Thick Shakes with Strawberry-Mascarpone Panini

• MAKE-AHEAD
• STAFF-FAVORITE
• VEGETARIAN

Ingredients

1. 6 large egg yolks
2. 1/2 cup sugar
3. 2 cups milk
4. 1 cup heavy cream
5. 2 vanilla beans, split, seeds scraped
6. 1 pound strawberries (2 pints), sliced
7. 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
8. 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
9. 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
10. Salt and freshly ground pepper
11. 8 slices brioche (1/2 inch thick)
12. 1/2 cup mascarpone
13. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
14. 2 pints strawberry ice cream

1. Fill a large metal bowl with ice water and set another large metal bowl in it. Set a strainer in the bowl.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 1/4 cup of the sugar until slightly pale. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk with the cream and vanilla beans and seeds until small bubbles appear around the edge. Add the hot milk to the egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Return the vanilla mixture to the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Strain the vanilla sauce into the bowl in the ice bath and let cool completely, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the strawberries, orange juice, zest, vinegar and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar; season very lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture has become jammy, about 10 minutes. Transfer the jam to a bowl and let cool.
4. Heat a panini press or griddle over low heat. Spread the mascarpone on 4 of the brioche slices. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the jam on each of the other 4 slices and close the sandwiches. Brush the sandwiches with the butter and grill or press until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the panini to a cutting board and dust with confectioners' sugar. Halve each sandwich.
5. Put 1 pint of ice cream and half of the vanilla sauce in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into 2 large glasses. Repeat with the remaining ice cream and vanilla sauce to make 2 more shakes. Serve the milk shakes right away, with the panini.