GRILLED BRIE & PANETTONE SANDWICHES WITH SPICY CRANBERRY SAUCE

If you can make a grilled cheese sandwich, you can make these! Gorgeous and festively decadent, they’re perfect just as they are, for brunch or lunch—or make them more hearty with the addition of tissue-thin slices of prosciutto or leftover turkey. This recipe makes enough spicy cranberry sauce to offer more at the table.

½ cup (125 mL) fresh or frozen whole cranberries 2 tbsp (30 mL) white or rosé wine

Pinch fine sea salt

½ cup (125 mL) tinned cranberry sauce

2 tsp (10 mL) sriracha, sambal oelek or other hot Asian-style chili sauce

1 box (about 900 g) panettone

(brands vary by a few grams)

8 oz (250 mL) brie, about 1 small round, bloomy rind on

About 3 tbsp (45 mL) butter

1 Into a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the fresh or frozen cranberries, wine and a pinch of salt. Simmer, covered, for about 3 minutes or until berries are slightly softened.

2 Turn off heat, add the cranberry sauce and hot sauce, and stir to blend. Set aside.

3 Peel paper from panettone. Cut the whole loaf in half, vertically, down the middle. Lay the cut panettone halves cut- or flat-side down and trim off the dark, rounded top. Then continue to cut into six 1-inch (2.5-mL) slices on each side. You will end up with 12 half-moon slices.

4 Cut brie into ⅛ inch (3 mm) slices (cold brie slices more easily). Add 2 slices each to six of the panettone slices. Don’t lay brie all the way to the edges of the bread, as it will melt and ooze out.

5 Add some butter to a skillet over medium head, just enough to cover the surface of the pan or griddle. Transfer the cheese-topped slices of panettone to skillet. Add a dollop of cranberry sauce to the brie-covered bread in the skillet, about 1 or 2 tsp (5 to 10 mL) each; spread it out a bit. Top with the second slice of panettone.

6 Keep a close eye on the heat and on the colour of the bottom of the panettone; the sugars in the bread can burn quickly. Once golden, about 3 minutes, flip. If all the butter has been absorbed, add a little more to fry the second side nicely. Fry until second side is golden, another 3 minutes or so. Serve immediately with extra cranberry sauce for dipping!

Makes 6 sandwiches and 1 cup (250 mL) cranberry sauce

WHAT TO SERVE

De Chanceny Crémant de Loire Rosé Brut LCBO 211466, $19.30

Muskoka Lakes White Cranberry Wine LCBO 621938, $18.95