The Fig, Prosciutto & Brie Panini

To create a little excitement while we slog through the winter doldrums I like to change up our dinner routine. Any break from the norm on evenings when the sun has set by four o’clock is a good way to lift the spirits and keep a smile on our faces. This winter I’ve tried everything from breakfast for dinner, testing new cuisines (more on that soon!), and revisiting our beloved sandwich maker. We received our panini press as a wedding gift nearly a decade ago and it has held up like a champ. I use it all the time to make our favorite pressed sandwiches, grilled cheeses, and even grilled vegetables. Last week I dug it out of the basement for the first time since we moved to make some dinner sandwiches on a particularly cold evening.

The basis of our sandwich was the leftover brie I had on hand from a previous evening. I sandwiched that between the sourdough panini bread and layered in some prosciutto (bacon would work well in a pinch), and fig jam. With just a little bit of olive oil on the outside it crisped up perfectly in the sandwich maker. The cheese melted into a gooey mess while the sweet jam melted into the bread. It was the perfect hearty sandwich to eat alongside our soup. In fact, it went over so well that the next night I set up a panini “bar” with lots of ingredients and let everyone make their own concoction. That was a hoot! This easy dinner sandwich helped us get through another night of deep dark winter. It may not make spring come faster, but at least it helps speed the season along.