Title:

Panini Express
(The Taunton Press, 2008) ISBN 978-1-561589609 1-561589608

Theme:

Panini Express provides information about panini press machines and recipes for grilled sandwiches, made with freshly baked bread and European-inspired fillings.

Sample Recipes:

Gruyere, speck and caramelized onion sandwiches. Grilled asparagus, taleggio and prosciutto panini. Grilled Italian hero sandwich. Chicken with lemon tarragon mayonnaise and red grapes on baguettes. Tuna, fava beans and asiago cheese on ciabatta rolls. Portobello mushrooms with grilled onions and cheddar cheese on Italian rolls. Red pepper garlic mayonnaise. Chipotle ketchup. Black olive pesto. Mascarpone, almond butter and fig jam.

Notable Elements:

The Bread Basics chapter contains useful tips such as using sea salt and organic flour for flavor, as well as grilling pizza bread on a panini press. It includes recipes for ciabatta rolls, pizza breads, flatbreads, seeded focaccia and baguettes. Another chapter features spreads like watercress mayonnaise, mango compote and other sandwich enhancers that can easily be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge.

Useful conversion tables for liquid/dry measures (U.S. and metric) and oven temperatures (degrees Fahrenheit, Celsius and Gas Mark) are at the back of the cook book.

A resources section tells readers where to buy a panini press, artisanal bread, organic flour and French sourdough bread from Poilane in Paris. It also provides websites and phone numbers for ordering comté cheese, Bombay Emerald chutneys, duck confit and hard-to-find spices like zatar.

Tone / Style:

This 144-page cook book contains 70 recipes for grilled sandwiches that you can't wait to make on your panini press. Be prepared to drool.

Panini Express is easy to read. Bread and sandwich filling recipes are easy to follow. Each recipe begins with a description of the sandwich and suggestions for breads, cheeses, fillings and ingredient substitutions. Most of the panini recipes make two sandwiches. Chapter introductions include stories by Daniel Leader about tasting sandwiches as he learned bread making in Europe. His enthusiasm will whet your appetite!

Visuals:

Many full-page color and B&W photos illustrate the delicious grilled sandwiches and the recipes for making them.

Contents:

• Introduction
• Bread Basics, Basic Breads
  • Ciabatta Rolls
  • Grilled Pizza Breads
  • All Purpose Flatbreads
  • Seeded Focaccia
  • Four Hour Baguettes
• Quick Mayonnaises, Pestos and Other Sandwich Enhancers
  • Red Pepper Garlic Mayonnaise
  • Lemon Tarragon Mayonnaise
  • Watercress Mayonnaise
  • Horseradish Crème Fraîche
  • Chipotle Ketchup
  • Black Olive Pesto
  • Quick Baba Ghanoush
  • Quick Ratatouille
  • Pear Apple Compote
  • Mango Compote
  • Cherry Tomato Chutney
  • Cranberry Orange Relish
  • Oven Roasted Tomatoes
  • Caramelized Onions
• The Sandwiches
  • Neo Classic Croque Monsieur
  • Gruyere, Speck and Caramelized Onions
  • Comté, Cooked Ham and Quick Ratatouille
  • Prosciutto, Wilted Spinach and Cremini Mushroom Puree
  • Grilled Asparagus, Taleggio and Prosciutto
  • Ham, Brie and Apple French Toast
  • Mortadella Frittata, Fontina and Tomatoes
  • Corned Beef with Muenster Cheese and Wilted Cabbage
  • Sausage, Grapes and Gorgonzola Dolce
  • Knockwurst with Coarse Mustard and Pear Apple Compote
  • Manchego, Chorizo and Caramelized Onions
  • Goat Cheese with Salami and Black Olive Pesto
  • Catskills Cubano
  • Grilled Italian Hero Sandwich
  • Lamb, Eggplant and Feta Cheese
  • Roast Beef with Blue Cheese and Bacon
  • Filet Mignon with Mushrooms and Red Pepper Garlic Mayonnaise
  • Smoked Turkey, Avocado and Cherry Tomato Chutney
  • Turkey and Stilton Sandwiches with Cranberry Orange Relish
  • Turkey with Bacon, Watercress Mayonnaise and Aged Cheddar
  • Chicken with Fresh Ricotta and Mango Compote
  • Chicken and Ricotta Salata with Cucumber Tomato Salad
  • Smoked Chicken, St. André and Pear Apple Compote
  • Chicken with Lemon Tarragon Mayonnaise and Red Grapes
  • Barbecued Chicken with Blue Cheese and Celery
  • Tuscan Chicken with Artichokes and White Beans
  • Grilled Chicken and Asian Slaw
  • Duck Confit with Apricot Jam and Dijon Mustard and Shaved Fennel
  • The Bread Alone Tuna Panini
  • Asian Tuna Panini
  • Italian Tuna Salad with Avocado and Mozzarella
  • Tuna, Fava Beans and Asiago Cheese
  • Tuna, White Beans and Provolone
  • Smoked Salmon, Chive Chèvre and Grilled Vidalia Onions
  • Smoked Salmon with Hard Boiled Egg and Garlic Mayonnaise
  • Fresh Salmon Croque Madame
  • Sardines with Tomato, Sweet Onion and Grana Padana
  • Flounder with Spicy Coleslaw
  • Smoked Trout, Red Onion and Horseradish Crème Fraîche
  • Caesar Shrimp and Arugula
  • Shrimp, Avocado and Mango Salsa Quesadillas
  • Zucchini, Provolone and Mushrooms
  • Eggplant with Italian Fontina and Red Pepper Garlic Mayonnaise
  • Spiced Chickpea Spread with Tomatoes
  • Portobello Mushrooms with Grilled Onions and Cheddar Cheese
  • Artichokes, Oven Roasted Tomatoes and Goat Cheese
  • Mushroom and Leek Frittata with Roasted Tomatoes and Shaved Parmesan
  • Open Faced Blueberry and Crème Fraîche Brioche Sandwiches
  • Bread and Chocolate
  • Mascarpone, Almond Butter and Fig Jam
  • Nutella French Toast
• Resources
• Index

Author:

Daniel Leader and Lauren Chattman

Claim to fame:

Daniel Leader is owner of Bread Alone, an artisanal bakery. He is the author of two other bread baking books. Lauren Chattman has authored nine cookbooks and contributed to three others.

Return to Food & Drink Index

---