Chocolate-Olive Panini
Late-night eating is one of those things that’s pretty much a fact of a chef’s life. Really late-night eating. And I often end up with friends at ’ino and ’inoteca, where they make the greatest panini in New York. One very late night, my cooks and I thought it would be fun to create a sandwich for the dessert menu. Here’s the result. The combination of chocolate with the tangy olives is addictive.
Gianduja paste and feuilletine are both available online from L’Epicerie. You could also buy cigarette cookies from a gourmet store and crush them as a substitute for the feuilletine.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 8 on it¿s own or 16 as part of fourplay
Ingredients
For the Candied Olives
For the Crispy Olive Gianduja
For the Balsamic Vinaigrette
To Serve
Preparation
For the Candied Olives
Step 1
Rinse the olives and drain well.
Step 2
Cut the olives in half lengthwise and put them in a small saucepan with the simple syrup. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
Step 3
Heat the oven to 150°F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat.
Step 4
Drain the olives and toss them in sugar to coat lightly. Lay them out on the Silpat and dry in the oven for about 3 hours. The olives should still be meaty but not crisp. You could also set the olives on acetate-lined dehydrator trays and dry for 4 hours at 135°F.
Step 5
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
For the Crispy Olive Gianduja
Step 6
Line a 9 x 12-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
Step 7
Melt the gianduja in 30-second bursts in the microwave, letting it sit for about 1 minute and stirring between bursts. Stir in the feuilletine and olives. Spread the paste out evenly in the baking sheet. Cover with another sheet of parchment and flatten to make sure it’s completely even. Refrigerate until cold and set.
For the Balsamic Vinaigrette
Step 8
Stir the vinegar and water together.
Step 9
Combine the xanthan gum with a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar and whisk slowly into the vinegar and water; make sure there are no lumps. Whisk in the olive oil.
Step 10
Store in a jar for up to 3 days.
To Serve
Step 11
Heat a panini press or an electric grill.
Step 12
Butter the brioche slices lightly on one side each and place half of the slices, buttered side down, on the counter.
Step 13
Cut the crispy olive gianduja into squares the size of your bread. Place a square of gianduja on the bread, cover with a layer of shredded cheese, and top with another piece of bread, buttered side up.
Step 14
Cook in the panini press until the gianduja is soft and the cheese has started to melt, about 90 seconds.
Step 15
Cut the panini in half or, if serving as a part of a fourplay, in quarters. Serve the panini with a drizzle of the vinaigrette, some arugula, if desired, and some broken pieces of candied olives.
make it simpler
Step 16
If you don’t want to make Chocolate Brioche, you could make the panini with some nice black bread.
