Blackberry Balsamic Panino
When I was a lot, younger there was a kid who stayed at our house a lot, he was about 4 years younger than me, and I immediately adopted him as a younger brother which was something I always wanted. Well in between the petty wars, the anime, and the larping on TikTok, I would create myself some kind of delicious bread concoction, and without fail, he would beg me to make him one as well, and then for the next few days, I would have to make it over and over again for him as he loved them so much well as time went on I adapted and grew and so did he as well as my creations but I always remembered the very first very basic “grilled cheese” I made and today I will share with you all the delicious remnants and memories of my youth in a slightly fancier, more body friendly package as I am no longer able to eat all that gluten. So, for all my lovely gluten-free people who were abandoned by their gluten-digesting ability but still want all the yummy food. Here is your safe space with these delectable Paninis for two that taste like a summer of family fun and fresh blackberries.
Ingredients
1 Medium Tomato
Half a Red Onion
4 ounces of Baby Bellas
Half of a Red Bell Pepper
4 Half inch slices of Extra Firm Tofu
2 Rolls of Scher’s Gluten Free Ciabatta Bread
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
Boursin Vegan Herbs Cheese Spread
Vegan Butter
Marinade For the Tofu
2 teaspoons Honey
1 Tablespoon Dijon
2 Teaspoons Blackberry Balsamic
2 Tablespoons Tamari Soy Sauce
Instructions
Start by gathering all your ingredients except your spreads, as it will make your life so much easier, and it is especially important for the flow of this recipe. You will also need a large frying pan, a cutting board, a panini press (or another pan) and a small bowl that fits your tofu slices nice and flat.
Start by slicing your fillings into 1/4-inch slices for the onions and mushrooms and 1/2-inch slices for the tomatoes and red peppers. The mix together the Tamari, Dijon, Blackberry Balsamic, and Honey zin your small bowl. (Pro tip here, if you grease your measuring spoon the honey will slip right out without sticking)
Marinate your strips of tofu in your Marinade for 5 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
Heat your large frying with your olive oil over medium low heat, when your pan is warm, and the oil seems to dance away from the center lay your Tofu, Onions, Peppers and Mushrooms in your pan keeping them in their groups. (As they will finish cooking at different times.) Sprinkle salt over your veggies and drizzle some of the remaining marinade over your tofu every time you flip it as it cooks.
Let everything except the mushrooms cook for about ten minutes or until the tofu is good and brown and the onions and peppers have lost a good amount of their color. You are going to want to pull your mushrooms out before though as soon as they shrink in size but before they start to dry out.
Remove everything from the pan and add your tomatoes, cooking and flipping them until they are starting to break down and seared on both sides.
Make it stand out
After taking your veggies and tofu out of the pan and placing them on your wiped clean cutting board, put about two tablespoons of butter and your halved Ciabatta rolls on your pan toasting until they are a nice tan with some gentle browning.
Grab your Boursin, and all your toppings and start assembly. Spread a thin layer of Boursin on your bottom bun and start your assembly from the heaviest to the lightest of your toppings.
Make it stand out
Close your Paninis and either start heating your panini press or if you don’t have one just grab another pan.
Pan Method; Heat up a small pan with some butter and place your panino in the pan (it’s better to do them one at a time this way) Use a small plate, flat bottomed bowl or another pan that fits in your frying pan and use it to apply consistent pressure to your panino as it cooks, flip halfway through.
Make it stand out
Panini Pan Method: Preheat your pan to 350, spray some nonstick spray and place your two rolls a bit apart, close the lid and let it cook for around 2-3 minutes. Different pans work differently. Then take out, cut in half, drizzle with some more blackberry balsamic and enjoy. (Pro tip, add a bit of fresh basil for a nice kick.)
