butter

Best-Ever Panini Press Sandwiches

I love when it is panini night at our home, the smell of browned butter and toasting bread. That crisp bread crunch and then the soft and silky melted cheese are culinary perfection. From melted Swiss cheese and onions to cheddar and bacon this meal is not only simple but packed full of flavor.

The challenge is to grill the bread correctly and achieve those deep grill marks with out burning, then getting the cheese to melt evenly but still hold its shape. The solution, use good and sturdy artisan bread that has 1/2 inch slices. Choose good cheeses, it is a must, sample as many as you can from your deli then make your selection. Letting your cheese sit out for about 5 to 10 minutes to get the chill off before grilling ensures even melting. Using a panini press that evenly heats the griddle plates is key, you can guarantee a crips texture, golden color and perfectly warm melted cheese filing.

You can find this exact model panini press in my pantry, I love the Cuisinart grill and panini press. The plates heat up quickly and evenly which toasts the bread or what ever you want to press in it. The simple to see green light turns on when your panini is ready, there is no guess work. The griddle plates are nonstick so your clean up time is a breeze, no more burnt on cheese remains. Along the backside there is a drip pan for catching any butter or olive oil run off.

Perfect Side Dishes for A Panini

Roasted tomato soup is the top side dish for any panini. With a creamy and silky texture this soup calls for melted cheddar, jack and cheese sandwich to be dunked then swooped up into your mouth to enjoy all that salty and rich flavors.

Arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette, the peppery flavor from the arugula and the bitter yet salty vinaigrette balance the fattiness of all that cheese. Use the same olive oil to brush over the bread for your the sandwich and in the salad dressing, the flavors marry the ingredients perfectly.

Sweet potato fries with a sprinkling of sea salt are a delicious addition to a warm spice panini grilled cheese sandwich. Think about adding rich Indian flavors such as sliced roasted curry chicken, chutney and gouda cheese.

Tips

If you choose to use a grill pan instead of a panini press, heat the pan on medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Place the buttered grilled cheese sandwich in the pan and reduce heat to low, add a small plate on top of it and a heavy soup can. That weight will press your sandwich perfectly.  Once the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted remove it, sprinkle some finishing salt and fresh ground black pepper over the top or add some fresh chopped herbs.

Slicing, what is the right way to slice a grilled cheese sandwich? After many tasty tests my family and I have found that slicing the sandwich diagonally is the best way. That long cut releases a bit of the trapped heat and has more surface area to dip into the soup. Letting the panini rest for 3 minutes before slicing helps the melted cheese set up so it does not run onto the plate.

Enjoy the recipes below, try them and let me know how you enjoyed all the incredible layers of flavor. This is a family fun night meal, have the ingredients placed on the counter, the press warmed and dinner plates waiting. Kids LOVE making these, at least mine do, spreading the butter and stacking up the ingredients gives them such confidence. They also love to hold the press handle down and watch the cheese slowly melt and the bread brown. Enjoy one of my top 5 comfort foods, share your pictures over on Instagram with the #katescuriouskitchen

How to Cook A Panini

Pre-heat your panini press, carefully place your sandwich on the hot grill plates. Close down the top part of the press and cook according to the manufactures direction, usually 3-5 minutes. Remove with care, the sandwich will be very hot, wipe down the grill with a folded paper towel.  Place hot sandwich on a plate or cutting board, continue to cook additional panini sandwiches.

Brie, Arugula and Prosciutto Panini: Brush the outside of both pieces of bread with olive oil. Turn over and spread 1-2 tablespoon of sweet hot chutney on the inside of each bread slice. Add very thin slices of brie to each piece of bread. Next, add the prosciutto on top of the cheese, add a bit of baby arugula on top of that. Place the sandwich together and cook the panini as to your grills directions.

Texas Brisket Panini: Spread softened butter to the outside of two thick slices of sourdough bread. Take 1-2 tablespoons of grain mustard or your favorite BBQ sauce and spread on the inside of the bread slices. Add 2 -3 slices of Colby jack or cheddar cheese to each bread slice. Now add your cooked brisket to one side and top with pickles. Place the sandwich together and cook on the panini grill as per the grills instructions.

Chicken Caprese Panini: Split a ciabatta roll in half or slice two pieces of rustic artisan bread. Brush the inside and outside with olive oil. Evenly spread 1 tablespoon of pesto on the inside of the bread. Place two slices of fresh mozzarella on top of the pesto and two thin slices of tomato on top of the cheese. Add some pre cooked rotisserie chicken to one side a  drizzle of balsamic vinegar and carefully place the sandwich together. Cook as per your panini grills directions.

Cheers!

A Tropical Scavenger Hunt

ALOHA!!!!!

Ok I will admit it I needed a change of view, the past two and a half years have been quite the bullet train ride of change and direction. I thought a good rest would help me focus on my blog, give me some recipe inspiration and it would also be a time for my family to just laugh, play and watch incredible sunsets. After unpacking the pantry in our new home I realized my stock of Hawaiian salts, spices, coffee and kiawe wood (guava wood) for my smoker were horribly low. With all of our bags packed  we flew 3,750 miles from our Texas home to the beautiful northern most point of the Polynesian triangle, Hawaii! We landed on Oahu and made our way through Honolulu on the H1 highway to the west side of the Island. Ko’Olina was our home away from home with its pale brown sugar sand beach and that azure blue ocean I could feel my stress slipping away.  As a bonus our home had a fully stocked kitchen and a beautiful outdoor BBQ area that just called to me.

I decided before we ever set foot on the plane that the majority of our meals were not going to be at restaurants, I was going to cook the bulk of them. I needed the prep to be easy  because we had places to go and things to do, from exploring a coffee and chocolate  plantation to a ride on the pineapple train. The extent of our food ingredients would be local and I wanted them as fresh as possible, I decided the best sources would be farmers markets, small farms, local stores and plantations. One important factor for me was time, my time! I was not going to spend all day in the kitchen cooking and cleaning while we were in Hawaii. Paradise provided only because I was willing to go on the quest!

We ate fresh caught fish, sustainably raised pork, chicken and shrimp I found organic fruit and vegetables that were grown about 10 miles from our condo. Every morning we drank coffee that was roasted just days before it was packaged from a coffee estate that welcomes visitors. I was able to source salt and seasoning blends made from ingredients right on the island. All right I admit it I even found Hawaiian shaved ice syrups for my children, in Texas shaved ice is a must when its 110 degrees and 99.9% humidity in August!

 

In the car and off for an adventure my family and I were set with one thing in mind, Kaluku garlic shrimp. Our island food scavenger hunt was on and this dish has to possibly be the North Shores best food destination. These shrimp trucks are world famous and I can not begin to tell you that a trip to Oahu is not complete with out driving up coast to the North Shore. It’s not the white sand beaches, the perfect waves at Waimea Bay or the miles of hiking in the lush rainforest in the Waimea Falls Park. Nope, it’s the garlic shrimp from the shrimp trucks of the North Shore!

At Fumi’s Kahuku Shrimp Farm these delicious sweet and briny local crustaceans are sustainably farm raised gems of the Hawaiian aquaculture. Pull over and take the tour the farm it’s there for you to visit and see how shrimp are grown and the inventive way they collect the shrimp from one of the 80 outdoor ponds will shock you. Get back in your car and drive up the road to the shrimp truck capitol of Oahu, it’s at most a 5-10 minute drive depending on how many chickens are trying to cross the road. I’m not kidding if you have watched the Disney movie Moana, you will see Hei Hei the ridiculous rooster everywhere.

 

To make this recipe as authentic as you can, use a rice cooker and Hinode rice; the #1 brand Hawaiians have used for over 40 years. A large heavy duty aluminum pan is also key, because you have to get that pan screaming hot for the short cook time. I have also added a few website links so you can easily shop for your ingredients, I do not receive any compensation from these companies, I have provided the links to save you some searching time.

Mahalo and enjoy!

Kaluku Garlic Shrimp 

Ingredients

2 pounds of jumbo shrimp, shell on, de-veined and patted dry.

15 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 cup flour, all purpose

3 teaspoons paprika

3 teaspoons Hawaiian Sea Salt or Sea Salt

3 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup fish stock or chicken stock

Chopped parsley or chives for garnish

Sliced lemon

Instructions

In a disposable aluminum pan or pie pan mix together flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
Dredge the shrimp in the flour mixture, remove and set aside on a baking sheet, throw away remaining flour in the pan if there is any.
Preheat your large skillet for 2-4 minutes on medium high heat, add the clarified butter to the pan, heat 2 minutes.
Add chopped garlic to pan and cook for about a minute.
Add your seasoned shrimp, cook for 3 minutes.
Turn shrimp over, cook 3 to 4 until the shrimp are a rich pink color.
Pour wine and stock into the pan and start to scrape all the caramelized garlic bits from the pan, cook for 2 minutes, taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
Serve over steamed rice, garnish with chopped parsley and the lemon wedge if you choose.

 

Hawaiian Culinary Links

http://www.hinoderice.com/

http://wailukucoffeeco.com/

https://alohashoyu.com/

https://www.dakinehawaiian.net/

https://www.doleplantation.com/

http://www.foodland.com