Roasted Chicken and Brie Panini with Hot Raspberry Jam

I cannot stop making panini.

Without question my favorite thing in the new year is my shiny new panini grill. Oh I know...panini are so last decade. I don't care-I'm late for the party and now I'm hooked.

My first panini were basically "clean out the fridge panini". I used supermarket deli sliced chicken breast and brie. While I chose to use deli sliced because it was what I had on hand, feel free to substitute leftover roasted chicken or store bought rotisserie.

The spinach was really an afterthought. One of my New Year's resolutions is to each some sort of fruit or vegetable with every meal (OK I know I should have been doing that last decade too, but what can I say?). As it turns out the spinach worked perfectly. The jam was a holiday leftover. Purchased at my local Homegoods, the hot pepper raspberry jam was delicious. I may run out tomorrow and see if I can find a few more jars...it was really good-not too hot, in fact barely warm...but really wonderful tasting.

The most important part of making good panini is your bread selection. A soft regular bread just won't hold up with too many fillings. I chose a sprouted whole grain bread from the bakery section at Whole Foods that was both sturdy and flavorful. Firm rolls also work incredibly well.

5 Tips for Perfect Panini:

1. Choose a firm, sturdy bread

2. Divide the cheese between both slices of bread for best "melting together"

3. Preheat your panini grill

4. Experiment with different flavored oils brushed on the outside of the bread.

5. For best melting without leaking, do not over stuff with cheese and/or other fillings.

Roasted Chicken and Brie Panini with Hot Raspberry Jam

4 slices sturdy whole grain bread cut 1/4-1/2 inch thick

4 teaspoons hot pepper raspberry jam

2 ounces sliced brie, rind removed

1/4 lb. deli roasted chicken breast

1/2 cup (packed)baby spinach leaves

2 teaspoons crushed raw almonds

2 teaspoons red pepper flavored olive oil

Preheat your panini grill according to manufacturers directions.

Arrange your bread on a work surface. Spread 1 teaspoon of the jam over each slice of bread.

Divide the brie between the bread slices spreading gently over the jam. Stack the chicken, spinach and almonds on 2 of the bread slices then top with the remaining bread slices. Brush the sandwiches with the oil and place on the grill; close the grill and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Peach & Blueberry (or Raspberry) Crumbles

Do you ever have one of those days when you just get something in your head and that's just it-it's stuck there? I had one of those days today.

Before I left for the supermarket I looked over the recipe for today's Barefoot Blogger recipe not once but twice just to be sure. But for some reason once I got to the store I just had it in my head that we were making Peach and Raspberry Crumbles. It didn't matter that my list said blueberries...I knew it was raspberries...I knew I simply wrote blueberries by mistake. Guess what? The list was right.

As I am sure you may have surmised today is Barefoot Thursday, the day when countless food bloggers across the blogosphere prepare a delicious recipe created by the infamous Ina Garten-a.k.a. The Barefoot Contessa. Today's recipe was selected by Aggie of Aggie's Kitchen-she selected (as you already know) Peach and Blueberry Crumbles. Why don't you join us next month preparing a Barefoot Blogger recipe?

I made only one change and that obviously would be that I used raspberries instead of the called for blueberries. But I have to say...raspberries worked out just grand. Not to sound like sour grapes (or blueberries as the case may be) but I like raspberries better anyway.

The recipe was delicious...peaches are so tasty right now so it could not have been a more timely selection-Thanks, Aggie.

Peach & Blueberry Crumbles

Ina Garten from The Barefoot Contessa at Home

For the fruit:

2 pounds firm, ripe peaches (6-8 peaches)

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup fresh blueberries (1/2 pint)...or you may use raspberries!

For the crumble:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar, lightly packed

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily. Place them immediately in cold water. Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the blueberries. allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. spoon the mixture into ramekins or custard cups.

or the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it's in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. serve warm or at room temperature.

If you want to make these early, store the unbaked crumbles in the refrigerator and bake before dinner.

Lazy Raspberry Picking

I wish that I was not so lazy.

It's a beautiful day here in New England-a tad hot-but beautiful. If I wasn't so lazy I would take my kids (one is away at Intelligence and National Security Camp-how scary is that? So I have only 2 this week) berry picking. But quite honestly the thought of being on my knees-or worse squatting and sifting through buggy plants to find "perfect" berries seems daunting. Do you see what I mean? I realize that I am just plain lazy...but, when I know that I can run to the supermarket where someone has done all the work for me It's just too easy to be lazy. I am "picking" in a way...I have to pick the best looking container-no moldy ones, just plump juicy ones. And I'm in air-conditioned comfort while I'm doing it. Lazy.

Honestly I would rather spend my lazy summer day baking something.

So I grabbed some (supermarket purchased) raspberries (they were organic, just for the record) and decided to make some Bittersweet Chocolate Raspberry Brownies. These brownies are a tad more cake-like than fudgy, so if you like your brownies "fudgier" try cutting the flour a bit-we like our brownies a little more cakey. Now just a warning here-these are not your run of the mill uber-sweet Duncan Hines variety. These brownies are definitely bittersweet. If you like them a little sweeter, you can up the sugar a bit-but I think served warm and dusted lightly with a sprinkling of powdered sugar and some fresh raspberries alongside they are just right.

Bittersweet Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

Butter and unsweetened cocoa powder

6 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate (I used Scharffen Berger 70% cacao)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)

3 large eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar, plus additional for dusting

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly butter a 9x9 inch baking pan and then dust lightly with unsweetened cocoa powder.

Melt the chocolate with the butter in a medium sized bowl over a pot of simmering water. (If your microwave has a chocolate melting setting-which my new one does-you may use that). Allow the chocolate to cool for 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl combine the eggs, 1/4 cup of confectioner's sugar and the vanilla. Using an electric mixer, beat until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour, baking powder and the salt. Add the melted chocolate and mix just until well combined. Using a spatula, gently fold in the raspberries. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 40 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the pan before cutting into squares to serve. Lightly dust squares with confectioner's sugar before serving.