An artist has got to eat! - Milk Truck's 3 Cheese Grilled Cheese with Balsamic Glazed Onions & Sautéed Mushrooms

Since I am a foodie besides being a painter, I will be posting an occasional series on great recipes I come across.

I am a great fan of grilled cheese sandwiches, especially with tomato and bacon. This takes it to a whole new level. This recipe was in the NY Daily News from Keith Klein of the Milk Truck, one of the many gourmet food trucks that prowl the city of New York. Check the info at the end of the posting for the actual article and the milk truck's web site.

Milk Truck 3 Cheese Grilled Cheese with Balsamic Glazed Onions & Sautéed Mushrooms
Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion
6 tablespoons cultured butter
Olive oil
3 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper
4 ounces cremini mushrooms
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
½ lemon
8 slices of rosemary Pullman bread
4 ounces aged domestic Gruyere
4 ounces aged cheddar
4 ounces creamy blue cheese

Instructions

Remove skin of the onion, cut in half and slice into ¹/8" slices.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 T. butter and a little olive oil. When the butter has melted, place the onions in the pan, and sauté until they soften and begin to caramelize, 3 or 4 minutes.

Stir in the balsamic vinegar and continue to cook until the onions are syrupy and there is very little liquid in the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from pan and cool.

Clean and slice the mushrooms. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, add 1 T. of butter and 2 T. of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and thyme. Sauté the mushrooms for a few minutes until browned. Season to taste and remove from heat. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the mushrooms and set aside.

Heat a panini maker or a ridged, cast-iron pan over medium heat. Put a thin layer of butter on the outside of the bread slices. On the unbuttered side, add 1 ounce of Gruyere, cheddar and blue to four slices of bread. Spoon a generous amount of onion and 1 T. of mushrooms on top of the cheese. Cover with the remaining bread slices so that the buttered sides are facing out.

Place sandwiches on the grill and cook until the bread is crisp and the butter is melted.

If using a cast-iron pan, place another slightly smaller pan on top of the sandwiches to weight them down. Turn after a couple of minutes and repeat.

Find Milk Truck Saturdays at the Ft. Greene Brooklyn Flea, 176 Lafayette Ave., between Clermont and Vanderbilt. Sundays at the One Hanson Brooklyn Flea, One Hanson Place. The hours vary, but the truck is usually there between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. See milktruckgrilledcheese.com.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2011/03/15/2011-03-15_big_cheesy_grilledcheese_faceoff_top_honors_go_to_milk_trucks_keith_klein_with_o.html#ixzz1GhDxX3nJ