INGREDIENTS
1
tablespoon olive oil
1
large red onion, thinly sliced
1/4
teaspoon dried thyme
1/8
teaspoon salt
1/8
teaspoon black pepper
2
teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2
cup fresh sweet cherries, pitted and chopped
4
ounces blue cheese, at room temperature
1
(3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
8
large, thin slices Italian or country-style bread
1
to 2 tablespoons butter
PREPARATION:
- Heat oil in large, heavy-bottomed skillet. Add onion and thyme and saute over medium heat for 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in salt, pepper and vinegar. Scrape up any browned bits. Spoon onion mixture into a bowl and stir in cherries.
- Mash blue cheese and cream cheese in a bowl until softened and creamy. Spread over 4 bread slices. Top each slice with 1/4 of the cherry mixture (about 1/3 cup). Top with remaining bread slices.
- Wipe out skillet. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet. Add 2 sandwiches. Press down with a spatula. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden. Remove and repeat with remaining sandwiches, adding more butter if necessary. Cut each panini diagonally in half to serve.
Use a blue cheese with minimal blue veins for a pretty presentation. Heavily-veined cheese may cause a grayish tint when mixed with cherries.
This recipe appears in:
Sandwiches
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Sodium
884 mg
Protein
13 g
Fiber
2 g
Carbohydrate
36 g
Cholesterol
52 mg
Saturated Fat
13 g
Total Fat
24 g
Calories from Fat
52 %
Calories
410
DIETARY EXCHANGE:
Fat
4
Meat
1
Starch
2.5
