Breakfast panini

By fiveandspice • December 6, 2010 • 0 Comments

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Author Notes: I eat toast with cheese and fruit for breakfast more often than I'd like to admit, but what can I say? I love it. I was thinking about ways to take the same general idea but gussy it up to make for a breakfast I'd be proud to serve in good company and this is what came to me. I swapped out my standard cheeses for creamy, luscious mascarpone, took some fruit, made it into compote and put it right into the sandwich, and then grilled it like a panini. The result is a golden and crunchy on the outside, gooey, oozing, sweet on the inside breakfast delight! - fiveandspice

Serves 4

Breakfast panini

8 thick slices of cinnamon swirl bread
butter
8 tablespoons or so, mascarpone cheese
6 tablespoons apricot compote (or more if desired)

Butter one side of each bread slice and place the bread buttered side down on a piece of wax paper or another non stick surface.
Spread two tablespoons of mascarpone on 4 of the bread slices leaving a decent size border between the cheese and the edge of the bread. Spread about a tablespoon and a half of the apricot spread on the other 4 slices, leaving a border on these as well.
Unite the complementary halves with one another! Making 4 mascarpone-fruit compote sandwiches with butter on the outside.
Grill each sandwich until it is golden and crispy on the outside and the spreads are oozing - 3-4 minutes in a panini press, or 3 minutes per side if you are cooking them in a frying pan.
Allow to cool for a few minutes, then cut each sandwich in half (this is messy and requires a serrated knife) and serve, sprinkled decoratively with a bit of powdered sugar.

Dried apricot compote

1 cup unsulphered, dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup dried cherries (unsweetened)
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
3/4 cups apple juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon chopped candied ginger
1 tablespoon brandy (optional)

Combine everything except the ginger and brandy in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer and cook gently until thick and all the dried fruits are soft and plumped, about 15-20 minutes. Then, stir in the ginger and brandy, cook for another couple of minutes, then allow to cool.