Recipe: Apple Brie Panini

I dream about this sandwich.  And when it makes my way into my head, I can’t get it out until I break down and make it.  And sometimes I’ll make another one right after.  Yea, I’m a fatty.  This sandwich came from one of our favorite local eateries, The Square Onion.  My hubby picked it up for us for lunch one day and I knew I’d have to recreate this to have at home on the regular.

The combo of the apple, brie, and sweet raspberry jam is to die for.  Then you go add the bite of horseradish…ohmygoodness.

INGREDIENTS:

Ciabatta or bread of choice

Brie

Green or tart apple, cored and sliced

Raspberry jam

Horseradish (not the sauce, just prepared jarred horseradish)

Sliced Roma or Beefsteak tomato

Grape Seed Oil

Mix the raspberry jam and horseradish well in a bowl.  Lightly brush one side of each slice of bread with grape seed oil.  Spread a generous amount of sauce on each dry side of bread.  Place bread oil side down in panini pan or frying pan.  Place layer of sliced brie, sliced apple, and tomato.  Top with bread, raspberry sauce side down.  Cook until bread is browned and cheese is melted.

So the other part of this sandwich are the chips.  Beet chips.  Yum yum and yum.  By the way, these are the perfect side to make with your hubby because they like to prove their manliness with the mandolin.  I can’t tell you how many times I said “please be careful”, “use the protector”, etc.  But he managed to slice the beets beautifully with no blood.

INGREDIENTS

2 large beets

2 teaspoons olive oil

sea salt to taste

Slice beets thinly with mandolin or very sharp knife.  Massage olive oil evenly over slices and sprinkle with salt.  Lay in a single layer on baking sheets.  Now, here’s where it gets tricky.  I baked mine at 350 for about 30 minutes.  My oven temp runs low, so I baked them for longer.  Make sure you don’t use too much oil and check on them after about 20 minutes.  You want them crispy, but not burnt, so be sure to check every couple minutes.

BEETS ARE SO PRETTY!!!

Beets are not only beautiful but super healthy.  They are a super antioxidant, help fight heart disease, high in soluble fiber, high in folate, they are a natural laxative and a natural antacid, and they are packed with nitrates which help lower blood pressure.