We also are blessed with a bounty of figs from the fig tree, with which my mother often makes a particularly wonderful fig jam (an easy recipe that cooks up in about 15 minutes, I recommend it!). So when I saw this recipe for an apple and gruyere grilled cheese panini with fig jam in my friend Kathy Strahs’ fabulous new cookbook, The Ultimate Panini Press Cookbook, I couldn’t wait to give it a go. It’s sort of a no-brainer actually. Granny Smith apples, nutty gruyere cheese, and figs? They belong together. I just never would have thought to put them together in a grilled cheese sandwich. Oh. My. Gosh. Crazy good! I know that not everyone one has a panini press. In fact, the only reason I have one is that a friend re-gifted one to me knowing that I like to experiment in the kitchen. You could just as easily make this sandwich like a regular grilled cheese sandwich (for which I prefer using a cast iron pan). Or, if you happen to have a George Forman grill, that would work too! To one slice add a layer of sliced cheese, several apple slices, and a layer of more cheese. Top the sandwich with the other slice of bread, buttered side up. If making a grilled cheese sandwich instead of a panini, place in heated cast iron pan, cook until one side is browned, use a metal spatula, carefully flip the sandwich over and toast on the other side until the cheese is melted. You may need to lower the heat on the pan to allow enough time for the cheese to melt without burning the bread.
