Fancy Grilled Cheese, Part II

And we're back with another fancy grilled cheese favorite.  (If you missed yesterday, go here to read about grilled provolone with pesto and roasted red peppers.)  My favorite cheese indulgence as of late is tangy, creamy brie.  It is part of one of my favorite appetizers along with caramelized onions and mushrooms, so today I'm doing a play on that and making grilled brie with caramelized onions and balsamic vinegar.

Once again, I'm using homemade focaccia and because I had some extra time on my hands, I killed an hour caramelizing a diced onion.  The real hard part making this sandwich is slicing brie thinly without making a sticky mess.  Usually it's a good idea to let brie sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before using it, but in this case it works better to slice first while it's still cold and firm, then let it sit.  You could leave the rind on, it's completely edible, but some people would rather not eat it and it does kind of get in the way of the cheese being completely smooth and melty.  Your call.  If you are going to de-rind your cheese, cut off the amount you think you'll use from the wheel (if you are starting with a wheel) and turn the piece on its side.  Slice down the top and bottom (which are now vertical), then set the slice back on it's bottom and slice off the rind around the edge. From there it's probably easiest to let the whole piece sit and slice pieces for the sandwich as you need them so they don't end up stuck back together.

The recipe below has both a basic grilled cheese recipe and the gussied-up sandwiches from this fancy grilled cheese mini-series.  Click to download, it's that easy.

What about you, do you eat the rind on a piece of cheese or try to avoid it?