BBQ Pork And Peach Panini With Roasted Hatch Chili And Garlic Mayo

I grew up eating bread with meals; A blessing for the palate, A curse for the waist.

Muffins, bagels, biscuits, scones, rolls, (especially those that send out aromas of yeast that waft and linger in the house) Soft, fluffy, fresh, or crunchy, bring it on for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Bread is a tool to push food onto your fork, a bed for gravy, ,a sponge to sop up soup, and in this recipe instead of book ends, you have French sandwich ends holding together a southern combination of BBQ pork tenderloin, Kentucky cheddar cheese, and South Carolina peaches, along with a layer of healthy spinach and vibrant green basil.

Wait, I'm not finished! The scrumptious glue holding this triple decker sandwich together is roasted Hatch chili, garlic, and lime mayonnaise!

I got the idea for using thin puff pastry from Giada on the Food Network channel. At the time, I had no clue what kind of sandwich I was going to develop so I tucked it away in my 'to make soon' folder. You know how it goes...a recipe sparks a flicker of an idea and you build from there.

I used leftover pork tenderloin that I had baked with barbecue sauce. You can use any leftover pork, pour barbecue sauce over it and heat. I'm always experimenting with Murray's unique cheeses from Kroger. Kentucky Bourbon is one of my favorite and was delicious with the peaches and pork! When you sink your teeth in first it's flaky and crisp, then soft and gooey, dripping with spicy sauce, finishing fresh and clean from the greens! Oh yeah :)

So crispy and different, it makes you feel like you're dining on a fancy sandwich. But don't save this one for a special occasion. Get some sheets and build upon this delicate pastry with these ingredients or your favorite fixins! Just enjoy :)

Ingredients For Mayonnaise

2 Hatch Chilies

3 garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon dry white wine

pinch of red pepper flakes

Ingredients For Sandwich

2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed and divided into 12 rectangles

12 slices leftover BBQ pork tenderloin

12 slices Kentucky Bourbon Cheddar Cheese

40 baby spinach leaves

20 large fresh basil leaves (green or purple)

32 fresh peach slices, cut thin

Directions For Mayonnaise

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Wash and dry chili peppers. Place on a baking sheet. Make a pocket with aluminum foil and put the garlic cloves unpeeled inside. Rub oil onto the pepper and the garlic cloves, coating them well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Fold the foil up to enclose the garlic. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the peppers are charred on the outside and the garlic is soft.

Place hot peppers into a bowl. The garlic cloves should squeeze out of their skins into the same bowls. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. This will create steam and make it easier to peel off the skin on the peppers. Once you've peeled them, allow to cool completely before mixing into the mayonnaise.

Mix mayo, lime juice, wine, and pepper flakes in a blender. Add peppers and garlic. Pulse a few times. Then blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning as needed.

Directions for Sandwich

Place an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Divide each pastry sheet into thirds and then cut each one of those in half so you have a total of 12 rectangles. Place the pastry on the prepared baking sheets. Using the tines of a fork, prick the top of the pastry all over. Cover the pastry with parchment paper and place another baking sheet on top. Bake for 25 minutes until golden. Remove the top baking sheets and parchment paper. Set aside to cool. It will not brown quite as much by being covered with the pan but that's okay. The pastry will still be flaky.

Let's build a sandwich! Place pork slices on a microwave safe plate. Layer with cheese. Heat just enough to melt cheese. Take four pastry rectangles and spread with mayonnaise. Layer spinach over mayo. Then slide the pork evenly onto the leaves. Gently press the second pastry sheets on the cheese. Spread more mayo on that layer and then the basil leaves go next. Take your peaches and line them across the basil. Finally, a little more mayo on the underside of the last pastry sheet and you're ready to put the finishing touches on and dig in!