Recipe: Apple Pie Panini (using raisin bread and mascarpone)

APPLE PIE PANINI



"What about a sandwich that tastes just like apple pie?" my sister Julie suggested to me in an email one day. I stopped what I was doing and, suddenly, I could think about nothing else besides apple pie panini. How dreamy would that be - tart apple slices layered with honey-whipped mascarpone on cinnamon raisin bread with a brown sugar crust on top? Well, here's the simple recipe for that dessert sandwich dream come true. - Kathy Strahs

1⁄2 cup mascarpone cheese
2 teaspoons honey
4 tablespoons (1⁄2 stick) butter, at room temperature
8 slices cinnamon raisin bread, sliced from a dense bakery loaf
1 Granny Smith or other firm apple, cored and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Either in a small bowl with a whisk or in a mini food processor, whip the mascarpone and honey together until well combined and fluffy.

Heat the panini press to medium-high heat.

For each sandwich: Spread butter on two slices of bread to flavor the outside of the sandwich. Flip over both slices of bread and spread 1 tablespoon sweetened mascarpone on each. Top one slice of bread with a layer of apples and close the sandwich with the other slice, buttered side up. Sprinkle some brown sugar on top.

Grill two panini at a time, with the lid closed, until the fillings are warmed and the bread is toasted, with a sweet crust, 3 to 5 minutes.

Makes 4 servings
Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Harvard Commons Press
Source: The Ultimate Panini Press Cookbook By Kathy Strahs
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