|
By Wolfgang Puck, Tribune Media Services
Panini (the word means "little breads") are, in fact, nothing more than Italian-style grilled cheese sandwiches. What's the difference? Not much, really. But the small details open up a wealth of creative possibilities.
My friends tell me that their parents made grilled-cheese sandwiches by pan-frying white bread and American cheese in melted butter. Some remember their moms or dads adding other kinds of cheeses or maybe some bacon or sliced ham. For an extra-crispy sandwich, they'd press down hard with the spatula, which flattened and spread out the bread, increasing its crunchy brown surface.
A panini maker does that for you, since its heavy heated top portion squashes and seals the sandwich. And the Italians have devoted centuries of culinary creativity to making panini delightfully varied.
First, there's the bread. You can make panini with a rustic white Italian loaf or sourdough, sliced square ciabatta rolls, or pieces of the chewy seasoned flatbread called focaccia. Or use whole-wheat or multigrain bread, cinnamon-raisin, rye, pumpernickel, or a rich egg loaf like brioche or challah.
Next comes the filling. Good melting cheeses help seal panini, and you have a world of choices, from American or English Cheddar to Dutch Gouda, Swiss Gruyere to Italian mozzarella or Fontina. For extra flavor, add some dry or crumbly cheeses such as Parmesan, blue cheese, or feta.
I also love to add thin slices of meats and vegetables. Prosciutto, shaved ham, and crispy bacon are great; so are other options, including thinly sliced roast beef, smoked salmon, or shredded barbecued chicken. Slivers of onion, roasted chilies, sliced tomatoes, or sun-dried tomatoes add their own personalities. So do tender, flavorful fresh herbs like basil or chives, and condiments such as mustard.
Speaking of condiments, I'll share one of my favorite tricks for panini. Instead of cooking them in butter or olive oil, I spread the outsides of the bread with mayonnaise. Under the high heat and pressure of a panini maker, or a stovetop press improvised with two skillets as described in my recipe, the egg-based spread gives the sandwich a beautiful golden color and extra-crispy texture.
The results will be indescribably delicious, yet comfortingly reminiscent of your childhood. After all, it's really just a grilled-cheese sandwich!
Makes 1 sandwich; 1 main-course serving or 4 appetizer servings
Ingredients - Smoked Gouda & Prosciutto Panini
2 slices good-quality sourdough bread, each about 1 inch thick
2 tablespoons good-quality prepared mayonnaise, extra-virgin olive oil, or unsalted butter
2 ounces thinly sliced smoked Gouda cheese
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto or cooked ham
2 tablespoons very thinly sliced red onion
2 thin slices ripe Roma (plum) tomato
1 ounce shredded Fontina cheese
Preparation - Smoked Gouda & Prosciutto Panini Recipe by Wolfgang Puck Recipe
Preheat a panini maker, a double-sided electric countertop grill, or a grill pan or heavy skillet.
Meanwhile, brush both sides of each slice of bread with the mayonnaise, olive oil, or butter. On one of the slices, assemble the sandwich filling in even layers: first the smoked Gouda cheese, then the prosciutto, followed by the onions, tomato slices, Fontina, and the second bread slice.
Place the sandwich in the panini maker, double-sided grill, grill pan, or skillet. Close the panini maker or double-sided grill, or place another heavy pan on top of the sandwich to press it down in the pan or skillet. (Make sure the bottom of your heavy pan is clean!)
Cook until the sandwich is crisp and deep golden brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total cooking time in a panini maker or doubled-sided grill. If you're cooking the sandwich in a pan on the stovetop, after 3 to 4 minutes carefully lift off the top pan and use a spatula to flip over the sandwich to crisp the other side. (Be aware that stovetop cooking will take about twice as long.)
Transfer the sandwich to a cutting board. If serving the sandwich as a main course, cut it diagonally in half with a sharp knife and transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately; if serving it as an appetizer, cut each half crosswise to make a total of 4 small triangular pieces and transfer to a platter kept warm in a 200 degrees F. (95 degrees C) oven while you make more.
(c) 2008 WOLFGANG PUCK WORLDWIDE, INC. DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
PRINT
RSS
SHARE
Recent Wolfgang Puck Recipes
Wolfgang Puck Recipes from Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen (Click Here for More)
Wolfgang Puck's Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck
The world-renowned chef with an extraordinary passion for food now shares that passion in Wolfgang
Puck's Kitchen. Puck makes great cooking easier than you ever imagined. He reveals how to turn common ingredients into uncommon masterpieces. Each feature includes both an expert tip and an easy recipe-exactly what you need to transform your home cooking from acceptable to delectable. Moves with color photos.
About Wolfgang Puck
Wolfgang Puck, in the eyes of food lovers and experts alike, is one of the most famous chefs in America and arguably the world. He has spawned a culinary empire that includes a fine dining group of 12 internationally acclaimed restaurants in Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Las Vegas, Chicago, San Francisco, Palo Alto, and Maui; an extensive catering & events business with bases in Hollywood and Chicago, famed as official caterer to the Governors Ball following the Oscars; as well as Wolfgang Puck Worldwide, Inc., a corporation that controls, licenses, and franchises the Wolfgang Puck brand in a wide variety of business activities, including casual Wolfgang Puck Cafes, fast-casual Wolfgang Puck Expresses, consumer packaged foods, cookware, book publishing, television, and the Internet.
For the first time, Puck shares his expert, easy-to-master approach to cooking in the newspaper arena through WOLFGANG PUCK?S KITCHEN, a newspaper column syndicated by Tribune Media Services.
The Austrian-born Puck began his formal training at age 14, inspired by his mother, Maria, a hotel chef. He left Europe for America in 1973 at the age of 24, having already worked in the master kitchens of three-star French restaurants. In 1975, Puck moved to Los Angeles, and soon was both chef and part-owner of Ma Maison. It quickly became a magnet for the rich and famous, with Puck as star attraction. Since then, he has changed the way Americans cook and eat by fusing formal French techniques and Asian and California influenced esthetics with the highest quality ingredients.
After the 1981 publication of the first of his five cookbooks, Puck, in partnership with designer Barbara Lazaroff, opened Spago. Located in West Hollywood on the Sunset Strip, it was an instant success and culinary phenomenon from its opening day in 1982. Although the original location closed in 2000, three years after the successful opening of Spago Beverly Hills, Spago Hollywood today is remembered internationally as a legendary haven for entertainment, political and social luminaries.
In 2000, Puck developed his own "Wolfgang Puck" television show, which began airing on the Food Network in January 2001. The show features Puck sharing his cooking expertise with a studio audience who joins him in his kitchen, along with field documentary segments in which he explores the vast and diverse world of food, from farms to artisan workshops to restaurants, and visits with such luminaries as Julia Child, Robert Mondavi and Paul Bocuse. "Wolfgang Puck" was awarded a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Service Show in 2002.
Puck also appears regularly on ABC's "Good Morning America," sharing his latest creations. He has been a guest on a multitude of other shows, including "The Late Show with David Letterman," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Entertainment Tonight," "ABC News with Peter Jennings," "CBS Evening News with Dan Rather," "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher," "Frasier," and "The Simpsons." In 2001, the A&E Network featured Puck's life on its popular "Biography" series.
Puck and partner Barbara Lazaroff are actively involved in many philanthropic endeavors and charitable organizations, including their own Puck-Lazaroff Charitable Foundation, established in 1982, which supports the annual American Wine & Food Festival to benefit Meals-on-Wheels.
Puck lives in Beverly Hills. He and Barbara Lazaroff have two sons, Cameron and Byron.
(c) 2008 WOLFGANG PUCK WORLDWIDE, INC. DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
|
