Move over regular ham and cheese sandwiches! These amazing Brie Grilled Cheese with Fig Jam and Ham sandwiches are highly addicting and satisfying. The combination of melted brie, caramelized onions, savory ham, sweet fig paste and stone ground mustard make for an incredible taste.

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My husband and I recently got back from visiting London and Paris where we had the opportunity to sample all kinds of tasty sandwich combinations. I came home having a desire to try out new combinations of my own. I have always loved brie, and with its pungent taste, I knew it would pair so nicely with the sweet taste of figs.
You can call these "toasties" instead of grilled cheese sandwiches, like they do in the U.K., and then you'll feel on vacation eating them.

What Ingredients Do I Need to Make Brie Grilled Cheese With Fig Jam and Ham Sandwiches?
- Whole grain bread: I recommend looking for a wholesome 100% whole wheat bread with some seeds in the crust.
- Brie cheese: Brie is a soft cheese enveloped by an edible crust. The flavor is generally mild, but the crust has a slightly bitter flavor.
- Ham: If possible, opt for a slightly thicker sliced ham lunchmeat or cuts from a whole ham.
- Red onion: Provides amazing flavor and are super healthy too!
- Fig jam: You may find this called "fig spread," but it has the consistency and texture of jam.
- Butter and/or Olive Oil: I chose spreadable butter with olive oil for a slightly lower cholesterol option that spreads easily, but you can use pure olive oil or softened butter according to your taste and health needs.
- Dijon Mustard: Many times I have found that dijon mustard is too strong for me, but I really enjoyed it in this sandwich, and surprisingly my kids did too. I highly recommend Inglehoffer Stone Ground Mustard.

How do I make Brie Grilled Cheese Sandwiches?
You may want to use a large rectangular skillet if you have one to fit multiple sandwiches at the same time. To make these delectable sandwiches, begin by sautéing sliced red onion.

While stirring, you'll want to drizzle the onions with a little olive oil and then continue stirring until the onions are soft and caramelized. This process will take about 15-20 minutes. If you add a tablespoon of water to the pan, the water will help soften the onions. Once the onions are nicely caramelized, remove them from the pan and set them aside in a bowl.
Now begins the fun part. Take four pieces of bread and smother one side with spreadable butter and olive oil mixture. If you don't have spread, you can use softened butter mixed with olive oil. Flip the bread over and spread half of the slices with stone ground dijon mustard and the other half of the slices with fig jam. Leave the mustard and fig jam sides up.

Next, heat up the slices of ham in the skillet to lightly brown them and warm them up for the grilled cheese. Then remove the ham and set it aside.
Start grilling the buttered slices with mustard in the pan and carefully place three slices of brie on the mustard side. Then place two slices of ham, followed by a scoop of caramelized onions. Lay the second layer of bread, with the jam side down, on top of the onions, to complete your sandwich.

Cover the pan to help the sandwiches heat through and to allow the cheese to melt thoroughly.
After the first side is browned, use your spatula to carefully flip the sandwich and brown the other side. You may need to turn down the heat to finish melting your cheese without over browning your sandwich.
These sandwiches pair nicely with a salad and some cut up veggies or kettle chips.

📖 Recipe

Brie Grilled Cheese With Fig Jam and Ham
Ingredients
- 8 slices Whole grain bread
- 12 slices Brie cheese ⅛-1/4" thick
- 8 slices Ham lunchmeat
- 1 Red onion thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons Fig spread
- 8 tablespoons Spreadable butter with olive oil (Can substitute softened butter mixed with olive oil.)
- 8 teaspoons Stone ground dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons Olive oil extra virgin (for softening onions)
Instructions
- In a large rectangular skillet, sauté red onion slices. While stirring, drizzle the onions with a little olive oil. Continue stirring until soft and caramelized. You can also add a tablespoon of water to help soften the onions. Remove onions from pan and set aside.
- Spread the butter/olive oil on one side of each slice of bread. Flip the bread over and gently spread stone ground dijon mustard on 4 slices of bread and fig jam on the other 4 slices.
- At this point, you can heat up the slices of ham in the skillet and lightly brown them. Then remove the ham and set it aside.
- Start grilling the four slices of bread with butter and mustard in the pan, with the mustard side up.
- Quickly place three slices of brie on the mustard side of half of the bread slices. Then place two slices of ham, followed by a scoop of caramelized onions. Place the jam side of the bread on top of the onions to complete your sandwich.
- Cover the pan to help the cheese melt and the sandwich components to heat through.
- After the first side is browned, use your spatula to carefully flip the sandwich and brown the other side. You may need to turn down the heat to finish melting your cheese without over browning your sandwich.
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