John Locke's Famous Grilled Cheese & Bacon-Onion Jam

John Locke's Famous Grilled Cheese & Bacon-Onion Jam

John Locke's Grilled Cheese Sammy W. Bacon-Onion Jam

If you ever find yourself in Santa Cruz California with nothing to do - perhaps you've already played/watched some beach Volleyball, gone surfing, enjoyed all the rides at the Boardwalk and stocked up on some old gems from Bookshop Santa Cruz - you'll be fortunate if your laissez-faire meanderings deposit you at 204 Church Street, where you'll find the modern edifice that is the Birichino tasting room. It is the wine-lover's equivalent of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. A candy store for adults.

The Birichino Tasting Room features the winery's 12+ bottlings. Sometimes it also features music. And if you're truly blessed, John Locke's grilled cheese sammies with bacon-onion jam!

This is the grilled cheese sandwich created in the Birichino tasting room for pairing with their wines.

Pro Tips from John Locke:

  • Use Manresa's Levain (or another brand of Levain, if need be)
  • Grate three different cheeses - Gruyere, Point Reyes Toma and an aged Irish Cheddar
  • Heat your griddle/panini iron to 285 F as measured by an IR thermometer or (carefully) by a candy thermo.

INGREDIENTS - Bacon-Onion Jam

  • ¾ pound slab bacon, diced into cubes
  • 4 medium-size white or Spanish onions, peeled and diced
  • 1 ½ teaspoons mustard seed
  • 1 heaping tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • ¼ cup sherry vinegar
  • 2-3 glugs of nice sherry (Amontillado, if you have it)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION - Bacon-Onion Jam

  1. Heat a Dutch oven / heavy pot over medium for 3-4 minutes, then add the cubes of bacon. Stirring regularly, cook until the fat is completely rendered and the bacon has started to crisp, approximately 12 to 15 minutes.
  2. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pot, and add the onions, mustard seed, brown sugar, vinegar, sherry and 3 tablespoons of water. Deglaze the pan and coat the 'Banion' mixture well, then tightly cover the pot, lower the heat and cook undisturbed for 20 minutes.
  3. After 20 minutes, stir the mixture again and partly cover the pot, cooking the mixture for another hour or until most of the liquid is gone and a dark brown jamminess is achieved. (Add a few Tbsp of water as needed.)
  4. Taste test and add salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Remove from heat, and cool slightly before removing into a jar or bowl to rest in the fridge until ready for use. If well sealed, will easily keep for a week in the refrigerator.

"We have found that the ultimate bread for our cheesy sandos is Manresa Bread Levain. It's airy, light and very flavorful and shows a terrific toothiness."

John Locke: Gourmand, Renaissance Man, and Birichino co-founder

INGREDIENTS - John Locke's Grilled Cheese

  • One loaf of Levain bread, sliced into uniform thicknesses
  • 1/3 pound of each cheese shown below, grated and combined well.
    • Swiss Gruyère
    • Point Reyes Toma (a semi-hard, Dutch-style cow's milk cheese)
    • Aged Irish Cheddar
  • Butter
  • Bacon-Onion Jam (recipe, above)
  • Freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION - John Locke's Grilled Cheese

  1. Butter one side of two slices of bread.
  2. On the buttered side, lightly sprinkle some of the combined grated cheese to cover as thinly as possible on what will be the "outside" of your sandwich. Press the grated cheese firmly yet gently into the bread and turn over the slices.
  3. Combine a fair handful of the grated cheese with a couple/few tablespoons of the bacon-onion jam. (recipe, above). Spread the deliciousness on the interior side of one of the slices of bread. Liberally apply some freshly ground black pepper and cover with the other slice.
  4. When the temp of your griddle reaches 285 F grill one side until golden brown, then flip and repeat!

Pair with lightly dressed salad greens and your Birichino wine of choice!

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