This posts is for my friend Cecil. Cecil is a sandwich man. He occasionally visits the blog but not very often because Cecil hates seafood, of any kind. I try to tell him there are other things on the site that are good but Cecil doesn’t like to cook. He does like good food but his diet consists mostly of sandwiches. So CL, here is a new sandwich for you to try. For the rest of you readers, THIS IS A KILLER PANINI that you owe it to yourself to try, especially while fresh figs are in season. Better act fast otherwise you will have to wait until next year. 😦

I’m somewhat on a sandwich kick right now. It’s summertime and sandwiches always seem to fit the bill in the summertime. They are quick, simple, somewhat healthy (as long as you’re not on a low carb diet) and delicious. When you don’t feel like cooking, you can always make a sandwich. Also, Baby Lady has never met a fig she didn’t like. She LOVES figs. She also loves prosciutto and brie. Couple this with a nice sourdough bread and some arugula and you have the makings of something really special.

In the post on Quickstep’s Panini, I commented Quickstep had only had one other panini which was another recipe. Well, this is that “other recipe.” It originated in a recipe we found on Epicurious that was a fig, brie and prosciutto sandwich. Baby Lady & I tried it and were completely unimpressed. There simply was no pizzaz to the sandwich. It was simply one of those recipes someone put together, took a pretty, mouthwatering picture and convinced you that you really needed to include it in your repertoire. Sadly, the recipe had promise but was lacking in several respects. So, we improved it to make this incredibly dynamic panini. In addition to the fig, brie and prosciutto, we added arugula for the nice spicy bite it provides. We also decided that heating the figs would really bring out the sweetness of the figs. The panini press then provided that crunchy texture that sends the sandwich over the top. Quickstep absolutely loved this sandwich. When we asked him which sandwich he preferred, he said he liked the fig, brie and prosciutto panini best. You have the beautiful sweetness of the figs with the saltiness of the prosciutto, the tanginess of the sourdough, the butteriness of the brie and the spicy bite of the arugula. Everything is in balance and this sandwich sings. You really do need to try this panini. You will like it. If you don’t have a panini press, simply grill it. Whatever you do, make this sandwich. You will be surprised at how good it really is.

Ingredients

• 2 slices Sourdough bread
• 2 ripe, turkish figs, sliced 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick
• 4 oz brie cheese
• 3 oz prosciutto (or Serano Ham, which provides a stronger flavor and a nice smokiness)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 oz fresh arugula leaves

Instructions

First thing first, lay out 2 slices of bread. Cut brie into slices and layer on the bread trying to cover each slice.

Next, stack the prosciutto (or Serano Ham) on top of one side

Put fresh arugula on the other slice of bread and figs on top of the prosciutto

Put the arugula covered slice on top of the figs and prosciutto slice and butter both sides

Place the sandwich in a panini press or a large skillet. In a panini press, it takes roughly 3 minutes until it is done. In a skillet, it takes roughly 2 – 3 minutes per side. Remove when done.

Cut on a diagonal, serve and enjoy.