Fig Hazelnut Spread, Brie, and Prosciutto Panini
My thesis defense (a talk about the last 6 years of my life) date has shown up in the 10-day forecast. Does anyone else measure their life by the 10-day forecast?
Upon this realization, the first thought that jumped into my mind was, “what am I going to WEAR?!”. And the second thought: “I guess I should start on my talk soon.”
But before I start, I wanted to tell you about the only new recipe I tried while I was writing my thesis. I hadn’t been doing very much cooking, but after glimpsing Giada make this during a “writing break,” I immediately went out and bought ingredients!
It starts with a spread, made from toasted hazelnuts and dried figs, thick and slightly sweet, and you will just want to smear this on everything.
Thin slices of prosciutto are baked to a crisp (the original recipe calls for pancetta), and soft, creamy brie completes this delectable sandwich. I have a good feeling goat cheese would work just as well.
Got my fancy schmancy panini press and grilled the panini until the cheese gets nice and oozey.
Giada may have called this a breakfast panini, but this is really an ANYTIME panini.
Grilled Peach, Crispy Prosciutto, Goat Cheese and Arugula Salad
When did it suddenly become fall? It feels like just yesterday I was complaining about the sauna-like conditions of my apartment (which may have been beneficial for the detoxification of the pores on my face, but was not so much for my stove-top or baking endeavors). There is already a slight chill in the air and the streets of Boston and Cambridge (and the Esplanade!) are buzzing with students, returning and incoming, all bright and cheery-eyed from their summer breaks, eager to catch up with friends and optimistic about their fall semester classes. I remember those days, I couldn’t WAIT to go to the stationary store for new pencils, assorted highlighters, and notebooks! More importantly, today is the first Sunday of the NFL regular season, and I can’t WAIT to veg out on the couch and one game after another (and hopefully stream the 49ers game online!). With the start of a new football season and a new school year, it means that pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin scones, the holidays, and snow are not far behind!
But before we settle into fall and winter cooking, I wanted to share a summertime salad. I made this a few weeks ago when it was still sweltering and the most comfortable way to cook was to grill outside. Sweet peaches are grilled and paired with salty prosciutto, crisped up on the stove (think bacon-style; if you’ve never had prosciutto this way, DO IT and add it to your pasta, your breakfast sandwich, or your salad- and you may never miss bacon again).
The sweet and salty is served on top of peppery arugula (my favorite salad green this year!) with creamy goat cheese and finished with a balsamic syrup. Got extra grilled peaches you didn’t eat with your salad? They’re fantastic over vanilla ice cream or greek yogurt with a bit of honey.
