Disclaimer: Thanks to Arla Foods USA for sponsoring this post. All opinions expressed are my own.
I am so excited to have the opportunity to develop a recipe for Arla, a global dairy company with production facilities in 12 countries, and the largest organic dairy company in the world.
For the creation of this post I received a package containing 3 premium cheeses under the Castello brand Alps Selection: Hirten, Classic, and Weissbier. Each of the cheeses has a unique taste and texture, and is crafted through intricate artisanal techniques from milk produced on small farms in the Alps.
CASTELLO ALPS SELECTION HIRTEN
This premium hard cheese has a deep orange color, a rich complex taste, and crumbly texture (similar to a Parmesan). It is ideal for pasta dishes, as well as for sandwiches with savory ingredients. It pairs well with red wines such as Rioja, Tempranillo or even Sauvignon.
CASTELLO ALPS SELECTION CLASSIC
This premium cheese has a firm texture and smooth consistency, slightly smoky aroma, and spicy taste, and melts when heated. It is ideal for cheese boards with artisan breads and prosciutto or sun-dried tomatoes. It pairs well with full-bodied red wines, white Bourgogne, or any brown ale of your choosing.
CASTELLO ALPS SELECTION WEISSBIER
This premium comfort cheese offers a smooth buttery texture and mild taste with a hint of nutty sweetness. It melts quite well when heated and is wonderful with figs, poached fruits, and also grilled vegetables. Absolutely my favorite of all three cheeses!!! It pairs with Reisling, Gewurztraminer, and other white wines such as Sauvignon Blanc.
Creating a recipe with a focus on the American market was rewarding– it was a unique chance to put to use what I have learned about American cuisine both from culinary school and by living in the USA for the last 11 years. Although given the option of choosing any one of the three cheeses to develop a recipe upon, I decided to make use of all three of the high-quality, delicious cheeses. I drew inspiration from one of my favorite regional American cuisines — Creole!!! But my goal was to create something to highlight the cheeses, the real stars of our dish…
Since figs pair so well with the Castello Alps Selection Weissbier cheese, I made a Fig Foster filling instead of using the traditional bananas, and added to it praline pecans to accentuate the nutty sweetness of this cheese. A German contribution to Creole cuisine, black pepper, was also incorporated into the filling along with rosemary, in order to highlight the herbal and spicy notes of the Castello Classic. Bearing in mind both how ideal Castello Hirten is for sandwiches and the Italian contribution to Creole heritage, I decided to make panini. But the dish simultaneously ended up becoming a fruit dessert due to its fruity sweet filling. And to bring out the influence of NOLA’s cuisine even more, I covered the top of our panini with powdered sugar– just like a beignet. 🙂 This is how we ended up with our Castello Moments Triple Cheese and Spicy Fig Foster Paignets with Praline Pecans, a.k.a Castello Moments Paignets!!!
This dish immediately became a family favorite, but above all, we just couldn’t keep ourselves from noshing on the cheeses all by themselves.
Oh, and that’s not all!!! Did you know that you also have the chance to win a Private Cheese Tasting in your own home? To enter, click on the banner at the bottom of this post.
I hope that you enjoy my paignets as much as my family and I did, and wish you the best of luck in winning the wonderful Private Cheese Tasting sponsored by Arla Foods USA… Bon Appétit!!
Castello Moments Triple Cheese and Spicy Fig Foster Paignets with Praline Pecans
(Castello Moments Paignets)
Yield: 2 Castello Panini/Paignets
Segment: From My Table To Yours
Ingredients:
For the Fig Foster:
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (1-1/2 ounces)
1 cup light brown sugar
6 fresh large figs, halved lengthwise and quartered
A pinch of black pepper
1/3 cup dark rum
2 tablespoons praline pecans, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
For the Panini/Paignets:
Non-stick cooking spray or oil to brush griddle pan
4 slices from a French bread loaf
2 thin slices of Castello Classic cheese
2 thin slices of Castello Weissbier cheese
Castello Hirten cheese crumbs, to taste
Powdered sugar to sprinkle
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar, mix thoroughly, and reserve.
2. In a large skillet, combine the butter and brown sugar; then, place the pan over medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts completely and the mixture caramelizes to a creamy, rich brown color. This process requires approximately 4-5 minutes.
3. Add the figs quarters to the skillet, sprinkle pepper on top, and cook for approximately 1 minute, stirring gently every now and then. Remove pan from the heat, pour rum into the pan, return pan to the heat, and carefully ignite with a long match, or just tilt the skillet to ignite. Note: Never pour the alcohol straight from the bottle if the pan is on the stove; any splash back can ignite, and the flame can travel into the bottle.
4. Scatter the cinnamon-sugar mixture directly over the flame. As the flames die, stir gently to combine all the ingredients and add both the chopped praline pecans and rosemary. Use the warm Figs Foster as a filling for the paignets.
5. For the panini/paignets: Heat a large cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat and either spray on the non-stick cooking spray or brush pan surface with oil. Place 2 slices of bread in the pan and let crisp and acquire grill marks, about 3-4 minutes (on just one side of each slice of bread). Remove slices from the pan and set aside. Then, place the other two remaining slices of bread in the pan, and top each with one slice of Classic cheese and then one slice of Weissbier cheese. Reduce heat to medium, cover the two slices of bread on the grill pan with a larger, inverted skillet, and let cheeses melt, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to individual serving plates. Spoon half of the warm Fig Foster filling on top of the melted cheeses, top figs with crumbs of the Castello Hirten cheese, and place one slice of the reserved grilled bread on top. Sift powdered sugar on top of each slice of grilled bread and serve immediately with a glass of red wine. Bon appétit!!
Win a Private Cheese Tasting in your own home – enter by clicking on the banner below. Castello Moments and this post is a collaboration between the blogger and Arla Foods USA.
SallyBR
My gosh, this made me drool… what a FANTASTIC LOOKING PANINI or whatever you want to call it, I don’t care, just give me one…. or two! 😉
Denise Browning
Thanks, Sally! Those were very delicious bites…We were all hooked by these paignets…:)
The Café Sucre Farine
You’re so very creative Denise, these look amazing! I love the convenience of paninis but you’ve certainly added a gourmet touch!
Denise Browning
Thanks a lot, Chris!
Ash- foodfashionparty
Painetes, awesome, this might be the next big thing….looks DeLICIOUS.
Denise Browning
Oh, Ash! Thanks so much. Not only my hubby and I loved these paignets but my 5 and 6 year-old children as well. Have a great week and thanks for stopping by!
cquek
So so delicious! And the photos are so bright and beautiful!
Denise Browning
Thanks a lot! I am very glad that you have enjoyed both the dish and pictures!!! Have a great week!
Little Cooking Tips
Amazing job Denise! Thank you for sharing!
Denise Browning
Thank you, Little Cooking Tips for stopping by!!!
Deb
What a scrumptious selection of enchanting cheese! The Paninis are just luscious!
Denise Browning
Thanks, Deb! Yes, they were delicious!
Anne@FromMySweetHeart
Oh WoW Denise! My jaw is on the floor right now! What a perfect hybrid! A great way to showcase the cheeses you tried, which sound incredible on their own! I can also think of a dozen uses for the Fig Foster, too! I love figs and cheese and savory sweet sandwiches. Your photos are just beautiful, too!
Denise Browning
Thanks a lot, Anne! I am happy that you liked both the dish and pictures.
Juliana
Denise, this look so luscious…and delicious combination of the fabulous cheese and fig foster…
The pictures are gorgeous!
Hope you are having a wonderful week my dear 😀
Denise Browning
Thanks, Juliana! Likewise. It has been a busy week so far but a very blessed one as well.
Nami | Just One Cookbook
My friend introduced me the combination of fig and cheese! Now that I see you made these paignets with the combination, I’m VERY curious to give it a try. I can see my family will be hooked to this. YUM!
Denise Browning
I hope you give it a try. It is quite delish!!!! I also love to pair cheese and fruit as you see, especially fig.
Coffee and Crumpets
Great recipe creation Denise! I love figs with cheese and this is a very creative use of them! They look so good!
Nazneen
Denise Browning
Thanks, Nazneen! We all loved this recipe. Even Hannah who doesn’t eat figs, took a bite of these paignets. She made my day!
Abbe@This is How I Cook
I just got here but i am sure glad I didn’t miss i! This looks mouthwatering good! Great photos! And the rabbit catcher loves figs.
Kate@Diethood
I am about to drool on my keyboard…that looks amazing!!
Daniela
Wow, that’s a very creative and wonderful looking recipe ! I love the combination of different flavors in total harmony with great cheese!
Nik@ABrownTable
This looks and is drool-worthy! So delicious!
Wizzy
These look AMAZING! I would totally gobble these up and not want to share.
Denise Browning
That’s how I felt eating them, Wizzy!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
Whatever you want to call it, just hand me a couple of this deliciousness 😀
cquek
gosh i want i want
Mi Vida en un Dulce
I’m iamgining eating that bread very warm, with the cheese melting in my mouth…!!!
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
I love dessert panini and these flavors are mouthwatering!
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com
These will make such cute little appetizers!!! You’re such a talented chef – what a great combination of flavors in this recipe.
Denise Browning
Thanks, Julia! So good to hear from you again.