Great panini for Friday night

Did I ever tell you that I got the Top Chef cookbook? I don't think I did. Top Chef has long been one of my favorite tv-shows. It's just so entertaininig - I've never missed a single episode. I haven't tried many recipes though - even though many are available on the Bravo website, they usually strike me as poorly written and little more than notes.

So, it was with slight trepidation I picked up the Top Chef Cookbook which came out a few months ago. However, I needn't have worried. The book is much more carefully written, and it's clear that the recipes have been adapted slightly to work out for the home cook. Apart from recipes - which it has very many of - it also has tons of information about the competition itself. Loads of photos, loads of quotes, plenty of stats on the cheftestants, and everything else you could want. I love it.

And so far, I've only tried one recipe: Dave's salami panini from Season one, from the finale in Las Vegas. We used ciabatta bread, filled it with pepper salami and mild gouda cheese, and mustard mixed with a little bit of honey. I think we meant to put in roasted red peppers, but forgot. No problem, because this was really delicious just like this. And with a sandwich grill, it takes virtually no time to prepare. Perfect after a busy work week!