The Panini Press.....

The time line of these posts is going to be a bit helter skelter. I am starting this a bit late in the game and if I were to follow a consistent time line you would find yourself in a deluge of pumpkin recipes in the midst of March. So, I am going to give you all a recipe that Burgermeister, Bakerista and I made just this past Friday. Since the new year, with the exception of an absurdly complex Valentine's Day party (which I will write about one of these days), we have transitioned from sweets to lunches. This has exacerbated the "cheese" drama considerably. In Bakerista's opinion, a lunch without cheese is worthless. Burgermeister, who could also be called "Sensei" holds an opinion that a meal should consist of either burgers and "home fries" or white rice and "Soy Sawccccce". Yes, that is how he says it and I now say it that way too. The battle lines were drawn and me and my good intentions were stranded in the middle. This last week however, was a sweet reprieve that turned into one of our most delightful meals yet. The Prosciutto, Gruyere, Caramelized Onion Panini.  Burgermeister took his without the Gruyere and everyone was happy. In truth, I was a bit proud of myself for how good these sandwiches turned out. They were AMAZING! Sourdough bread brushed with hot olive oil and fresh garlic with layers of meat, cheese and onion in a panini press, then served with a side of hot tomato soup. "VICTORY!" The rain was pouring down in buckets, but that did not dampen the mood inside. I paired my iPhone with the bluetooth speaker and we were in business. Bakerista straddles being a "Swifty" and a "Directioner" and while I don't detest either somedays I need a break. Burgermeister on the other hand has driven me completely insane with Pharrel's "Happy". There is no happiness when that song comes on now. So to give them a bit of "culture" I allowed the music to shuffle over to Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel." I was thoroughly enjoying myself as I assembled our sandwiches while Bakerista caramelized the onions. Burgermeister was having fun too. In Bakerista's mind, I think it was too much fun. Soon he was dancing around the kitchen doing scarily good Michael Jackson dance impressions while singing at the top of his lungs. I was doubled over in laughter while his sister just looked scandalized. Sidling up to her, he paused, waited for Michael's cue and exploded with "Come on girl!" and started to try and dance with her. This merely resulted in him getting punched in the arm and front kicked. He continued to try undeterred until she chased him from the room. I laughed all through this, then changed the song and things calmed down. Once the panini's were done we all sat down to enjoy our lunch. Their responses were over the moon. Even Burgermeister loved them. Overjoyed, I pulled out my fat copy of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and read them aloud. It was the perfect rainy day in my opinion. The recipe is below. The idea came from pinterest but the resulting recipe came from myself and Bakerista.

Yields 3 Paninis

6 slices of sourdough bread
1/2 cup of olive oil
2 gloves of garlic
1 sweet onion sliced
6 slices of gruyere cheese
9 slices of prosciutto
a panini press

Put the olive oil and garlic in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30-45 seconds so the garlic flavors will open up in the olive oil.

Melt butter or oil in a pan and cook onions until dark brown and soft.

Layer 3 slices of meat, and 2 slices of cheese on the bottom slice of your bread. Place onions on top then add the top piece of bread. Brush the top piece of bread with the olive oil and garlic. Place the sandwich top down in panini press. Brush bottom bread with olive oil and garlic. Close panini press and cook as long as Desired. Remove and slice in half. Enjoy!