Transform Your Grilled Cheese For Fall With This Sweet Addition

As the weather cools down, it's hard to beat a crispy grilled cheese at lunchtime. And if you're looking to keep things interesting this fall, try adding some sweet, jammy figs to the mix. Figs and cheese are old friends — you may've already enjoyed figs as the sweet component on charcuterie boards and cheese plates, and they're just as satisfying on a grilled cheese. Whether it's a few slices of fresh fig placed inside the sandwich, a swipe of fig jam across the bread (or a combination of both), this fruit brings an altogether new flavor experience to the American classic. It's toothsome and a little earthy, the perfect balance to the salty, sharp and gooey cheese filling. 

Using fig jam or fig compote is the easiest way to go here. Simply pick up a jar at a grocery store or farmers market to have to hand all season. When you're ready for lunch, spread a thin layer directly onto the bread before adding the cheese. A thin layer ensures it doesn't ooze out of the sandwich on the stove — nobody needs sticky fig jam glued to their skillet. 

If you can get your hands on some fresh figs, slice them thin and put them inside the sandwich. They'll soften as the cheese melts down. If you're feeling fancy, you can grill the fig slices first to give them a softer, almost jammy texture. Dried figs work too — just chop them finely as they tend to be a lot harder and chewier than their fresh counterparts.

Adding the figs to a sharp cheddar grilled cheese is the obvious choice, but there are plenty of other cheeses that can make the pairing work. Goat cheese mixed with Gruyère brings a tangy, creamy contrast to the sweetness of the figs, while fontina is a good option if you prefer something mild and buttery. If you're looking for something a little bolder, combining a milder cheese with Gorgonzola is a fun and unexpected use for blue cheese and a gentle pop of funk for your sandwich. It's all about choosing a complementary cheese with just enough character to prevent the figs from taking center stage. After all, it's still a grilled cheese, so the cheese should be the star.

If you want to jazz your sandwich up even more, add some caramelized onions, a drizzle of balsamic glaze or hot honey, or a few slices of prosciutto. They all help the figs take it from a basic grilled cheese to an out-of-this-world grilled sandwich. Serve it alongside a bowl of tomato or butternut squash soup, and just like that, a humble grilled cheese has had its very own autumn makeover.