Bacon & Cheese Panini

 

A friend of mine on Instagram posted a ham and cheese panini on her feed the other day and it looked amazingly delicious.  I thought it was bacon, but she said no, ham . . . it looked sooooooo good! I have been thinking about it ever since   . . .  except in my mind it was bacon, not ham  . . . I do so love the occasional bacon sandwich. 

 

Back in my early days here in the UK, Todd and I worked together at a BP service station that had a cafe attached.  They sold tons of bacon, sausage, as well as  bacon & sausage baguettes every morning.  You would see the same guys buying them every day. 

 

I was always mystified by the draw of them.  They used the cheapest nastiest bacon and sausages.  You should have seen the grease in the bottom of the warming cabinet that would have to be cleaned out at the end of every day.  Blech!  Blech!  Blech! 

 

I only like to use a good quality bacon in my sandwiches . . .  and I am not fond of sausage in sandwiches at all.  (I am not sure why.)    

 

There has been a lot on the news lately about the higher incidence of bowel cancer in people who eat processed meats every day. I often wonder about those builders that were coming in every day and  filling up on that cheap and nasty stuff.  I recently discovered Finnebrogue Naked Bacon, which is made without any nitrites and artificial additives.  This is what I have been buying.  It costs a bit more than regular bacon, but I reckon for the few times we might have bacon, it is worth every penny. 

 

I haven't seen it as streaky bacon, just the back bacon. But you can get it smoked and unsmoked.  It is air dried and it is lovely, and no . . .  I have not been paid or given any free bacon to say that.  I just plain like it and think you might too. 

 

Especially if you are like me and a bit concerned about the use of nitrates and preservatives in our food.  

 

This is not low fat by any stretch, which makes it a real treat . . .  all butter croissants . . .  Jarlsberg cheese  . . .  back bacon  . . .  

I grilled the back bacon under my oven grill/broiler.  If you slash the fatty edge first, it won't curl up.

 

Lightly buttered and pressed in a Panini press until the croissant is golden brown and has nice crispy bits  . . .  and the cheese is melted.

 

I like mine with a bit of brown sauce, or what is called HP sauce or steak sauce in North America.  Its really good.  Just spicy enough . . .

  

Todd likes his with tomato sauce/ketchup. There is no accounting for taste, lol.  Seriously I have never liked tomato ketchup on anything with bread.  Again, I have no idea why. 

Yield: 2Author: Marie Rayner

Bacon & Cheese Panini

A once in a blue-moon treat.  I enjoy mine with brown sauce. Todd prefers ketchup! Quick, easy and delicious!

ingredients:

• 2 all butter quality French Croissants
• 4 rashers of back bacon
• 4 slices of good melty cheese (I used Jarlsberg)
• softened butter

instructions:

1. Preheat the grill/broiler to high.  Clip the fatty edge of your back bacon and lay it out in a single layer on a foil lined grill tray.  Grill for approximately 4 minutes per side, or until it is done to your desired taste. Allow to drain on some paper kitchen toweling.
2. Preheat your Panini press is using, or skillet.  Slice your croissants in half through the middle.  Butter lightly on both the top and the bottom outer bits.  Place the buttered bottom down on the panini press/skillet.  Top with one slice of cheese, torn in half and laid out to cover it.  Top with two slices of back bacon, and another slice of cheese in the same way.  Place the croissant tops, buttered side up, on top of everything.
3. Cook in your Panini press until golden brown and the cheese has melted. Alternately cook in a heated skillet, pressing down with a spatula, top first,  and flipping over when golden brown, to brown the other side.
4. Serve immediately with your favourite sauce.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

I was really pleased to see this Naked Bacon in my local grocery store and bought it right away to try. I just love trying new things.  Especially if they promise to be healthier. I have been buying it ever since, which is not every week, by the way  . . .  maybe only once a month.  I hope they come out with a streaky version!  Yum!!