Tasty Tuesday: Brie & Apricot Panini

Spring has kind-of sprung here Missoula.  And when I say “kind-of” I mean…it’s only supposed to snow 3 of the 7 days this week.  But I’m clinging to the sunny mornings and the budding trees and telling myself that spring will prevail!  Mostly because I’m growing impatient for planting my flowers and our garden.

So to support this theory I’m posting one of my favorite summertime panini recipes.  There’s just something summery about paninis…maybe it’s because they’re the perfect weeknight dinner.  Just grab some good crusty bread and whatever vegetables, meat and cheese you have on hand, pair it with a summery beer and you’ve got dinner in about 15 minutes flat.  Leaving you plenty of time to enjoy the summer evening, or perhaps just another beer.

My step-mom earthly mom shared this recipe with me a few years back and it’s been a favorite ever since.  The last time I was at home in Helena we indulged in these yummy sammys.  Here are Brie & Apricot Paninis!

First, you’ll need to pick up some brie (even wee brie would do), crusty bread (my favorite is Pain de campagne from Le Petit Outre, a local bakery) and some good quality Apricot jam.  Don’t skimp on the jam!  It can make or break this sandwich.  Usually any good organic jam is best because they don’t put a lot of  sugars in it.

Of course you don’t HAVE to buy the gigantic brie round from Costco. But why wouldn’t you?

Slice your bread about 1/2″ thick and butter the outsides.   Then slice the brie (with a serrated knife) and place between two pieces of bread (buttered side out). 

We just used a flat-griddle this time…I can’t remember why we didn’t use the panini grill.  But my favorite method is with the grill because it puts enough pressure on the bread to slightly squish it and give it those trademark panini grill lines.   But obviously you could do it on a griddle (like shown here) or even under your broiler.

While you’re waiting for the bread to brown on the bottom, remove the top piece of bread from the sandwich and spread a spoonful of the apricot jam on it.  Put the top back on the sandwich (jam side down, facing the brie).  Once you see the cheese start to melt, flip the panini over to lightly brown the other side.  Note:  if using a panini griddle you won’t have to flip, but you’ll still need to put the apricot jam inside.  

After about 5 minutes, your sammys should look like this:

Remove from the griddle and serve with fresh fruit, salad or cup of soup.

These paninis would be great for a luncheon with girlfriends or even just a quick dinner.  So come on spring!   Get on with it!