the quirky turkey

I'm taking a little lunch break and thought I'd share a fun sandwich creation with you ... there's a great little coffee shop in my town that turns into an amazing soup-salad-sandwich place at lunchtime - it's a tiny little space, so at lunchtime you've got to eat quickly so as to turn your table over, but hasty service aside, the sandwiches are delicious!  Let's just say that swooper and I have rendezvoused more than once to share one of their sandwiches and catch up with one another.  My favorite is called the Quirky Turkey and at $8 a sandwich I've been determined to reproduce this hot delicious panini goodness in my own house over this frigid and snowy winter.  Prepare yourselves for the ultimate "comfort sandwich"... 

Here's what you'll need:

Deli-sliced Turkey

Brie

Honey Mustard

Granny Smith Apple

Trader Joe's Tuscan Pane Bread

(if you're not familiar with this bread, it's delicious - sort of a hearty sliced bakery loaf similar to a sourdough - beware: soft breads don't really work for this one, folks)

Heat up a griddle or pan on your cooktop to a medium/low heat.  Thinly slice the brie and apples and lightly spread the honey mustard on the insides of each sandwich slice.  Using a brush, I spread about a 1/2 T or so of olive oil on the outside of each slice and then placed the oil side down onto the hot pan.  If olive oil doesn't float your boat, you could certainly use some other oil or butter/spread instead.  From there, I layered the turkey, brie, and apple slices and topped it off with the second piece of bread.  Since I don't have a panini press and use a pan instead, it's prone to lose it's contents when you flip it over to heat the other side, so be careful!  Heat it until the brie just begins to melt and those oiled outer slices of bread are just getting browned ... it'll look like this ...

Soooo so delicious, right swooper? (speaking of which .... we're due, girl!)  Bon Appétit!