5 tips for setting up a panini bar at your party

Do you want to throw a casual get together for friends but you're fresh out of new ideas? A make-your-own panini bar is fun, delicious, and best of all, you don't have to spend all day cooking.

• Set up your panini bar by starting with your bread options at the beginning of the line.
• Some suggested breads include panini rolls, ciabatta rolls, sliced sourdough, baguettes, and whole grain sliced bread. Your guests will appreciate your having sliced the bread ahead of time.

• To enhance the flavour of the sandwiches, provide some condiments such as olive tapenade, Dijon and whole grain mustards, pepper jelly, marmalade, pesto, horseradish sauce, honey mustard, and barbecue sauce.
• In addition to these, some guests may want to add fresh tomatoes, sliced avocados, fresh basil, red onion slices, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red bell peppers, and artichoke hearts.

• When it comes to meat offerings for your panini bar, be sure to take your guests' tastes into consideration. Some may enjoy roast beef, bacon, salami, prosciutto, mortadella, and other cured Italian meats while others may opt for leaner choices such as sliced turkey or chicken.
• It's a good idea to provide at least four to six different meats choices to give your guests bountiful mix and match options.

• The important thing to remember when selecting cheese for panini sandwiches is that is has to melt easily.
• Shredded or sliced mozzarella, cheddar, brie, provolone, fontina, ricotta, Gouda, and Havarti are all good panini sandwich cheese choices.

• As the last step in the panini bar process, guests brush the outside of their sandwiches with butter or olive oil and place them in a panini press.
• Advise your guests on how to grill their sandwiches based on your grill's instructions.
• You can grill more than one sandwich on most panini makers but it's a good idea to have more than one grill if you have invited several friends to the party.
• If you don't have access to any panini grills, you can grill the sandwiches in a heavy skillet. To get the pressed effect, place another smaller skillet on top of the sandwich grilling in the pan. Flip the sandwiches once and they're done when the bread is toasted and golden and the cheese has melted.
• It's also a good idea to have your oven warm and available to keep sandwiches warm if necessary.