Directions

Build a sandwich:

Bread, 3 slices of Prosciutto di Parma, ¼ cup of Grana Padano cheese, 3 pieces of brie cheese, bread. 
Butter both sides. 

 

Heat a frying pan on medium heat. Cook the sandwich until the first side turns golden-brown, then remove the sandwich from the heat. 

 

Sprinkle another ¼ cup of Grana Padano cheese into the frying pan, spreading it out into an even layer. 

Place the uncooked side of the sandwich in the pan on top of the cheese. Allow it to cook and caramelize until it it melts into a crisp wafer. 

 

Turn off the heat. Place a plate over the pan and flip the sandwich over.
Repeat for the next 5 sandwiches.

 

Make the dipping sauce:

To make brown butter, melt the butter in a pan. When the butter is fully melted and begins to froth, start whisking. Make sure the whisk touches the bottom of the pan to ensure the milk particles do not stick and burn. You are finished when you smell a nutty aroma and the milk particles in the butter have turned golden-brown. Allow the butter to cool slightly (around body temperature).

 

Chop the shallots finely and pour into a pot. Pour in enough just vegetable oil to cover. Leave to cook on low heat until the shallots are tender, then remove from heat and strain.

 

Toast the fennel seeds over medium to high heat in frying pan. They are done when you can smell their aroma. Take a heavy bottom pot and crush them over a cutting board to crack the seeds, or put them in a spice grinder for a couple of pulses. 

 

In a bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients. Serve with the sandwiches.
 

 

Makes 6 servings