Grilled Cheese with Blackberry, Balsamic and Basil | Rachael Ray
Rach pairs her grilled cheese sandwich with a tart blackberry-basil mash sweetened with aged balsamic vinegar.
Rach likes to serve this with her 5-Ingredient Fresh Tomato Soup. For another riff, check out her Grilled Cheese with Basil-Mint Pesto.
- ½ pint blackberries, or up to 1 ½ cups
- 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar, balsamic drizzle or balsamic reduced with light brown sugar until thick and syrupy
- ½ cup basil leaves (a handful), stacked, rolled and very thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Six ½- to ¾-inch-thick slices sesame Italian bread
- 8 ounces Fontina cheese, sliced
Place berries in a bowl and add aged balsamic vinegar or balsamic drizzle and basil and mash with a fork to combine and macerate berries.
Preheat a griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat.
Combine 2 tablespoons EVOO and butter in small bowl and microwave 45 seconds. Brush one side of the sliced bread lightly. Flip buttered sides down and build cheese sandwiches with fontina and black berries, then more cheese. Fold sandwiches together and grill sandwiches until deeply golden and cheese has melted, then cut in half.