Turkey Panini with Gruyère and Cranberry Sauce

Holy moly!  Thanksgiving is just around the corner!  Say whaatt?!  As if the calendar pointing it out to me wasn’t enough, my sister, with her not-so-subtle methods, asked me her usual question around this time of the year – “can you cook the Thanksgiving meal for us?”  My brother just had to chime in and ask for stuffing.  I feel so used…

So to kickstart November, I have a super easy, super tasty cranberry sauce for ya ;).  While most of the people in my family prefer to drown their turkey in gravy, I prefer the tangy, sweet, and bright cranberry sauce.  I’m always the odd person out in my family when it comes to eating.

Cranberries are also on my mind lately as they were last month’s superfood at the hospital.  This month it’s butternut squash, and you know I’m already conjuring up a recipe in my head.

The sauce can be made in advance and refrigerated, and you’ll see that it thickens up over time.  I call it a sauce, but it’s more like a cross between a sauce and a jam.  Since I was going to be adding it to a panini, I didn’t want it to be liquid-y.  To prepare, simply combine all the ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have bursted and the mixture is thickened, about 20 minutes.

Nothing to it, right?  Fresh always tastes better!  Since we Tim hasn’t roasted the big bird yet, I used deli meat for the panini to give you an idea of one of the ways you can enjoy all those glorious leftovers to come.

The inspiration for this panini comes from the Monte Cristo sandwich, which is battered and fried and served alongside preserves.  Instead of ham, I substituted Canadian bacon and decided to forgo the frying part to make mine a little more figure friendly.  I’ve been obsessed with gruyère cheese lately and have been finding all kinds of excuses to eat more than my fair share.  This instance was no exception.  However, on this occasion, cranberry sauce was invited to the party.

The verdict?  How could this not be good?  Now I’m really, really looking forward to some Thanksgiving leftovers ;)…and the actual day when I will be laboring away, of course.  Being with family more than makes up for it, though.

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Turkey Panini w/ Cranberry Sauce

By: Min Kwon | MJ and Hungryman

A turkey panini with cranberry sauce is the perfect sweet-savory bite that tastes like a cozy holiday sandwich.

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

resting time: 1 day day 2 hours hours

Total Time: 1 day day 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

Cranberry Sauce

• ▢ 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
• ▢ 1/2 cup honey
• ▢ 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• ▢ 1/8 tsp ginger
• ▢ 1 tsp lemon zest
• ▢ 3/4 cup water

Panini (for one)

• ▢ Slices of hearty bread
• ▢ Butter
• ▢ Oven roasted turkey
• ▢ Canadian bacon
• ▢ Grueyere cheese

Instructions 

For the cranberry sauce

• In a saucepan, combine all ingredients and simmer mixture, stirring occasionally until cranberries have bursted and mixture has thickened, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, cover, and chill for at least 2 hours.

Panini

• Spread butter on each slice of bread. On one slice add cheese, turkey, Canadian bacon, thickened cranberry sauce, and more cheese. Top with the other bread slice (there should be cheese next to each bread slice).
• Cook in panini maker. If you don't have one, heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Put the sandwich in the skillet and place something heavy on top to press it down. Cook until bread is golden and cheese melts.
• Slice and serve alongside more cranberry sauce if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 236kcal

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