Pumpkin Grilled Cheese w/ Hazelnut Butter
makes 4 sandwiches
recipe slightly adapted from ‘wichcraft: Craft a Sandwich into a Meal
- 1 pound pumpkin, seeded & cut into 4 pieces
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 8 oz. of mozzarella, thinly sliced
- 8 slices sourdough bread
- 4 tablespoons Hazelnut Butter (see below)
- 1-2 tablespoons salted butter
Preheat oven to 350F.
Toss pumpkin slices with 1 tablespoon olive oil on a sheet pan. Season pumpkin with salt & pepper and place in the oven. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until soft.
Preheat grill pan. Removed the pumpkin from the oven, add to a large bowl and mash with a fork. Season with remaining tablespoon of oil and salt & pepper to taste.
Place a thin layer of mozzarella on 4 slices of bread. Top with an even spread of hazelnut butter, followed by a layer of pumpkin. Cover with the 4 remaining bread slices. Butter both sides and grill 2-3 minutes per side on grill pan. Once cooked, remove, cut into halves & serve.
Hazelnut Brown Butter
(makes about 1/2 cup)
- 4 tablespoons shelled hazelnuts
- 1/2 teaspoon anise seeds
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 sage leaves
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
In a skillet over medium-high heat, toast the hazelnuts until deep brown in color, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the skillet, finely chop, and return to skillet. Add the anise seeds and allow them to toast for a few seconds, constantly shaking the pan to avoid burning. Add the butter and sage and stir constantly. Season with salt & pepper and continue to stir until the butter has a nutty brown color. Transfer butter to a container, remove sage leaves and refrigerate. Once the butter has cooled, stir to ensure that all ingredients are evenly mixed. Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to4 weeks.