Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Chocolate-Strawberry Panini

Look.

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No, look a little closer. You know you want to.

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You want to make this. You know you do....

My friends, I give you the Chocolate-Strawberry Panini. Yes, you guessed it..... from Giada. What can I say? The woman is a genius. Sheer genius. You can say what you want about her (and I've heard lots of things..... ), the woman knows what she's doing when it comes to dessert.

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Believe me. You want to make this. Trust Giada. She won't steer you wrong.

The wonderful thing about this particular dessert is that you don't even have to bake anything to make it. Now, on the particular day that I made this I could not locate any pound cake in my favorite grocery store, and I already had pound cake on the brain, so I just made two. I know, I know..... crazy, but I just had to have this, and right away. I used The Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Yogurt Pound Cake Recipe, but any old pound cake will do. I did leave the lemon glaze off the pound cake that I made for the paninis. I didn't want to interfere with the sheer bliss that is chocolate, strawberries and cake....... oh. my. goodness. Did I already say that you should try this??? You should try this.

Here's the lowdown...

Chocolate-Strawberry Panini
Recipe (adapted for one) courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis and foodnetwork.com

3-5 Tablespoons of Nutella
2 (1/2-inch) thick slices pound cake (from 1 (10.75-ounce) loaf)
1-2 fresh strawberries, hulled and very thinly sliced (depends on how much strawberry you want on the panini)
Butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray (I didn't use the cooking spray, but if you're worried about sticking, go for it)


Heat a panini grill to medium according to the manufacturer's instructions. Go ahead and start by cutting your pound cake pieces in half. It's easier this way. Cutting this after you take it off the panini maker is a recipe for disaster. Trust me.

Spread the chocolate-hazelnut spread over 1 side of each of the pound cake slices. Arrange the sliced strawberries over top of the chocolate spread on each slice. Cover with the remaining cake slices, chocolate side down.
Spray panini grill with nonstick spray and grill each panino (very gently) until the pound cake is crisp and golden and the fillings are warm, about 2 minutes.

Eat immediately. You won't regret it.

5 comments:

  1. Sam...this is torture! You should be arrested and put in jail girl! How on earth does one make 2 poundcakes on the spur of the moment? I really think I need to consider a move into your next door neighbor's house. :)
    Thanks for the inspiration. My girls will vote yes on me making this one!
    BTW......simply gorgeous photos!

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  2. What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't share??? Thanks Stephanie! Let me know how you like it, if you make it!

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  3. Hey....check out the trailer on my blog.....also...why are we still up???

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  4. Yes.... I was just asking myself that very same question.... I'll be sorry tomorrow. Checked it out and I love it. I need a rooster around here.

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