If any of you remember The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones from the ’80s the idea of bringing my two blogging worlds together for this post will be familiar to you. Here’s how it all transpired.
I was enticed by my sister’s suggestion to add walnuts to the Brie & Dried Apricot Panini I was conjuring up. Then I remembered that I’d just seen a recipe for walnut bread on the back of a bag of King Arthur flour. It was too perfect! I’d bake the bread for my new blog that features on-the-package recipes, Cooking On the Side, and turn it into panini on Panini Happy. Unexpected, yet fortunate blog synergy in action.
You don’t often see dried fruit in sandwiches, but dried fruit, with its intense flavor, goes so well with cheese. Take, for instance, baked Brie: the cheese becomes irresistible all melted inside puff pastry and engulfed in dried fruit and nuts. This panini recipe was an attempt to capture the essence of baked Brie in sandwich form. It was a hit with my husband and visiting in-laws this weekend.
The White Whole Wheat Walnut Bread was a wonderfully nutty complement to the Brie and dried apricots. Since Brie is rich and the bread is relatively dense it worked best as a smaller sandwich. I cut the slices a little thinner than usual and halved the apricots lengthwise to balance everything out so none of the flavors overpowered any of the others in each bite. I served the panini with a simple herb salad with red wine vinaigrette, but some folks might even enjoy it as dessert.
I don’t really remember if the Jetsons and Flintstones adapted well to each other’s worlds in that TV movie but Panini Happy and Cooking On the Side are proving to get along just fine!
Brie & Dried Apricot Panini on Walnut Bread
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 slices White Whole Wheat Walnut Bread, thinly sliced, about 3/8″ thick (you can also often find nut breads in grocery store bakery departments)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 4 ounces Brie, thinly sliced (remove rind if desired)
- 12 dried apricots, halved lengthwise
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the panini grill to medium-high heat.
For each sandwich: Brush a thin layer of melted butter onto the outer sides of two slices of bread. Inside one slice place a single layer each of Brie and dried apricot halves. Close the sandwich with the other slice of bread, buttered side up.
Grill for 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese is melted and dark grill marks appear. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Panini Happy, online since 2008, is more than just a sandwich blog. Here, you'll find hundreds of my original 
Just say “Brie” and you have my attention!
Kalyn’s last blog post..Recipe for Pan-Fried Asparagus Tips with Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest
AMAZING choice for a panini using your homemade bread. Looks delicious.
RecipeGirl’s last blog post..How to Make Homemade Alfajores
dried apricots have such a fabulous texture, and i think they’d be just dynamite in a sandwich like this. bravo!!
grace’s last blog post..oatmeal cookies in a different form
Hey you got two blogs in one with this one. Great idea and the bread sounds fabulous!
RobinSue’s last blog post..Eating a Rainbow- Red
First the bread and now this amazing panini. I put the bread on my neverending to make list. It sounds easy to do!
Esi’s last blog post..Farro Salad with Asparagus, Tomatoes, and Feta
That looks so good! I love the flavors!
Maria’s last blog post..Live on Studio 5
Oooh, nice. This sounds like a very yummy panini.
I have been seeing so many recipes lately for brie mixed with something sweet, but this looks magnificent! I love the combo Brie, nuts and the nutty flavor of the whole wheat plus the dried apricots. Brilliant! I bet it was delicious!
Jamie’s last blog post..RISOTTO QUEEN
We could do the bread, butter and brie just as they are! Love that combination so much.
The Duo Dishes’s last blog post..Now It’s Your Turn
That a great combination! It would be really good with lingonberry jam too!
brilynn’s last blog post..Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: Spring Has Sprung, Maple Syrup Is Here!
When you were talking about this the other day I thought OMG — what a perfect combo — and the bread is genius with it. Love walnuts and apricots…I’m thinking I’d have to drizzle some honey over it and totally skip dinner.
kellypea’s last blog post..Spring Salad with Dandelion Greens, Asparagus and Fresh Peas
Ever since Trader Joe’s came to Rhode Island, I’ve been able to enjoy beautiful dried fruit, like apricots, at affordable prices. Love the combination with brie — I am definitely going to try this!
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)’s last blog post..Chinese egg noodles (Recipe: mee goreng/fried noodles)
Another tasty creation! Looks great.
Pam’s last blog post..Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls
Nice panini and that walnut bread is looking good!
Despite being up to my ears in grilled cheese, this is super appealing! Love the combo of apricots and brie. Yum!
maggie (p&c)’s last blog post..The Baconing: Grilled smoked mozzarella with maple-caramelized bacon
What a great idea. It looks fabulous. Mary @ KAF
Mary’s last blog post..MJ’s mom’s cheesecake: tiny and terrific
YUM! I love this (and your blog). I saw the photo on Tastespotting. I work with Alouette and our Baby Brie would be perfect for this recipe. And of course who doesn’t love apricots with brie! I look forward to checking out your other recipes!