Grilled Pear, Humboldt Fog, and Mint Panini

This year, Mikey got a panini press for Christmas and, to be honest, I think I was more excited about his gift than he was, ha ha. A few weeks ago, we tried it out for the first time and it was a overwhelmingly successful venture! I made Mikey a panini with grilled chicken, sharp cheddar, bacon, homemade chipotle mayonnaise, and spinach, served up with some creamy tomato soup. And for myself, a panini with dry coppa, arugula, and fontina cheese. I also had to sneak a tiny bowl of the tomato soup because man, this boxed stuff is incredible! It was Pacific Natural Foods Creamy Tomato and I seriously thought it was out-of-this-world good. It has this amazing subtle sweetness to it. I immediately went out and bought 3 more boxes of the stuff along with a box of nearly every variety they make. I might be a bit obsessive...
Anyways, the paninis were scrum-diddly-umptious and I basically couldn't wait to use the press again.
I found this wonderful blog called Panini Happy while looking for flavor combinations and came across a Grilled Peaches and Humboldt Fog Panini that sounded really tasty. Since peaches aren't in season at the moment, I decided to switch it up and use pears! The sandwich turned out SO good! The creaminess and pronounced taste of the Humboldt Fog paired with the sweet, grilled pears was simply delightful- another success for the panini maker!
I served my panini up with a handful of baby spinach dressed in a simple vinaigrette, and some creamy pumpkin soup. The recipe for the soup can be found here!

Grilled Pear, Humboldt Fog, and Mint Panini

recipe adapted from here

serves 1

ingredients:

• 1 large pear (I used Bosc), sliced into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 ounce Humboldt Fog goat cheese
• fresh mint
• 2 slices of bread (thicker works better, I just used what I had on hand which was Pain du George- a whole wheat bread)
• a small amount of butter

1. Preheat the panini grill to 375 degrees.
2. Place the pear slices on the grill and grill for around 2 minutes, until they are caramelized. Remove from the grill and set aside.
3. Butter one side of each of the bread slices with a bit of butter.
4. Layer the pear slices onto a slice of the bread (not the butter side) and top with some mint leaves and then the cheese. Top with the remaining slice of bread and press for around 3 to 4 minutes (make sure the butter sides of the bread are facing the panini press), or until the cheese is melted. Serve!

Peppery Green Salad with Manchego Cheese and Sauteed Pears

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas! Mine has been wonderful so far and I received far too many gifts :).

For Christmas Eve dinner, I was asked to make a simple green salad that would pair nicely with Stone Crab claws. I looked through a few recipes and there was one that stuck out at me. 
This salad uses spicy salad greens along side crunchy pepitas and sweet pears. It was perfect with the crab claws and I think everyone really enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed the nice bite of the Manchego cheese. As for the vinaigrette, I will be making it again and again. It was outstanding!

Once again, I very much apologize for the terrible quality of the photos. They were rushed while I was serving the salad.

Peppery Green Salad with Manchego Cheese and Sauteed Pears

recipe adapted from here

ingredients:

• 4 cups packed arugula
• 4 cups packed frisée (curly endive)
• 1/3 cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
• 5 large pears (any type will taste great), cored and cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1/2 lb piece of Manchego cheese, rind removed and grated or cut into tiny pieces
• 1/3 cup + 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp Sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp grainy dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

1. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add in the pepitas and cook until puffed and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Pour the leftover oil from the pan into a small bowl and reserve for later.
2. Heat 2 more tbsp of the oil in the same saute pan and add in the pear chunks. Saute for aroubd five minutes and remove from pan and set aside.
3. Toss together the arugula, frisée, cheese, and pepitas in a large salad bowl.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and honey. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil (including the reserved oil from the pepitas), whisking until emulsified.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Pour the dressing on the salad and add the pears; toss to combine. If you are making this ahead of time, I like to whisk the dressing up in the bottom of the salad bowl and pour the arugula, frisée, pepitas, and Manchego over it. I put the sauteed pears in a tupperware, and then when ready to serve you just throw in the pears and toss to coat!

serves at least 10 small starter salads