CHOCOLATE & BRIE PANINI: National Panini Day

If you've been reading my blog, you know I love the combination of Bread & Chocolate. Since today is National Panini Day, I thought I'd post a variation of Giada de Laurentiis's recipe for a Chocolate & Brie PaniniI love sweet and salty! I love my panini press, especially the lovely grill marks it leaves on the panini. Yum Sugar, one of my favorite food sites, modified this recipe, and I totally agree. Less chocolate is better as in the recipe below, so the chocolate doesn't overpower the cheese. As in all of the recipes, I recommend using the very best ingredients. It really makes a difference--from the olive oil to the bread to the brie, to the chocolate.

A few other possibilities: try using ciabatta instead of sourdough. Don't have a panini press? You can make this as you would a grilled cheese sandwich. In a dorm? Try your iron as the press (you will need to clean it afterwards).

CHOCOLATE AND BRIE PANINI

Ingredients
12 slices sourdough bread (try ciabatta if you want a change)*
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces Brie cheese, thinly sliced
10 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves

Directions
Preheat panini press.
Brush both sides of bread with olive oil. Grill bread slices until they begin to turn golden, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove from panini press and place 2 ounces of cheese on 1 slice of bread (the bottom half), top cheese with 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate, and a few leaves of basil. Top with another slice of bread. Continue with remaining sandwiches.
Return sandwiches to panini press until \chocolate begins to melt, about another 2 minutes.
Cut sandwiches into 2-inch wide rectangles or small triangles and transfer to a serving platter.