Cherry & Cheese Panini Photo
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

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