Apple Panini

A while back, we had a Christmas party with friends. One girl brought these little ham sandwiches (which were the same recipe as these Ham and Cheese Sandwiches (but she used Hawaiian rolls). They were so popular at the Christmas party, she was asked to keep bringing them to everything. Two of us decided to make them for a baby shower, but neither of us really liked ham, so we tried to think of a way to make them ham-less. We went with Granny Smith Apple and the result was incredible. I've translated this idea into an Apple Panini. Here I lowered the amount of butter and increased the amount of onion, even while adjusting the servings to 2.

Apple Panini

2 TBSP really soft, almost melted butter
4 TBSP Grated Onion
2 tsp grainy or dijon mustard
2 tsp poppy seeds
dash or two of Worcestershire sauce
4 slices of bread (great with sourdough, french boule, wheat, rye, or pumpernickel).
1 granny smith apple
1 1/2 cups grated cheese (Swiss, emmental, Jarlsberg, provolone, or Havarti work best)

Prepare spread by combining butter, onion, mustard, poppy seeds, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Whisk until well blended. Spread onto all four slices of bread. Take two slices and place on hot panini grill, spread side up. Add a pile of cheese to each then top with apple slices, another pile of cheese, and the other pieces of bread, spread side down. Close panini grill cover and cook until bread is browned and cheese is melted. Remove from grill. Allow to cool a few minutes (apple retains heat!!), and slice at a diagonal.

This panini is great with a hard cider (like Woodchuck Granny Smith!).

If you don't want to make the spread, an alternative is to saute onion in a little bit of butter. Mix some dried dill in with the cheese mixture for a little extra umph.