Excerpts

Simple Italian Snacks More Recipes from America's Favorite Panini Bar Bruschetta of White Beans with Egg Yolk Vinaigrette and Tomato Makes 8 bruschetta This is as fast and stylish as a Fiat. Freshly cooked white beans are the scenic long route; canned beans are the rush-hour shortcut. Both roads lead to a bruschetta of an egg-enriched vinaigrette over creamy white beans. Makes 8 bruschetta Ingredients: 2 hard-boiled eggs, yolks minced with a fork, whites finely chopped 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 cups cooked white beans, drained and rinsed 2 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into a medium dice Grated zest of 1 lemon Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper 8 baguette slices, cut 1/2 inch thick on the diagonal, toasted Instructions: Combine the egg yolks with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and whisk together. Put the beans and the tomatoes in a bowl, and pour the mixture over them. Add the chopped egg whites and the lemon zest. Toss gently to combine while adding the remaining 3/4 cup olive oil. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Top each toast with a layer of white beans. Give each bruschetta a turn of a pepper mill before serving on a large platter. Taleggio, Apple, and Pistachio Panini Makes 4 panini I think of this as a cheese board packed into a sandwich--there's the rich and runny cheese, the sweet and crisp apple, and the salty crunch of nuts. This is a great way to enjoy Taleggio, a full-flavored cow's milk cheese that melts into a silky tang. Ingredients: 1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachio nuts 1/2 crisp, sweet apple, such as Macoun or Fuji, unpeeled, very thinly sliced 4 ciabatta rolls, domed tops sliced off, rolls sliced in half horizontally 8 ounces Taleggio, rind removed, at room temperature Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper Instructions: Preheat the oven to 250°F. Spread the pistachios on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven until they are aromatic, 3 minutes. When they have cooled, roughly chop them. Preheat a panini grill. Arrange 4 apple slices on the bottom half of each ciabatta roll. Top with the sliced Taleggio. (This cheese will spread in the panini press, so don't go to the edge of the bread.) Top with 4 more apple slices and a sprinkling of toasted pistachios. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the top half of the ciabatta on each sandwich. Grill the sandwiches for 3 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown. Slice each sandwich in half and serve immediately. Simple Italian Snacks More Recipes from America's Favorite Panini Bar . Copyright © by Jason Denton. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold. Excerpted from Simple Italian Snacks: More Recipes from America's Favorite Panini Bar by Jason Denton, Kathryn Kellinger All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.