The Ultimate Autumn Panini

by lpodolsky410 on October 8, 2009

Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.

The sandwich. What a quintessential concept that we have coined as the ultimate “American Lunch” item. Who doesn’t have the fond memories of digging into a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the playground? Or warming up with a gooey grilled cheese on a cold evening.

Sure, these epic sandwiches will always hold a special place in so may of our hearts; however, as I grow older and my tastes become a bit more eclectic, I find myself getting mighty creative when it comes to construing these works of art.

I love playing around with flavors to see what will turn out to be the perfect balance. As you all know, I am all about the sweet and savory, and this sammie was nothing less than the ideal combination of the two.

The Ultimate Autumn Panini

First, I took two slices of apple cinnamon swirl bread (this is a new seasonal flavor by Thomas’s and its wonderful)

I spread dijon on to one half, laughing cow cheese wedge and cranberry chutney on the other.

Then, I layered sliced pear and honey smoked turkey on one side, and piled baby spinach on the other….

Standing tall, but not for long.

I pressed the sammie on a hot grill pan….

And vola! So sensational! Every single flavor married beautifully in this sammie. The subtle sweet hints of the juicy pear, the spicy essence of the chutney and dijon, the melted honey smoked turkey into the creamy cheese…

Yep, pretty much perfection…

This Panini would have been outstanding on its own, but I can’t enjoy just one sensational thing without a few more delights for good measure of course.

Homemade apple/pear sauce and sauteed broccoli with cranberries.

It was like Thanksgiving Dinner, only toned down a bit.

You could also do the wrap version, if that’s more your thing…

Please try this one! I promise, you will be begging for Thanksgiving to come early this year after first bite!

{ 18 comments }

ohonemorething October 9, 2009 at 12:17 am: OHHH! I can NOT wait to see what you do for Thanksgiving. I actually made a wrap with lefotvers of something pumpkin related I made yesterday And it also involved apples and cinnamon. Yuuum. Have a wonderful Friday tomorrowww beautiful one!XO
K from ksgoodeats October 9, 2009 at 12:52 am: Oh sweetness, that sandwich combination sounds heavenly!! I want to try cinnamon bread in a savory sandwich one of these days!
Stephanie October 9, 2009 at 1:08 am: This sammie is genius! You should enter this on foodbuzz's nature's path contest (not sure if they make cinnaswirl bread?) bc it would def be a winner-at least I would vote for it!!
*Naomi* October 9, 2009 at 1:59 am: OMG that looks too good to NOT try!! seriously the cinnamon bread combo in this just puts it over the top!!!LOVE your blog I look forward to reading more!!
Allie (Live Laugh Eat) October 9, 2009 at 3:27 am: You are totally rockin' these Fall sammies!!! I LOVE cranberry sauce in sandwiches–gobble gobble
Priyanka loves food October 9, 2009 at 4:51 am: That combination sure does sound yummy. I'll definitely try it. It is like the perfect fusion of all the Thanksgiving flavors in one single Panini!
Thinspired October 9, 2009 at 10:31 am: I don't even like mustard that much but your sandwich looks killer!I love your thoughts on sammies I do like a good one, but I have found that I am really picky about them. Just a plain turkey sandwich doesn't cut it for me anymore! Is that weird? Of course, PBJ is always acceptable
Emily (The Experimentarian) October 9, 2009 at 12:10 pm: Lauren, that is one of my all time favorite sandwich combos ever! I haven't seen the cinnamon swirl bread here, but I have been loving me some pitas with those exact same ingredients. great minds, eh?
peanutbutterbliss October 9, 2009 at 3:22 pm: totally just bookmarked this page for recipes to try looks great!
Dawn (HealthySDLiving) October 9, 2009 at 4:13 pm: This sandwich is genius–looks amazing!
Kristin @ Iowa Girl Eats October 9, 2009 at 7:39 pm: Oh.Yum. Great combo of flavors – you are the mix master!!!
janetha October 9, 2009 at 8:17 pm: wow lauren what a creative blend for a sandwich! i love paninis.. i need to snag my george foreman back from the boyf's house and recreate this business happy friday doll!!
THE ACTORS DIET October 9, 2009 at 10:08 pm: tgiving in a sammy sounds wonderful!
applebottomgenes October 10, 2009 at 1:43 am: What a wonderful sandwich creation. I must try that next week! I'm loving these fall foods even though I miss the summer ones.
Erica October 10, 2009 at 2:52 am: Now that is one awesome looking dinner. Although the panini looks good- I want that apple/pear sauce!The stevia mix seems to work well! The only thing I'm concerned about is all these thoughts that its just as bad for you as spelnda/etc is. Especially the notion that it could potentially have fertility impacts…… I may just keep on sticking with sugar!
Andrea (Off Her Cork) October 10, 2009 at 2:53 pm: Sweets, that sandwich looks awesome! YUM!And seriously, I don't care who says otherwise, stuffing your face with fantastic eats after A DAY is the best ever.
Simply Life October 11, 2009 at 11:58 am: Yum, that panini looks delicious!
Anne October 11, 2009 at 7:53 pm: Wow, that looks like such an amazing creation! I totally need a panini press. I hope you have a wonderful Sunday, girl!