I was almost 25 years old the first time I tried a fresh fig. It was one of those seminal eating experiences that I’ll never forget. The fig was cut in half, smeared with goat cheese, and drizzled with honey. It was an incredible food moment, but I was momentarily saddened when I realized how many figs I could have eaten if only I’d known about them sooner!

I’ve been making up for lost time by eating fig gelato, figs wrapped in bacon, figs in oatmeal, and fig jam with Manchego cheese. So when I saw the first fresh figs of the season at the store, it was physically impossible to resist buying them.

I wanted to make something cheesy and savory, but without bacon so Jon (who is a vegetarian) could share. I settled on making up a big batch of caramelized onions, cooked long and slow, until they were deep brown, soft and sweet. Then I stirred in chopped up figs and cooked them until they began to melt into the onions.  Our house smelled so good, I would have tried to eat the air if the pan of figs and onions hadn’t been right in front of me.

I decided that this fig jam (or is it a confit?) would be the perfect filling for a gooey grilled cheese sandwich.  So, I spread some sourdough bread with a mix of shredded fontina and Gouda, loaded the sandwich up with the confit, sprinkled on a big pinch of finely grated Parmesan for good measure, and griddled them until they were golden brown and oozing cheese.

They were so, so good. I’d eat them 7 nights a week if they were just a teensy bit healthier!

Grilled Cheese for Grownups
This recipe makes extra confit. We gobbled up the remainder by spreading it on crackers with cheese and eating it straight out of the leftover container.

What you’ll need:
2 large sweet yellow onions, sliced
Kosher or sea salt
3 teaspoons olive oil
1 ½ cups of figs, diced
½ to 1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary, finely minced
1/3 cup grated Gouda cheese
1/3 cup grated Fontina cheese
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
4 slices sourdough bread
2 tablespoons butter at room temperature

Instructions:
1. Heat the oil over medium high until it shimmers. Add the sliced onions, toss to coat them with oil, and sprinkle a big pinch of salt over them. Turn the heat down to medium low and cook the onions slowly until they soften and turn an even, deep brown (about 30 minutes).

2. In the meantime, mix together the grated Gouda and Fontina cheeses in a small bowl. Wash the figs, slice off their stem ends, and cut them into ¼ inch pieces (see the top photo). When the onions are completely caramelized, turn the heat back up to medium and stir in the figs and the rosemary (to taste). When the figs just begin to break apart, after about 2 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and scrape the mixture into a bowl.

3. To make the sandwiches, divide the Gouda and Fontina cheese mixture between two slices of the bread, spreading evenly. Then, spread a quarter cup of the onion fig confit onto each of the remaining slices of bread and top them off with a tablespoon of Parmesan each. Create the sandwiches by topping each cheesy slices of bread with a fig onion confit slice.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat in a skillet. When the foam subsides, place the sandwiches, cheese side down, into the skillet. Press the sandwiches into the pan with the back of a spatula and cook, without flipping over, until the bread is evenly browned (about 3 minutes). Place the sandwiches onto a plate.

5. Melt more butter in the pan (about ½ tablespoon). When the foam subsides, place the sandwiches back in the pan, browned side up, and cook about 3 more minutes, or until the bread is evenly browned and the cheese is completely melted.

6. Remove the sandwiches from the pan, slice them in half, and serve immediately.