the Caramel Walnuts:
Nonstick cooking spray
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons pomegranate balsamic vinegar
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 ½ cups chopped walnuts
For the Sandwiches:
12 thick slices sourdough or country white bread
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound triple cream brie
1 Granny Smith apple, cored, cut in half, and thinly sliced
Directions:
To make the caramel walnuts, preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine sugar, balsamic vinegar, and cayenne. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add nuts and stir to coat. Transfer mixture to prepared baking sheet, spreading it out so the walnuts are in a single layer.
Bake for about 10 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until nuts are brown and syrup begins to thicken. Remove from oven and cool completely on baking sheet. The mixture will harden as it cools and can be broken into large chunks for the sandwiches.
For the sandwiches, slice the brie into pieces about ¼-inch thick. It’s okay to leave the rind on.
Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Lightly butter one side of each slice of bread. Place the buttered side on the heated skillet. You may need to work in batches and keep in mind that only half of your bread slices will be topped with cheese, apple, and walnuts. Leave the other half plain.
Place two or three slices of brie in a single layer across one slice of bread. Do this for each of the other slices that are receiving toppings. On top of the brie, add a couple of pieces of apple and top that with a layer of caramel walnuts.
Once all the bread begins to brown and the brie starts to melt, top the brie, apples, and caramel with the remaining toasted bread slices. Press gently with a spatula and then remove to a plate. Eat warm.
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