A Pretty Panini Platter For All Of Your Holiday Parties!

It is officially holiday party season and the first thing that pops into your mind when planning is the food that you’re going to serve, of course! Food is essential for a party! I mean food is essential for everyday life, but when we get together to celebrate life around the holidays we make food the most important part. Whenever I create food for a party, gathering, or get together I always enjoy having some sort of a platter to put out. Whether that would be a sandwich platter, a hoagie platter, or in this case, a panini platter. Making paninis is a simple process, but it’s deciding what to put in each one that really matters. It is key to make each one unique in it’s own way using different meats, cheeses, and spreads to achieve an immaculate panini eating experience for both you, and your guests.

Three different paninis starred on this platter:

1st Panini: Crab Rangoon filled!

This crab rangoon filled panini is super easy, yet so succulent and delicious!

• Start with shredding an entire package of imitation crab meat into a bowl. Try to buy the good kind where the pieces are bigger and longer, not the kind where they’re in small bite sized chunks. The chunks will not shred like the other kind will! Keep that in mind.
• Scoop in about 1/3 cup of whipped cream cheese. I used the roasted red pepper flavor to amp up the flavor profile a bit, but if you would like to keep it traditional just use plain cream cheese.
• Throw in two tablespoons of soy sauce. I always use low sodium, but you can use whatever you like or whatever you have on hand.
• Drizzle in one-two tablespoons of sriracha depending on your spice tolerance or how much you’re obsessed with sriracha. If you’re like me you’ll be using as much as you can! 😉
• Lastly, chop up a handful of chives with herb scissors to make sure they are finely chopped! I love using chives or green onion when cream cheese is involved in a recipe.
• Season with freshly cracked black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.

For the other two paninis we have to freshly shred two different blocks of cheese.

The only panini that isn’t getting a spread or sauce on it is the crab rangoon one!

The top left spread is going to be for the maple cheddar, bacon and brie panini!

Ingredients:

• Two tablespoons of good heavy duty mayonnaise.
• Two teaspoons of maple syrup.
• Finely chop a sprig of rosemary.
• Freshly cracked black pepper.

The bottom right sauce is going to be for the smoked applewood cheddar and ham panini.

Ingredients:

• Two tablespoons of good heavy duty mayonnaise.
• One tablespoon of dijon mustard.
• 1/2 teaspoon of yellow mustard.
• One teaspoon of barbecue sauce.
• A drizzle of honey
• Season with sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and a touch of cayenne pepper.

While you are creating both of the sauces for each panini you can begin cooking strips of bacon for the maple cheddar, bacon and brie panini!

The making of the maple cheddar bacon and brie panini:

• I used pumpernickle bread and sourdough bread for a fun variety!
• Spread one side of the bread with garlic herb spreadable brie cheese and the other side with the maple rosemary spread that we made earlier.

• Sprinkle the maple cheddar cheese over the spread.
• Top with two strips of bacon.
• Then pile with fresh arugula leaves for color and some peppery goodness.

Butter the outside of the bread and place the sandwiches into a panini press that’s heated to medium heat. Leave the paninis in the press for about three minutes and check until they are golden brown to your liking!

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The making of the smoked applewood cheddar and ham panini.

• Lather each side of the bread with the smokey and sweet dijon mayonnaise
• Then layer two-three slices of ham off the bone on top of the sauce.
• Sprinkle an entire handful of smoked applewood cheddar over the ham.

• Just like the last panini, were going to pile some arugula leaves on top for color and also lots of peppery goodness!

Once again, butter the outside of the bread and place the smoked applewood cheddar and ham panini onto the panini press. Keep pressed until it’s golden brown to your liking.

As for the crab rangoon panini, it is much more simple to assemble! All you have to do is pile the bread with the rangoon filling, top with arugula, and close the sandwich. Butter the outside of the bread and place them on the panini press. Cook until golden brown to your liking on medium heat.

This panini platter is awesome to serve this time of year! Your guests will be so surprised and satisfied with all three of these perfectly assembled paninis! Both of the delicious spreads I put on each of paninis, I chose to serve on the side for dipping as well. I always feel like everything is better with lots of yummy sauces! 🙂

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xoxo