Cherry Cheese Panini
by the Editors of Easy Home Cooking Magazine
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Publications International, Ltd., the Editors of. "Cherry Cheese Panini." 31 August 2006. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/cherry-cheese-panini-recipe.htm> 07 July 2008.
Cherry & Cheese Panini
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
1
tablespoon olive oil
1
large red onion, thinly sliced
1/4
teaspoon dried thyme
1/8
teaspoon salt
1/8
teaspoon black pepper
2
teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2
cup fresh sweet cherries, pitted and chopped
4
ounces blue cheese, at room temperature
1
(3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
8
large, thin slices Italian or country-style bread
1
to 2 tablespoons butter
Preparation:
1.
Heat oil in large, heavy-bottomed skillet. Add onion and thyme and saute over medium heat for 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in salt, pepper and vinegar. Scrape up any browned bits. Spoon onion mixture into a bowl and stir in cherries.
2.
Mash blue cheese and cream cheese in a bowl until softened and creamy. Spread over 4 bread slices. Top each slice with 1/4 of the cherry mixture (about 1/3 cup). Top with remaining bread slices.
3.
Wipe out skillet. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet. Add 2 sandwiches. Press down with a spatula. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden. Remove and repeat with remaining sandwiches, adding more butter if necessary. Cut each panini diagonally in half to serve.
Use a blue cheese with minimal blue veins for a pretty presentation. Heavily-veined cheese may cause a grayish tint when mixed with cherries.
Nutritional Information:
| Serving Size: | |
| Sodium | 884 mg |
| Protein | 13 g |
| Fiber | 2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 36 g |
| Cholesterol | 52 mg |
| Saturated Fat | 13 g |
| Total Fat | 24 g |
| Calories from Fat | 52 % |
| Calories | 410 |
Dietary Exchange:
| Fat | 4 |
| Meat | 1 |
| Starch | 2.5 |
This recipe appears in: Sandwiches