Goat Cheese, Cheddar, Apple, and Pesto Panini

Everyone loves grilled cheese! What's not to love? It's gooey, creamy, and crunchy all at the same time. One of the best pairings with cheese is apple. The sweet crunch of an apple is perfect with the savory, salty flavor of cheese. When it is apple season, I try to use them in any way I possibly can, and they are great in both sweet and savory meals.

I am constantly trying to create something that my 2 year old will like, and grilled cheese tends to be a winner. By adding some other flavors to something he already likes, I figure it is a way to expand his palate. This is great in theory, but he also likes to change his mind daily and say "I don't like it." Oh two year olds....

A couple tips when it comes to a perfect grilled cheese:

*Use room temperature cheese to make it easier to spread on the bread.

*Thinly slice the apples! If they are too thick, then the apple flavor will overpower everything else.

*Evenly butter the bread! This ensures that the entire piece of bread will brown evenly. It's best to do this with room temperature butter.

Goat Cheese, Cheddar, Apple, and Pesto Panini

Author:

Maria Provenzano

Goat Cheese, Cheddar, Apple, and Pesto Panini

Ingredients

Two slices of hearty whole grain bread; I like finding bread with good texture in it
Apple; sliced very thin
1-2 tablespoons goat cheese; room temperature
1-2 slices of good quality cheddar cheese; freshly grated from a block works as well!
1 tablespoon pesto; I love using my recipe for pumpkin seed pesto (recipe on www.fromscratchwithmaria.com)
room temperature butter for spreading on the outside of the bread

Instructions

*Thinly slice an apple; you will only use a small amount for one sandwich, which allows you to make plenty more with one apple
*Spread the outsides of each slice of bread generously with the room temperature butter
*Flip them over and spread one slice of the bread with the goat cheese; if it is room temperature it will spread much easier
*Spread pesto on the other side
*Add a layer of apples
*Then, add a layer of cheddar cheese
*Place one side over the other to create a sandwich
*Place on a heated panini press; this can also be done on a skillet like a normal grilled cheese
*Cook until both sides are brown and crispy
*Remove and let cool for a minute
*Cut as desired and serve! (I love serving this with soup)