Use a sweet, ripe (but not overripe) pear such as Bosc or Anjou; if it’s not ripe enough, the flavor won’t marry with the cheese. Taleggio is a mild, creamy Italian cheese; if you can’t find it, Brie is a perfectly fine substitute.

　　

Ingredients

4 servings

　　1 (1-pound) ciabatta loaf (or 8 slices country bread)

　　1/4 cup olive oil

　　8 ounces Taleggio cheese, sliced

　　2 large ripe pears (or apples), cored and cut into 1/4-inch wedges

　　2 tablespoons honey

　　Pinch of salt

　　Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

　　3 ounces arugula or spinach

　　

Step 1

Preheat a panini press (see Note). Cut the ciabatta loaf into 4 equal pieces. Halve each piece horizontally to make 4 sandwiches. Brush the bread on both sides with olive oil and place the bottom half of the bread slices in the panini press in a single layer. Close the panini press and heat the bread until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining top slices of bread.

　　

Step 2

While the top slices of the bread are grilling, begin forming the sandwiches. Divide the cheese among the warm bread. Cover the cheese with slices of fruit. Drizzle the fruit with honey and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with a handful of arugula. Place the warmed top half of the bread over the arugula and return the completed sandwich to the panini press for 1 to 2 minutes more to melt the cheese. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve immediately.

　　Cooks' Note

　　If you do not have a panini press, you can make the sandwiches in a ridged grill pan. Preheat the grill pan, add the sandwich, then place a weight (a foil-wrapped brick, a smaller skillet with a couple of cans in it) on top. Turn once half way through.

　　Reprinted with permission from Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2008 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.