Food Talk: Paninis at Home May 23, 2007

This may be an old trick for some of you, but it had never occurred to me before that I could actually make my own panini sandwiches on our George Foreman grill. We ate at one of my favorite shi-shi lunch places the other day and I saw a brie, spinach, proscuitto and pear panini on the menu. I ended up opting for something else (which I enjoyed), but felt a pang of regret the next day for not trying something that sounded so delicious. And then I saw the brie in my fridge and the gears started turning. So eventually, I finally got to try my hand at homemade paninis and they were fantastic! I used some leftover thinly sliced grilled chicken, brie, and light smears of apricot jelly and dijon mustard on soft wheat french bread. I buttered the outsides, put them on the grill, closed the lid and cooked them for about 5-7 minutes, turning once. I served them alongside a leafy salad with apple, dried cranberries and sugared pecans. It was a great weeknight dinner with a definite bonus – easy to make a grilled cheese for Ben at the same time!