Goat Cheese Panini

This is such a simple recipe I don't know that there actually is a recipe but for all you out there who have grown up with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and think that a sad little Kraft American cheese single on Wonder Bread is the way to go I'm hoping to expand your horizons.

Go to the fancy cheese section of the grocery store and pick out a nice chevre--that's just an all-purpose term for French goat cheese. Not feta, heavens no. A good, fresh chevre such as Montrachet should be soft and spreadable.

Then get a rustic, crusty loaf of bread--Italian, French, sourdough, rye, it doesn't matter just so long as it's thick and crusty and fresh. Spread the cheese on the bread as thick or as thin as you'd like and brush either melted butter or light olive oil on the outside and grill. Melted butter won't tear your bread up the way hard butter can and butter will give it a slightly browner color than olive oil will. You can use a fancy panini machini or grill it in a frying pan the way everyone else does it.

If you want to get creative experiment with sprinkling some fresh chopped herbs over the cheese--perhaps rosemary, oregano, thyme or basil would be good. You could include roasted bell peppers, grilled slices of zucchini or (my favorite) sauteed mushroom slices.

If you have to have meat, try some prosciutto but consider going with just the naked goat cheese. It is really heavenly. Easy, tasty and it goes great with a fresh tomato soup (which gives you a hint to what recipe I'll be posting next week).

Technorati tags: goat cheese, panini, sandwiches, chevre